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!
Delisssshhhh
Awesome, Julia. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Excellent recipe! Only things I changed were the spinach (I always have it around and don’t care for kale), and I added some green string beans that I needed to use but didn’t know what to do with. Absolutely demolished my plate and have plenty left in the fridge for the week.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Angelo. Thank you for leaving an awesome review!
Outstanding stew!! Great flavors. Immediately added to my wife’s and my favorites list. The only thing I did differently was I added 1 T basalmic vinegar at the end instead of the lemon juice (I liked it so much from your instant pot lentil soup recipe). Thanks Nisha (from a fellow San Diegan)
We’re over the moon to hear you liked the stew, Gary. Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
One of the best meals I have tasted!
We’re honored, Cat! Thanks for the lovely review 🙂
This soup is incredible! I love all the flavors together and my husband ate three bowls! I will be keeping this in our rotation now. I used collards for the greens. We also served whole grain brown rice with it as well. 1 serving spoon of rice with one big ladle full of soup on top was perfect combination— thank you so much for this delicious, affordable ,and most importantly healthy recipe
Sounds like the recipe was well received, we’re delighted to hear it! You are very welcome for the recipe, thanks for trying it 🙂
This is AMAZING!
It came together easily and it is delicious. Thank you
simple. tasty. perfect on a cold night.
I have just cooked this and it is beautiful! The flavour and creamy texture is just incredible. I really loved this. I added vegan sausages to it and ate it with vegan garlic bread. Amazing!
SO GOOD. Blending some of the soup makes the texture perfect. I ate it with white rice and loved every bite. I only used one jalapeno and next time I’m going to use two – I wanted it to be more spicy!!!
OMG! Lately I haven’t been enjoying peanut butter but this was amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
I have made this stew over a dozen times, it’s become a staple and a craving in our home. This is the stew I make for friends I want to introduce to west African food, or generally guests I want to impress. We always eat it with fufu. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, a real gem I’ve taken around the world with me.
Hi August, thank you reminding me of this delicious recipe! It’s so nice to read that you’ve taken it around the world with you, thank you for leaving such a kind review! 🙂
The flavour was good but it was more like a soup than stew. I pureed some of it and it was still too much liquid the liquid was just thicker. I think this might be good with 2 cups of water or broth instead of 4. 4 is what I use for soup and that is how it turned out. Also all that liquid dilutes the peanut flavour
Sorry to hear it wasn’t your favorite, Janine. We appreciate your feedback nonetheless.
Such a winner! Full of flavor, feels nourishing and hearty. Really hit the spot on a cold night! Would reco blending part of it – adds a great thickness. Thank you!
Lovely to hear you enjoyed the Domoda, Carly!
Girrrlll! (Written with the appropriate voice). I discovered your insta page last year whilst looking for vegan and vegetarian recipes to try. I needed to change my way of eating for health reasons and our daughters are vegetarians. I have tried at least 5 of your recipes and they have never failed on the flavor scale and a few of them are still in rotation!
I am from the Caribbean and have been living in The Netherlands for the last 6 years and have missed flavour! Thank goodness that I found you because you have brought it! My husband was going to have shoarma tonight and he tasted the stew (while it was still cooking) and decided to eat vegan with our daughter and me! I haven’t even eaten dinner yet but am writing this review because my tasting spoons were banging with flavour! Well done! Your tips, tricks and substitutes add flexibility to cooking and your sense of humour helps me to feel like less of a goof in the kitchen. 5 stars!
Aw, we’re thrilled to provide you and your family delicious recipes, Inga! So awesome your husband opted for the vegan meal- that’s a win! We’re grateful for you and hope you get to try many recipes in the future 🙂
Amazing, warm, hearty. I’ve made this twice or three times. Always good. I add extra peanut butter to taste, and kale at the end to wilt w/ a little lemon on the greens. I used olive oil and water to cook onions and spices. So warming and hearty. I served w/ brown rice. It’s a cold winter day & this was perfect.
Amazing, A! Thanks for sharing, so wonderful to hear you love the stew.
Overall, I liked the texture of the recipe and found it fairly easy to bring the steps together. Personally, I feel like the recipe could benefit from two cans of beans instead of one, and I substituted in spinach as a personal preference. However, the spice combination did not quite work for me or for my door who helped me make the meal, but then she refused to eat it. I’m not sure if it was just the cloves that didn’t work for me in the meal. I tend to prefer cloves in sweet as opposed to savory dishes, so I may try eliminating the cloves to see if this makes a difference. I also substituted all spice for the ginger, which might not have been a good substitution, because my daughter dislikes the taste of ginger. The rest of the spices I tend to like. Are there any other spicing options I could maybe try in this dish that would appeal to a young and not so adventurous palate?
From Nisha: “Hi Rebecca, since the cloves are a fairly small part of the recipe, I would just omit them. The only substitute I can think of that might work is freshly grated nutmeg (but I would use freshly grated over pre-ground because the flavor is much better and better suited for savory dishes). You could also try paprika, though that won’t add too much flavor, just color.”
Wow, Nisha!! Everything I make of yours turns out so, so delicious and this is certainly no exception. Thank you for all of the behind the scenes recipe testing and development you put into RPL and sharing these amazing creations with us. You are so appreciated.
Aw, thank you so much for trying the recipes, Tracie! You’re welcome for everything, we appreciate you!
Made this recipe today for the first time. It is MOUTHWATERINGLY delicious and produced enough that I will be able to enjoy some for leftovers this weekend and freeze a generous portion for later in the winter.
Amazing, thanks for sharing, Alanna!
Absolutely fantastic. I was looking for something new and have tried so many of Nisha’s recipes, I knew this would be a hit. I made millet for the first time and it paired perfectly with the stew! The only change I’d make next time is add an extra can of beans, but this recipe is truly perfect. Nisha, I’m your biggest fan! Please let me know if you ever need recipe testers. 😂
Aw, we’re so happy you love the recipes, Marisa! 🙂
amazing recipe!! next time i will try it with split red lentils instead of the sweet potato
Thank you so much, Kiwi! We are thrilled you love it.
Truly delicious. The kale was a bit chewy. Could have been substituted by spinach. The squeeze of lemon cuts thro the richness of the peanut sauce . Will make again for sure.
Karen, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!