If you love hearty yet nourishing comfort-food, say hello to this Gambian Peanut Stew!
This nourishing one-pot stew is packed with aromatics and spices, will keep you satiated for hours, and pulls off one of my favorite culinary magic tricks: it tastes indulgent while being made with wholesome ingredients (plus vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free!). This is flavor-rich comfort food at its absolute finest. 😍
Please note: I originally titled this recipe Vegan West African Peanut Stew, but after doing more research on the various differences across West African peanut stews, I came to identify my particular recipe as being most influenced by Gambian Peanut Stew, aka domoda.
What’s a West African Peanut Stew?
Peanut stews are common in West African countries, including Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, and The Gambia, with variations abounding throughout the region and across ethnic groups. They are often referred to as “groundnut” stews or soups, as “groundnut” is the more traditional term for peanut in this region.
This recipe most closely resembles the national dish of The Gambia, a peanut stew called domoda. You’ll find both vegetarian and meat versions, though the vegetarian version is quite common because meat can be expensive.
It usually contains roasted peanuts crushed or blended into a paste, tomatoes and/or tomato sauce, chili peppers, and a vegetable such as sweet potatoes, carrots, or pumpkin.
This recipe uses unsweetened, natural peanut butter for a shortcut, and while it might sound odd at first glance to add peanut butter to a stew, it blends effortlessly and lends a creamy, nutty richness you’ll adore.
Want to learn more about groundnut soups from West Africa? Check out this post from Gwafu Vegan or read more here.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter. Be sure to use a variety with no added sugar. The best options are made with just peanuts and salt.
- White beans. Many Westernized vegetarian versions of this recipe do not contain a dedicated protein source. I added white beans in my take on this dish—they add extra protein and fiber, as well as extra creaminess!
- Aromatics. Starting this recipe with sautéing aromatics (onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño peppers) helps build layers of flavors. Often, West African peanut stews are made with habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, but I opted for jalapeño peppers because they’re more widely available.
- Sweet potatoes. The finely diced sweet potatoes are key in this dish, as they help balance the spices and acidity. And the longer you cook the stew, the more the sweet potatoes will fall apart, virtually melting into the stew so you get a luscious, velvety texture.
- Kale. For added nutrition! Just toss it in towards the end of cooking and let it wilt. It’s a far easier way to get in your greens than chomping on a kale salad!
Substitutes + Swaps
- Peanut Butter: Peanut allergy? Try cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option (use an unsweetened variety like so). To make this more traditionally, buy whole raw peanuts and roast them yourself, then blend into a creamy paste with water (check out the instructions in this recipe).
- Want to make it spicy? Feel free to go traditional and use Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper. Or, for just a little more heat, replace the jalapeño with a serrano pepper.
- Not a kale fan? Try another green, like thinly sliced collard greens, or Swiss chard. I find spinach wilts a bit too much for my preference, but if you like it, go for it!
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat up the coconut oil in a Dutch oven or deep sauté pan.
Saute the diced onions in coconut oil until just starting to brown.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeños and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper.
- Incorporate the tomato paste and spices into the onions and stir frequently for 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth. Add the white beans, crushed tomatoes, thyme, sweet potatoes, and peanut butter.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer for 20-25 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.
- Add the kale and cook for 3-5 minutes until wilted.
- Finish the stew with cilantro and lemon juice and season to taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
This stew is hearty enough on its own, but to stretch out your meal (and budget) and make it heartier, serve it over a grain like white rice, brown rice, millet, quinoa, or any favorite grain of yours. If you have access to fonio (a type of millet from West Africa), give that a try!
I actually have a version of this recipe in my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook (and it’s a reader favorite!).
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. Store the stew without any rice/grains as the rice tends to harden. The stew also freezes well—you can freeze it for 3 to 4 months. Defrost in the fridge before warming up for the best texture.
I prefer to reheat most leftovers on the stove in a saucepan, but the microwave also works fine.
More nourishing vegan stews
- Vegan Tagine with Chickpeas
- Creamy Mushroom and Black Beluga Lentil Stew
- Tuscan Stewed Beans
- Braised Indian Chickpea Stew
If you cozy up with a bowl of this Gambian Peanut Stew, I’d love to hear about it 😊 Leave a rating and review below and let me know what you think!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Gambian Peanut Stew (Domoda)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (use refined for a neutral flavor)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced (see Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 cups (945 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 small handful of fresh thyme sprigs (see Note 2)
- 1 pound (454g) sweet potatoes, peeled and finely diced (see Note 3)
- ½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter (no sugar added)
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (28-ounce/800g) can crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups (90-100g) chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or lime juice)
- ½ cup (8g) cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
For serving (optional)
- white rice, brown rice, millet, quinoa, or fonio
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the coconut oil, and once it's shimmering, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are just starting to brown around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño peppers. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add in the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Stir frequently and vigorously for 2 minutes, incorporating the tomato paste and spices into the onions. Add a few splashes of water to prevent the spices from drying out or burning.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme sprigs, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, drained and rinsed white beans, and crushed tomatoes. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low or medium-low to maintain a rapid simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender, stirring occasionally.
