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!
Nisha,
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I made it with yellow eyed peas and added a touch of cayenne. Seriously one of the best stews I’ve ever had the pleasure of spooning into my mouth until uncomfortably full.
Thank you for sharing this and all the rest of your scrumdidiliumpteous recipes with us. You are such a talented chef and the world is lucky to have you!
Hi Spencer, what a kind compliment! Thanks for trying the recipe, we are so glad you liked it!
Excellent base recipe, easy to adapt with substitutions. I used Ethiopian Berbere spice blend in place of the individual spices because I love it. Today’s batch will also have collards in place of the kale because that’s what I have on hand. We will enjoy it for dinner tonight and the rest will go in meal prep containers for lunch.
Hi Tam,
You know what you’re doing in the kitchen! I’m sure the Ethiopian Berbere spice blend was a lovely substitute. Collard greens are one of my favorites, and I’m sure they were so cozy in this dish too. Thanks for such a nice review 🙂
I made this today 🙂 turned out amazing. I was trying to find recipes where I can use Kale – this was perfect. Nisha like I always say- I haven’t found one recipe of yours that has failed or I haven’t loved – keep up the great work!
Great, Ashwini! So happy you enjoyed the stew 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful review 🙂
really easy and delish. next time i’ll add more spices!
S, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Made this tonight. Simply delicious!!!!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Vk!
I just finished making this recipe and I feel like I am in an authentic restaurant! This dish took a while to prep but it was so worth it. I have never use this many ingredients and it’s so colorful. This recipe is so unique and so delicious. I am trying the seven day vegan challenge and this is where I found it on. I have watched rainbow plant life YouTube videos and love how she makes the dishes not boring! This makes a ton of food so I definitely will have to freeze. Super excited to eat for a meal
Thanks for sharing, Mindy!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I used PB2 instead of peanut butter, and it was still crazy delicious!
Lauralyn, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Omg!!!!!! This is amazing. Love more recipes like this. Now this is a staple too along with your chilli
Muk, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
I tried this recipe for the first time after going through many African-style peanut stew recipes and I have to say this version is very nice. I personally find the use of the sweet potatoes makes the dish a bit too sweet for my taste, so perhaps using a less sweet starchy veg would be good, maybe a Kabocha or Kuri Squash, or maybe even cubed plantains? – I topped my version with roasted Egusi seeds, which gave the dish a really nice crunch to round out the mushy textures. I added two whole pierced scotch bonnets and removed them when the heat level was to my liking so as to not accidentally add the seeds and just get the beautiful scotch bonnet flavor. This was a great recipe and I cant wait to try it again with a different starch!
That’s so great to hear, Ian! 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 made this dish and it is simply amazing! So flavourful and really exciting. Even my non-vegan parents LOVED it!
I had to change a few things in the recipe (I used spinach instead of kale and I added 0.5 tsp of cayanne pepper), but it was still delicious.
Thank you so much sharing this recipe with us!
Awesome, Anna. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I made this recipe and loved it, I didn’t change a thing. Served it over cauliflower rice and topped with green onion and pumpkin seeds. So delicious. I’m making it for a girls lunch next week. Thanks for your flavourful and interesting recipes.
Awesome, Wanda. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Bridgette!
This is a fantastic recipe! I passed it on to a few friends who have vegan family members and everyone has loved it, vegan or not. I used spinach rather than kale as that is what I had on hand, and it was so yummy. Thanks for posting.
Awesome, Joan. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Excellent and easy to make.
Janet, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This soup is excellent! So many good flavors and so healthy. It will be a favorite on repeat from now on. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used 1.5 Serrano peppers since I couldn’t find jalapeños and I added 1 chopped red pepper at the time I added the sweet potato. I agree that blending the soup a bit, but leaving some chunks, gives a great texture.
Thanks for sharing, Kristin!
Delicious! I had this ready for my kids after school and they, and a friend, loved it. This will go into the rotation, for sure. I made it in the IP without oil and it was so flavorful. Thank you!
Awesome, S. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I very rarely comment on blogs, less so even on savory recipes, but this was a fantastic recipe. I subbed out chickpeas for white beans, and my non vegan partner who generally is not a soup/stew person loved it! I’ve added it to our regular dinner rotation, as it is simple, hearty, comes together quickly, and does not require any specific spice blend or paste which can often be a stumbling block for me when trying to make a really satisfying one pot meal.
Thanks for sharing, Brigid!
So delicious and hearty in its own ( didn’t use any grain). ❤️ 😋🤤
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Yvonne!
It was amazing. I am really impressed with your recipes. Sometimes, I made recipes that taste terrible but yours no mistakes and taste heavenly. Thank you for your efforts and the great recipes
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Josh!
Nisha, thank you so much for helping me up my vegan cooking game! This recipe looks very interesting! I’m gonna make it! Already made a lot of your stuff!
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Gordon!