Vegan African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew with sweet potatoes is one of my personal favorite recipes of all time! We make it regularly. The flavors are simply amazing, like a party in your mouth. If you only try one vegetable soup recipe, let this be the one.
We love this soup because it’s…
- Super filling
- Hearty
- Full of flavor
- Veggie-loaded
- Insanely satisfying
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Ingredients in African Sweet Potato Stew
Believe me, I know the combination of ingredients sounds absolutely crazy! This African soup is loaded with sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, red kidney beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, and even peanut butter (or PB2).
A full list of ingredients, measurements, instructions, and a print button can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to make this soup
Heat the water in a soup pot over medium heat.
Dice all of the veggies including the onion, garlic, and sweet potatoes.
I am often asked what knives I use and recommend for cooking, and my favorite brand is Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery. Yes, that’s the same company that makes the Swiss Army Knife. These knives come with a lifetime guarantee and are very reasonably priced. I absolutely love mine.
Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the bell peppers, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the brown sugar (sucanat), ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, and cook stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in the peanut butter, and distribute it evenly throughout.
Add the sweet potatoes, kidney beans, and tomatoes, and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
Serve in bowl over your choice of steamed rice, and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
*Original publish date November 17, 2014.
Tips for making sweet potato stew
- You may want to thin out the peanut butter first by mixing it with some warm water in a small bowl before adding it to the pot. It will be much easier to incorporate it into the stew.
- Any preferred sweetener can be used.
- Be careful not to overcook the sweet potatoes. You’ll want those a bit chunky for a better texture in the finished product.
- Don’t cover to cook, as covering tends to lead to overcooking.
What is PB2?
There’s an ingredient in town that mimics the nut butter’s flavor and cuts down its fat and calorie count by more than half: powdered peanut butter.
The product, which might intrigue health-conscious consumers, is made by pressing peanuts to remove their fat and oil content, while maintaining their taste.
The process turns the solid peanuts into a kind of peanut dust that, when mixed with liquid, reassembles a butter-like spread.”–Huffington Post
White rice or brown rice?
This amazingly delicious African Peanut Soup is served over the rice of your choice. I love it over brown jasmine rice.
When we first began our plant-based journey, my husband wasn’t crazy about brown rice, because he loved the white variety. That prompted me to begin making a mixture of the two kinds of rice.
I would put both jasmine white rice and brown rice–in half and half measurement–into our rice steamer. This way, we could both be happy and get the nutritional benefits of brown rice.
This is a layered dish. The first layer in your bowl is rice. The second layer is the peanuty stew, and the final layer is a sprinkling of crushed peanuts (optional) and fresh cilantro.
The results are amazing! Seriously, if you only try one recipe, let this African Peanut Soup be the one.
What followers are saying about African Sweet Potato Stew
I made this recipe and both my husband and myself loved it, i was never keen on sweet potato but this is amazing. I am making it for my second time tonight, love it, thanks for this great recipe!–Sandra
Recipe originally from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Other great soup & stew recipes
African Peanut Soup
African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew is one of my personal favorite recipes of all time! We make it regularly. The flavors are simply amazing, like a party in your mouth. If you only try one recipe, let this be the one. I'm serious!
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsps. water for sautéing
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 garlic clove, minced
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into small squares
- 3 tsps. light brown sugar or sucanat
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (or 10-12 Tbsp PB2), smooth or crunchy or PB2 powder
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 15 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2-1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the water in a soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the brown sugar (sucanat), ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, and cook stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the peanut butter, and distribute it evenly throughout. You may want to thin out the peanut butter first by mixing it with some warm water in a small bowl before adding it to the pot. It will be much easier to incorporate it into the stew.
- Add the sweet potatoes, kidney beans, and tomatoes, and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Serve in bowl over your choice of steamed rice, and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
Notes
Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 4.6gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 32.7gFiber: 10.3gSugar: 5gProtein: 16.7g
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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