- Optional step: The stew should be quite thick by now, but if you want it to be even thicker and creamier, run an immersion blender through half of the stew (don’t blend it all – you want to retain some texture).
- Add the chopped kale and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. If desired, use a fork to smash the sweet potatoes to further thicken the stew.
- Stir in the lemon or lime juice and cilantro. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed. Serve plain, or on top your favorite grain.
Video
Notes
- If you’re very sensitive to spicy food, use just 1 jalapeño pepper and remove the seeds and membranes, where most of the heat lives. But if you can handle the heat, leave the seeds in. Really love spicy food? Feel free to use a habanero or Scotch bonnet pepper (the seeds are very spicy so I recommend removing them).
- You can substitute fresh thyme with 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Just add it to the Spice Blend.
- To ensure the sweet potatoes cook through in the time allotted, be sure to finely dice them. If not finely diced, it will take longer for the stew to cook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
This was delicious! I followed the recipe to a tee except I added a tablespoon of red curry paste for a little extra taste! It made a lot and I needed a lot because everyone had seconds! Thank you so much
Thanks for sharing, Rhonda!
Made this for a group of friends and was blown away. This has shot up to join my most favourite soups of all time. I used scotch bonnets instead of jalapenos because I wanted a real kick, but I just simmered them in the soup and took them out before serving. Everything else was as this recipe specified. OMG. I could eat this all winter long.
Laura, Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re so happy to hear that this recipe’s a favorite. 🙂
Absolutely delicious can’t wait to share with my family when I am home for the holidays, the ingredients are accessible and the dish came together really quickly especially since I chopped my sweet potato nice and finely. I predict it will taste even better as leftovers as the flavors marinate. This recipe made about 9 cups of soup!! Only downside was a bit of splatter on my stove top when simmering but SO worth it.
Thank you for the wonderful review 🙂 We appreciate it!
Absolutely phenomenal! Made this many times and this is one of the recipes i look forward to making the most when there’s a chill in the air! Deserves a 10 star rating
Your review made our day, Megan! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
I love your recipes and will be buying the cookbook very soon.
Hi Venacia, we appreciate all of your support! Cheers 🙂
We made this for dinner with friends, and it was absolutely delicious! Even our picky teens loved it. Thank you! Such a well-written recipe – fail-proof and simple too. Thanks so much!
Hi there, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
This stew is completely delicious! I’ve made it twice, following the recipe to the letter! It is a massive hit with family. Thanks so much.
That’s awesome to hear, Lucy! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Such a hearty and filling meal with an unlikely combination of flavors (I’ve never put peanut butter in a tomato sauce before). Easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Awesome, Ali. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Amazing. I am recently vegan and continuously looking for new recipes. This one is fab! I made it in the instapot so it took minimal time for the sweet potatoes to cook. Served it over rice. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Lovely to hear you’re such a fan of the stew, Michele!
Delicious! The layer of flavours make it such a treat for the taste buds, yummy. Will definitely be making this again and have added it to my go to recipes.
Hi Alison, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Really delicious! Also inspired by seeing this recipe on MasterChef! Will be making it again!
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Sarah!
I had beetroot that needed using so swapped it for the sweet potato. It was really delicious, the sauce is so flavourful. I’ll definitely be making this again and will look out for sweet potato for next time. I actually had Nisha’s tofu scramble for breakfast so am having a Rainbow day, thank you for making these wonderful recipes available!
Thanks for the wonderful review, Sara! It’s great to hear you enjoy many of the RPL recipes 🙂
Sorry, missed the star rating off last review. Defo a 5 star!
Thank you, Vince!
Made this today after watching a contestant on Masterchef (UK) make it. Easy to make and delicious. Wifey loved it too! Personally, it’s getting hotter chillies next time for more of a kick and will serve with fresh crusty bread. Mouthwatering. Thank you for this lovely recipe.
It’s so great to hear you loved the recipe, Vince! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Peanut butter makes this stew rich and creamy! I served this for guests one night and it was hit! Definitely will make this again.
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Ann!
I’m not the best cook but this recipe was so easy to follow and it’s delicious! Even my very fussy son loved it.
Allie, Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re so happy to hear that you two enjoyed the Domoda.
Truly delicious! Made exactly as stated…wow! LOVE the flavors of the spices. African food is my top favorite, so I’ve made a LOT of recipes. So happy to have another I will make repeatedly. 👍
Thank you for your lovely comment, Suze! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
I have made this recipe twice now and it is so delicious! The flavors are complex and well-balanced. I also appreciate that the ingredients are all wholesome things I tend to have in my pantry. The first time I made it it was a bit too spicy, the second time I made it I left out the seeds and it wasn’t spicy enough… I look forward to making it on-the-regular and experimenting with the heat level and different peppers each time, I find that fun.
Have you tried this with Almond butter instead of peanut butter? Do you think it would be nice. I don’t have Pb atm lol. Or should I hold off u till I buy Pb..
Hi C, almond butter would work as a substitute!
Just made this for meal prep and the flavors and textures come together beautifully ! I could not believe how creamy it got either; I didn’t end up needing to immersion blend. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Awesome to hear you loved the recipe, Sara. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!