West African Peanut Soup Recipe with Chicken

African peanut soup is creamy and delicious with rich full-bodied flavor made with chicken, sweet potato, simple spices, tomato, bell pepper, jalapeño, broth and a decent amount of creamy peanut butter. Garnish this West African dish with fresh cilantro and roasted peanuts for the ultimate experience!

If a peanut butter soup recipe doesn’t sound appetizing to you, let me explain. Forget the jelly, forget the sweet pairings. In this recipe, natural peanut butter goes savory. Think Thai peanut sauce but with an African coriander cumin flavor profile. I tried it years ago at a salad bar and immediately started researching where the soup comes from and how to make it.

This is one of the older recipes on this website and one I still make a few times each winter because its THAT good.

It got the “this is the best soup you’ve ever made” label from the husband (who doesn’t throw that around often and does not like peanut butter). My whole family loves it and people ask for the recipe anytime someone new tries it. Branch outside your comfort zone and give it a go!

What is African Peanut Soup

As you may have guessed by the name, this recipe hails from West Africa. There it’s sometimes referred to as groundnut soup or stew and called Maafe. My version is Americanized for similicity and to add some extra veggies in.

Ground nuts originally came to Africa from South America in the 1500’s so the soup must have originated some time after that. Different countries also have their own versions in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other parts of the region.

While there are many different regional varieties, the basic ingredients of an authentic African peanut soup are usually ground peanuts, palm oil, diced tomatoes or tomato paste, and spices. Some version have aromatics like onion, garlic, ginger, and chilis added. Dry spices range from ginger, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper.

Many versions also have veggies of some form like bell peppers, sweet potato, okra, or potatoes. Most versions have meat like chicken, but it can be vegetarian as well.

In this recipe, I used ready made smooth peanut butter, swapped the traditional palm oil for coconut or avocado oil and added some extra vegetables like bell pepper, sweet potato and spinach. I also seasoned with coriander, cumin and cilantro since that’s the version I first tried and fell in love with.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

If you’re even a mild peanut lover, you will not just love, but ADORE this recipe. It has all the peanut flavors but delivered in a complex and interesting way. It’s creamy and perfect for a rainy day. Here’s why we love it:

• It’s so creamy and delicious
• Kid friendly for any picky eater that loves peanut butter (leave out whatever they won’t eat like veggies, cilantro, etc.)
• It’s loaded with protein
• Chock full of veggies, vitamin and minerals
• Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and easy to convert to plant based
• The recipe has been tested, re-tested and received rave reviews!

Ingredients and Substitutions

This African peanut stew recipe has quite a few ingredients but it all comes together pretty quickly, all things considered. Also, although the name conjures exotic mental images, you’ll probably find all of the spices you need are already in your spice cabinet.

Main Ingredients

• chicken breast – chicken breast works great here and adds extra flavor and protein. You can substitute chicken thighs if you prefer. To make a vegan or vegetarian version, leave the chicken out and add a can of rinsed chickpeas for protein.
• avocado oil or coconut oil – this is for sautéing but olive oil works too as long as you don’t get it too hot.
• minced ginger – ginger is a flavor used in most authentic African peanut soup recipes I’ve seen. I used pre-minced jarred ginger to make the process easy as can be.
• onion – use a regular yellow onion or substitute a red onion or sweet onion in it’s place.
• red bell pepper – red pepper adds more sustenance and nutrition. You can leave it out or substitute another vegetable like zucchini in it’s place if you prefer.
• sweet potato – makes the soup more filling and adds a subtle sweetness that compliments the peanut butter flavor. You can substitute carrot, butternut squash or regular potato.
• tomato – I use fresh chopped tomato but you can substitute canned diced tomatoes. You could even use2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste if needed.
• chicken broth – adds more liquid and flavor at the same time. You can substitute vegetable broth if you prefer. I have seen some recipes suggest substituting half of the broth with a can of coconut milk to make it extra rich and creamy as well.
• peanut butter – this is what gives the soup it’s rich peanut flavor and is non-negotiable! I used a smooth natural peanut butter without any added sugar. Crunchy peanut butter works fine too though and just adds more texture.
• fresh baby spinach – any mild greens, like collard greens, kale, or chard will do in place of spinach. You can also leave them out if you prefer.
• fresh cilantro – adds freshness to the final dish to brighten it up. If you don’t like cilantro, you can leave it out or substitute green onion.
• roasted peanuts – salted roasted peanuts are the perfect garnish for this soup and add a fun crunchy texture.

