This warm and cozy Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew is the best of many worlds. A riff on West African Peanut Stew (Maafe), it has a tomato and peanut base like its inspiration, plus sweet potatoes, spinach, and (a must!) crunchy peanuts on top.

West African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes & Spinach - Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, spinach, cumin ... the comforting combo results in the heartiest, most flavorful stew around. 

Peanut butter, spinach, and sweet potato, you say? YES. It’s the MOST glorious combo – trust me.

For us, This Vegetarian African Peanut Stew has been a definite dinner-on-repeat over the course of the winter. It has a relatively simple list of ingredients, so it’s an easy throw-together meal for weeknights.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew Ingredients

What do we have? Well, these ingredients, for one:

West African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes & Spinach - Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, spinach, cumin ... the comforting combo results in the heartiest, most flavorful stew around. 
  • Olive oil – For sautéing the onion and garlic.
  • Onion – A standard yellow onion works well here, but if you only have a white onion or sweet onion, those will work fine too.
  • Garlic – Three cloves, minced. But if you prefer to measure garlic with your heart and add way more, go for it!
  • Ginger – You’ll want one tablespoon of minced fresh ginger, which is roughly a thumb-sized piece. Peel the skin off easily with a spoon before mincing – one of my favorite tricks!
  • Vegetable broth – Grab a box veggie broth from the store, or make your own slow cooker vegetable broth or veggie broth from scraps.
  • Crushed tomatoes – One 15-ounce can.
  • Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter works best for this recipe as it melts right into the stew. If all you have is crunchy, though, go for it!
  • Sweet potatoes – Any kind of sweet potato or yam will work for this sweet potato stew.
  • Cumin & ground coriander – For earthy, smoky flavor.
  • Cayenne pepper – for a touch of heat.
  • Spinach – I like to use baby spinach because it just requires a quick rinse and is already pretty small. Give it a few chops if you don’t like larger pieces of spinach.
  • Rice – for serving. I like brown rice with African Peanut Stew because the hearty texture and nutty flavor pairs perfectly with the stew.
  • Cilantro & salted peanuts for garnish – A must, in my book!

How to Make It

  1. Start by sautéing the onion and garlic, then add the broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper.
  2. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
  3. Melt in the peanut butter and stir in the spinach just until wilted.
  4. Serve up with a nice scoop of brown rice and top with lots of chopped salted peanuts and some cilantro and dinner is served!
West African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes & Spinach - Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, spinach, cumin ... the comforting combo results in the heartiest, most flavorful stew around. 

What to Serve with It

Rice is a must! I prefer brown rice as its earthy flavors and texture hold up well to the hearty Sweet Potato Peanut Stew.

A green salad served alongside is always welcome, and I think kale salad is the perfect companion. How about this Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad or colorful Rainbow Kale Salad?

4.75 from 4 votes

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 4
Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, spinach, cumin … the comforting west-African-inspired combo results in the heartiest, most flavorful vegan stew around.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion (diced) (about 2 cups)
  • 3 medium cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and diced) (about 2 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper (plus or minus to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach

For serving:

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice

Garnish:

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Chopped salted peanuts

Instructions

  • Cook the rice according to package instructions.
  • While the rice cooks, make the stew. Set a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
  • Add the broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the stew comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
  • Stir in the peanut butter and the spinach. Stew is done when the peanut butter has distributed and the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
  • Serve with a scoop of brown rice and garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Notes

Meat option

Classic West African Peanut Stew often contains chicken, so you could totally stir some cooked/shredded chicken into the carnivores’ portions.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 470kcal, Carbohydrates: 60g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 530mg, Potassium: 902mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 18857IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 110mg, Iron: 3mg

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