African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew
Vegan African Sweet Potato Peanut 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 vegetable soup recipe, let this be the one.
When people ask me what recipe I would suggest if they were only going to try one plant-based recipe, this African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew is what I recommend most. Believe me, I know the combination of ingredients sounds absolutely crazy! But, if you only try one recipe, let this be the one. You will not be disappointed.
Though I love many of the other soups and stews on this website like our Mason Jar Soups that are great for meal prepping because you just add water or my Barley Soup with Vegetables, there is just something about the amazing flavor of this sweet potato stew that holds the top-notch on my list.
Reasons you will love this soup
- Bursting with Flavor: This vegan African sweet potato peanut stew combines savory spices with creamy peanut butter, creating a rich and delicious taste that will make your taste buds dance. Seriously!
- Nutrient-Rich and Healthy: Packed with vitamins, minerals, and plant-based protein, this hearty stew offers a nutritious meal option that’s perfect for a balanced diet.
- Easy and Versatile: Simple to prepare and adaptable to various dietary preferences, this stew can be customized with your favorite vegetables and served with rice, quinoa, or bread.
- It’s different: I’ve never tasted a soup quite like this one. The flavors come together like none other. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients needed
- Sweet potatoes- Used for their natural sweetness, which complements the savory and spicy flavors of the dish. Their creamy texture when cooked adds a rich, comforting consistency to the stew.
- Beans- Kidney beans are used in this stew for their hearty texture and rich, slightly nutty flavor, which pairs well with the stew’s spices and peanut sauce.
- Red bell peppers- Of course, green or yellow sweet bell peppers will work. I just like the red color for eye appeal.
- Tomatoes- Fire-roasted tomatoes are used to add a smoky, slightly charred flavor that enhances the depth and complexity of the dish. The roasting process caramelizes the tomatoes, bringing out their natural sweetness and creating a richer, more robust taste that complements the spices and peanut sauce in the stew.
- Peanut butter- Provides a creamy texture and rich, nutty flavor that defines the dish. It adds depth and a slightly sweet, savory taste, balancing the spices and complementing the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
- Spices- Cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne help create an amazing flavor for this stew.
Tips & Suggestions
- Peanut Butter: 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.
- Sweetener: Any preferred sweetener can be used.
- Cooking: 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.
How to make African sweet potato peanut stew
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Heat the water in a soup pot over medium heat. Dice all of the veggies including the onion, garlic, and sweet potatoes.
STEP #2: Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened for about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
STEP #3: Stir in the brown sugar (sucanat), ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
STEP #4: 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.
STEP #5: 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 for about 30 minutes.
STEP #6: Serve it in a bowl over your choice of steamed rice, and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro. If you love sweet potatoes like we do, be sure to try my vegan sweet potato muffins, this smoky sweet potato and white bean soup, and this dairy-free sweet potato cheese sauce.
Recipe adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
*Original publish date November 17, 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use other types of beans such as chickpeas or black beans in place of kidney beans.
If the stew is too thick, add a bit of vegetable broth or water to reach your preferred consistency. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered to reduce and thicken.
This stew pairs well with a variety of sides such as rice, quinoa, or flatbread. You can also serve it with a side of steamed greens or a fresh salad to complete the meal and add extra nutrients.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. It freezes well too.
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!
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African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew
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 red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/2+ 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.
Video
Notes
- Peanut Butter: 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.
- Sweetener: Any preferred sweetener can be used.
- Beans- You can use other types of beans such as chickpeas or black beans in place of kidney beans.
- Cooking: 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.
- Consistency- If the stew is too thick, add a bit of vegetable broth or water to reach your preferred consistency. If it's too thin, let it simmer uncovered to reduce and thicken.
- Storage- Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. It freezes well too.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
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.
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.
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!!
Hi Susan- I’m SO glad to hear that it was a hit! 😀
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 ?
This looks like a great recipe. I’m wondering how little of the peanut butter than I can use without ruining the taste. 3/4 cup is a bit much for my liking so I’m wondering if I could use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup and still have it taste very good. Any idea if that would work?
Maybe try it with 1/4 cup and add more as needed (if needed). You could also use the PB2 powder instead of peanut butter if desired. The peanut taste is a pretty important part of this recipe in my opinion.
Silly question… Do you just add the PB powder or do you make it into actual peanut butter before adding to the soup?
I usually go ahead and make it into peanut butter, but my bet is that it would work either way.
Heather, I just add the peanut powder dry and it works fine.
Terri, this is so good! I’m glad you gave the PB2 option (actually I used PBFit, love the stuff). Thanks! Definitely a keeper :-).
I’m so glad you like it. This is seriously my favorite stew of all-time. I’ll have to check out the PB2Fit. Thanks for leaving the great feedback!
This recipe filled my 6 qt. Instant Pot to the 10 cup line. I set it to cook for 10 minutes at high pressure and quick pressure release. The sweet potatoes were very soft, but did not disintegrate completely. Next time I’ll try pressure cooking for 8 minutes. I used PB Fit powder, which I did not realize had some sugar added when I purchased it: 2 g of sugar per 12 g of powder. I did not add any additional sugar and the stew was sweet enough without it. I stirred the PB powder in at the end before serving. My family enjoyed it!
Melissa, thanks so much for sharing your experience making this in the Instant Pot. That is very helpful, as I know many others will be interested. So glad that your family liked this recipe!
Could you have done with 1 cup less broth since the Instant Pot usually requires less liquid? I’m about to make this recipe and was concerned about this.
J. Wheeler, Tennessee
Hi Joy- I haven’t made this in my IP so can’t say for sure. Please let us know if you give it a try because I would love to get the setting, time, and liquid adjustment from you.
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!
That’s terrific! It is amazing how the flavors of sweet potatoes, kidney beans, tomatoes, peanut butter, and spices come together in this dish. So glad you enjoyed it!
Can this recipe be done without garlic?
Absolutely!
I’m allergic to Nightshade (tomatoes and peppers) could you offer any suggestions on substitutions please?
The red peppers can easily be left out of this recipe, but the tomatoes are pretty essential. I found this link for substitutions that might be helpful. http://vegetalion.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-replace-nightshades-part-4.html
Teri, could you state the poundage of sweet potatoes? I always get very large sweet potatoes, can’t tell but think three of those might be too much. Thanks. Martha
Around 1 lb of sweet potatoes should be about right, I would think.
Okay. Thank you. 3 to a pound would be pretty small sweet potatoes to me, I guess; I just weighed three that I have on hand 14 oz, 15.1 oz and 1 lb 1.5 oz! (I knew I had left a question somewhere, but couldn’t remember what site, much less what question. 😀 )
Instead of topping this with cilantro, use fresh fruits and veggies, chopped/sliced/diced. Make it like a salad bar, so everyone can top it their own way. That’s the way we learned the West African dish when we lived over there. Each bite can have a different flavor, one with pineapple, one with carrots, one bite like a pina colada with coconut and pineapple, grapes give a nice crunch, bananas give creamy texture. We’ve used: olives, berries, celery, peppers, onions, kiwi, nus, apples, pears, peaches, peas, corn, anything we had. Some were hits, some were ok. It makes it a party dish for the holidays.
@Marilyn, Great idea!