Skip to Content

African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew

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.

African sweet potato Stew

We love this soup because it’s…

  • Super filling
  • Hearty
  • Full of flavor
  • Veggie-loaded
  • Insanely satisfying

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).

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

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 which knives I use personally, and I have to say that it is Victorinox. They are the same company that makes Swiss Army Knives and the quality is excellent.

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 it in a 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

Vegan African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes in wooden bowls
Served with rice, crushed peanuts, and fresh cilantro, this stew is simply amazing!

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.

nutrition in brown rice
Brown rice is full of health-promoting fiber.

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.

african sweet potato peanut stew with rice in wooden bowl
Crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro are perfect toppings for this stew.

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

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

African Stew

African Peanut Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

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 tablespoons water for sautéing
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 3 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into small squares
  • 3 teaspoons light brown sugar or sucanat
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon 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 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • 1/2-1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped
  • chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat the water in a soup pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the bell peppers, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the brown sugar (sucanat), ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, and cook stirring, for 30 seconds.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Please rate and leave a comment because I love hearing from you. Remember SHARING IS CARING!

Vegan Plant Based Starter Kit
Plant-Based Starter Kits $35
plant based meal delivery service collage for mamasezz and eatplantbased terri
african sweet potato soup

Joe

Thursday 26th of November 2020

Great recipe. I make it all the time. But I am confused on the nutrition info. It says it makes 4 servings. It makes waaaaaaaay more than 4 servings. I can eat it for a week. What is the weight in grams of one serving? Thanks, JL.

Susan

Saturday 26th of September 2020

This is absolutely one of the best soups/stews I have made in a long time!!??? I used PB2 , just mixed in with the other spices. Everyone in our household loved it! I did not add peanuts or cilantro at the end. I blenderized it for my 19 month old grandson, he devoured it! You outdid yourself with this recipe Terri!!

Terri Edwards

Monday 28th of September 2020

Hi Susan- I'm SO glad to hear that it was a hit! :D

25 Gluten-Free & Vegan Soup Recipes - Watch Learn Eat

Friday 25th of October 2019

[…] African Peanut Soup by Eat Plant-Based African Peanut SoupThis Vegan African Peanut Soup with sweet potatoes is packed with so many […]

Vegan Vegetable Soup Recipes |Feel Better|Look Better|Think Better|

Friday 30th of August 2019

[…] African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew […]

Alana Indelicato

Sunday 5th of May 2019

One of the best dishes I have ever made ♥️. I used crunchy peanut butter and loved the little bites of peanut throughout. AND, I used about half the amount called for. However, my hands-on prep work, was closer to 40 minutes than 20 ?

Skip to Recipe