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.
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Love your website, so many great recipes and tips for meal prep.
Can you substitute white beans with red kidney beans?
Thanks
That’s so nice to hear, thank you Teja! Nisha generally isn’t a fan of red kidney, but if you are, that should work fine here.
I made this dish on a cold wet day in February and the prep didn’t take too long – compared to, say, the tagine which is another fave. The end result was awesome, heaven in a bowl. Thank you Nisha and PRL for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Love, Ruby the fish
Hi Nick, 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!
I am so excited to make this for a black history month celebration. Can I make it and bring to work in a crock pot just for heating purposes? I’ve never done that and don’t know if it will change anything about the taste or texture.
Hi Erin, thanks for your interest in making the recipe!
While technically you can use a slow cooker to reheat food, the USDA advises against it as the slow cooking process is too slow and may not heat food quickly enough to a safe temperature, making it more susceptible to bacterial growth; it’s best to reheat food on the stovetop, or in the oven/microwave instead.
This is delicious, and I don’t even like sweet potatoes (taste too sweet for me)! I made the pressure cooker version, and all the ingredients just melted together perfectly. I used one Serrano pepper and it was just right for spiciness. My husband adored it. I will be making it again!
Hi Pamela, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
This is hardy and healthy! No one flavor dominates, but each adds to its layered and nuanced flavor. We added a bit more broth for more of a soup over stew vibe. Delicious—like all your other recipes!
We’re so happy that the Domoda turned out well for you, Doug. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Hello! Can you make this in a crock pot??
Hi Lauren! We haven’t tried this ourselves and we wouldn’t recommend using a slow cooker, purely because it creates more work and more dishes! If you choose to try it out, you’ll need to complete steps 1 & 2 in a skillet, and then transfer to the slow cooker. We’d suggest cooking on low, and checking at 4 hours, and go up to 7 hours as needed.
This is a great recipe – so delicious and comforting. I forgot to grab jalapeños, so I substituted some ground Kashmiri chile, which worked nicely. I also prefer collards to kale so I used those. It was my first time trying groundnut stew and I can’t wait to have it again!
Awesome, Lili. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I love peanut/groundnut stew (have made a ton of variations of it, vegan and other), and I love your recipes. But somehow this one was just ok, not great. I’m not discounting user error. But I felt like it needed more flavor that was specific to this cuisine.
Hi Beth, thanks for trying the recipe- we appreciate your honest review.
We love this recipe! It’s so satisfying and delicious. Have passed the recipe to a bunch of friends (even the non- vegetarian ones!) and all have loved it!
Hey Paula! Wow, I can feel your enthusiasm about this recipe through the screen! Love it!
Do you drain and rinse the canned beans prior to adding to stew?
Hi Tanya, yes!
This peanut stew recipe came together quickly and is so delicious. I omitted the jalapeño pepper (baby mouth here!) and didn’t miss it. Will definitely make again!
Hi Leigh, thank you so much for your kind review!
Hi! This recipe looks delicious, but my mother doesn’t like garlic. Is there any substitute I can use for it?
Hi Tara, you can omit it, though the flavor won’t be the exact same. If you have access to asafoetida, which is a spice commonly used in Indian cooking, you can try adding a quarter teaspoon of that when you add the other spices. Beware it has a pungent aroma but it cooks off and adds a lovely savory flavor.
I really like this recipe. My husband, who is an ombivoure – also liked it, so will definitely make again.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Alina!
This soup was a tremendous hit with my guests for the latest Soup Nite. It was so delicious and warming on a blustery, cold January evening. Fortunately, there was enough left over for me to have some tomorrow. too!
Hi Polly, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review 🙂 Appreciate you taking the time! And woohoo for having leftovers!
Amazing recipe as always! We made this last night, and PB is just so incredible in soup. The 2 jalapenos were perfect heat for us. This is perfect for winter! I’m already looking forward to leftovers tonight.
Hi Robin, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
FYI: When I make Jamaican red peas [small red beans] and rice, I toss in a whole Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper BUT I don’t ever cut into it or chop it up. At the end, I fish it out all in one piece. That way I get the flavor of the pepper, mild heat, but not a scorching spiciness that my stomach can’t take. Win-win. I plan to do that for this recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Sounds good, Kathe! Yes, please let us know 🙂
This is SO GOOD. I made it for a family gathering and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. Very easy to make and perfect for chilly winter weather. I will 100% be making this again, and often!
Thanks for making the recipe and sharing it with others, Rebecca! Lovely to hear the recipe was a total hit!
Sounds so good but can you substitute tahini for peanut butter?
Hi Lynn, if you’re entirely nut-free, the best substitute would be sunflower seed butter (unsweetened variety), though of course it will change the taste somewhat. If you have a peanut allergy but can have other nuts, cashew butter or almond butter would work too (again, different flavor but same consistency) and unsweetened versions are easier to find than sunflower butter.
Can this be made in instant pot?
Hi Krunali, yes, Nisha has a version of this recipe in her Instant pot cookbook (it’s a reader favorite)!
Can this be adapted to a slow cooker? Do you have instructions for how to do it?
Hi Amy, we haven’t tried this ourselves and we wouldn’t recommend using a slow cooker, purely because it creates more work and more dishes! If you choose to try it out, you’ll need to complete steps 1 & 2 in a skillet, and then transfer to the slow cooker. We’d suggest cooking on low, and checking at 4 hours, and go up to 7 hours as needed.