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!
I made this last night and it was delicious! The variety and quantity of spices sets this recipe apart from other versions I’ve seen of the same dish. I made the instant pot version from the cookbook and, unfortunately, I got the dreaded “burn” warning even though I put the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes on top as instructed. Next time I’ll make it on the stovetop.
We are sorry to hear about the burn warning, Laura! We are glad you enjoyed the recipe nonetheless and hope next time it works out better for you!
This recipe was absolutely delicious. Perfect belnd of spices, veggies and creaminess. I’m looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow! I topped mine with some chopped peanuts for a bit of texture.
Thanks for sharing, Jenni!
I made this dish Sunday and was so surprised by how delicious it is.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Brenda!
Wow, Nisha. Your recipes do not disappoint.
I just made this and the flavour was amazing. It was a big hit with my boyfriend as well.
I only changed spinach for kale.
Will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Katja!
Another winner recipe! I discovered your videos last spring and since then, I cooked a few recipes from you, and I am always impressed with the results! Great ingredients, easy to follow instructions and incredibly tasty dishes! My husband and I loved this one, and we will make it again for sure. So satisfying and comforting, yet tangy and surprising! Just perfect!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Karine!
I used kaboocha squash in place of sweet potato and roasted the seeds to put on top. I also added a splash of leftover pickled beet juice as a finishing acid instead of citrus and boy, that was something special. Yum! Also, ground flax seed acts as a thickener and adds extra nutrients.
Delicious, thanks for sharing Richard!
I used kaboocha squash in place of sweet potato and roasted the seeds to put on top. I also added a splash of leftover pickled beet juice as a finishing acid instead of citrus and boy, that was something special. Yum!
Off the hook yo!
This was delicious! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Of course! Thanks for trying it!
This is another hit! Thank you, Nisha!
Nina, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Absolutely delicious. One member of the family said they didn’t think they would like it and then had an enormous second helping. Will definitely make it again.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Cici!
Great recipe, shared with many who enjoyed it. 🙂
That is so great to hear! 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Delicious! I didn’t have canned white beans so used chickpeas instead and worked great. 🙂
Great! Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Just made this and wow! It manages to be sweet, savory, nutty, and tangy all in one. I used allspice instead of cloves and diced tomatoes instead of crushed since I had those on hand. The immersion blender helped make it better texture-wise given I used diced tomatoes. I wouldn’t skip the cilantro and lemon, it really brightens it up. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! ❤️
One of my favorite recipes-so flavorful and easy. It’s my go to recipe for when I have people over. Everyone loves it.
Thanks for sharing, Linda!
Another 5 star recipe, and maybe my most favourite of all of your recipes I’ve tried yet! (And I’ve loved them all!) I made this for my toddlers, and non-vegan parents, and everyone devoured it. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome, Christine. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Absolutely LOVE this recipe and ate half the pot in one sitting. It was a delightfully warm and perfect for winter. I’ve since branched from it to make less stewy side dishes and it’s a great base recipe! This is going into my home cookbook for sure. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Can’t wait to try this! Looks nutrient dense and delicious! Win-Win!
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Bianca!
Third time I’m making this for dinner, never fails me.
A quick cook, I microwave the sweet potato before adding it to the stew and even on medium flame for 15 minutes makes this so flavourful!
Thanks Nisha!
Thanks for your feedback Rakshi, we are so happy to hear you’re loving this recipe!
Making this today, the aroma is great, prep took too long.
Prep and cooking time were long but oh it’s worth the effort and wait!