This African Peanut Soup is a super simple vegan soup to make bursting with sweet ‘n spicy flavours! Instant Pot or Stove top directions.
We don’t eat out at restaurants very often, but when we do, I like to order something unique. I love adding new and interesting foods to my palate. If I end up loving it, I take mental notes to replicate it when I get home. My husband usually ends up telling me that my version is tastier, which further motivates me to experiment in the kitchen.
We make a good team, my husband and I.
I love to cook.
He loves to clean the dishes.
Or rather, he loves my cooking enough that he’s willing to clean the dishes 🙂
Anyhow, a few years ago we went out to a high-priced local restaurant, and enjoyed an African Peanut Soup that absolutely blew us away. We had a $20 voucher there, and I’m pretty sure the soup was more than that, so rather than go back for repeats, I came up with my own version that we’ve enjoyed frequently ever since. I’m sure I had the help of an online recipe, but at the time I wasn’t blogging yet so it wouldn’t have occurred to me to write down the source of the recipe!
Why This African Peanut Soup is a Smart Choice
Sweet potatoes are a great source of:
- soluble fibre, which can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels
- beta carotene, a form of vitamin A
- quercetin, an anti-inflammatory
- chlorogenic acid, an anti-oxidant
- despite their sweet taste, sweet potatoes are low on the Glycemic Index, which means they don’t cause a huge spike in blood sugar
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
African Peanut Soup (stovetop directions)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 medium tomatoes quartered (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
- 2 lbs 900 g sweet potatoes, diced
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter
- fresh cilantro for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high. Saute the onion until slightly browned. Add in garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Cook and stir one minute. Add tomatoes and sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add water and season with salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Blend soup with peanut butter and cayenne with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender. Serve with cilantro (optional).
Nutrition
African Peanut Soup (Instant Pot directions)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 medium tomatoes quartered (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
- 2 lbs 900 g sweet potatoes, diced
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup peanut butter
- fresh cilantro for serving optional
Instructions
- Add the oil and onions to the pot of the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE. Saute the onion until slightly browned.
- Add in garlic and spices. Cook and stir one minute.
- Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes, water, salt, and peanut butter. Press to make sure everything is covered with liquid.
- Place lid on and ensure the vent is set to SEALING.
- Select MANUAL and adjust to 4 minutes.
- When finished, allow to release naturally.
- Open and blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender.
- Serve with cilantro (optional).
Nutrition
[share title=”Share This Article” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”true” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”true” reddit=”true” email=”true”]
I made this tonight- Very good soup! A bit too spicy to serve to my kids… but i may also have inaccurately measured my cayenne. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it! Yes, it has a bit of a kick to it!
Does it say anywhere how many 2 cup servings there are in the 3.5 litres of soup that this recipe makes?
Hi Helena! No it doesn’t actually say, but 3.5 litres makes 14.79 cups, so there would be a little over 7 two cup servings for you!
Have been planning b to make this for a while and finally got around to it. It’s a great recipe and turned out well. Thanks for sharing it with us.
AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP
Made this tonight as I lost my other recipe it was delicious but I remember my old recipe used sesame oil and celery, carrots and yellow pepper. So I did more chopping and added those. Garnished with chopped dry roasted peanuts. My husband and I liked this very much and it is nice to have another meatless recipe. (We are big meat eaters)
Sesame oil adds so much flavour to a dish! Sounds great!
A winner! Some adjustments I made – used coconut oil, added celery to the saute, a can of stewed tomatoes, Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, and added chopped mustard greens after the puree. Also served with not only the cilantro but chopped unsalted peanuts and a side of sourdough bread. It made a nice one-pot, satisfying meal. Certainly didn’t miss the meat at all!
Yum! Love the idea of the mustard greens… just curious: what colour did the final product become?
A great combo of some of the healthiest foods and spices on the planet! Looking forward to trying this!
Would love to hear what you think! This soup is truly one of our family’s favourites!
I don’t see the recipe anywhere
I’m sorry you’re having difficulty but the recipe is showing up for me so I don’t quite know what to tell you!
Delicious! Will definitely make again and again!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it as much as my family does 🙂
Do you happen to have the nutritional information for this soup?
Hi!
I’ve just done the calculations and updated the post!
how many servings are there?
Hi Linda,
I just added it to the post. There are 12 servings!
Looks/sounds delicious! A local restaurant that is now closed down :(, had a peanut chicken soup … Have you ever tried it with chicken? Or using some chicken stock with the water?
Oh wow, I bet chicken would be a delicious add-in! I haven’t tried it myself though. If you use chicken stock that’s salted then I would cut down on the amount of table salt you use. Was this soup blended or were there chunks of chicken?
This was amazing!! Thanks for the great recipe.
You’re welcome Carrie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it as it really is one of our family favourites… in fact, now that I”m thinking about it… maybe I”ll make it for dinner tonight!
I worked for a woman who grew up in Africa, and used to make a similar soup and also “Monkey Meat Stew” which was really a chicken or turkey stew served over rice with a “peanut gravy” and topped with fresh steamed veggies. It was incredible. Now, with this recipe, perhaps I can duplicate those amazing meals. Thanks!
Mmm! sounds good! Thanks for the comment… it’s nice to hear that this recipe might actually be authentically African! I re-created it after we had one by the same name in a restaurant.
So my pet peeve is when I look on food blogs and every single response is “ooooh, looks good” and “making this tonight!”, and then never post about whether it was actually good or not, so I abstained from commenting until I had tried it.
Result: delicious!!! It’s very smooth, and cilantro is a great addition. Very filling too!
I know! Those comments are so unhelpful!