Spices and Aromatics

• jalapeños – these are for flavor and a little kick! Don’t worry, the soup is still very mild. You can substitute another pepper type, like serrano pepper, or even just a little cayenne or a sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if you prefer a spicier soup. If you don’t want it spicy at all, just leave it out entirely.
• garlic – as with the ginger, I usually use pre-minced garlic for simplicity but fresh is fantastic. Garlic adds a lot of flavor in this recipes so I don’t recommend leaving it out unless you truly need to avoid it for dietary reasons or don’t have any. You can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder as well.
• ground coriander – this spice adds depth, richness an supurb flavor. I don’t recommend leaving it out or substituting but some ground nut soup recipes don’t include it so the choice is up to you.
• ground cumin – I love cumin in this recipe. It adds warmth and complexity without dominating or drowning out any of the other flavors.
• Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, as usual, but seas salt or table salt are fine here.
• fresh cracked pepper – or pre-ground black pepper is fine. As with the peppers, leave it out if you don’t want extra spice.

How to Make African Peanut Soup

Don’t let the number of ingredients scare you. This soup isn’t as fast to make as my 30 minute dinner recipes but it has simple ingredients and it isn’t hard and the end result is totally worth it. Get a large stock pot ready and let’s go!

1. Once all ingredients are prepped, warm avocado oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook until starting to brown on all side but not cooked through since it will continue to cook in the soup. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion and red pepper and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Add jalapeño, garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin and continue cooking until the spices become aromatic but not overly browned.
4. Dump the sweet potato, tomato, and chicken broth into the pot and and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and let the soup cook for 15 – 20 minutes until the sweet potato pieces are fork tender.
   
5. Add the peanut butter and chicken and simmer for 5-10 more minutes to melt the peanut butter in and combine all of the flavors.
6. Add the remaining ingredients – peanuts, spinach, cilantro, salt and pepper – and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with peanuts and cilantro and serve right away!
   
   

Recipe Notes

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

Luckily African peanut soup is just as good leftover as it is fresh. Here are some guidelines for storing, reheating and freezing.

Storing in Refrigerator: Cool the soup to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freezing: Freezing works but the sweet potato consistency can get a little grainy and unappetizing when defrosted so do this with caution. It still works and I’ve done it and still enjoyed the defrosted soup but just know the sweet potato consistency won’t be the same.

To freeze, place stew in a tightly sealing freezer safe container. Leave a small amount of room a the top to account for expanding during freezing (1cm or 1/4- 1/2 inch is fine). Place on a flat place in the freezer and use within 6 months.

Reheating: To reheat from the refrigerator, dump the soup into a microwave safe dish and heat on high for about 2 minutes until warm, stirring half way through. To reheat on the stovetop, pour soup into a pot and reheat on medium low until warm, stirring every 2-3 minutes. The amount of time it will take to reheat will depend on how much soup is in the pot and the temperature.

To reheat from frozen, ideally, place the soup container in the refrigerator and let it defrost over night. If you want to defrost it faster, you can use the quick defrost function on your microwave or defrost in a pan on the stovetop. If using either of these quicker methods, make sure to stir often.

What to Serve with Peanut Soup

This soup is absolutely satisfying and filling on it’s own as a main dish but if you want to pair it with sides or drinks, there are some clear winners.

Traditionally this soup is served with white rice, brown rice, plantains or another starch, poured over the top similar to a curry. It definitely works this way and it makes it more of a hearty soup. I like serving as a soup though with crusty bread and a light salad.

My whole wheat cornbread recipe goes well and adding a simple kale salad rounds it out into a full meal. If you want to serve drinks with it, pair with a sauvignon blanc or dry pinot blanc or pinot gris pairs wonderfully.

And here’s the original recipe photo for repeat visitors just so you know you’re still in the right place!