Groundnut Soup
My groundnut soup recipe is a rich, nutty, and palate-pleasing meal when served with rice, plantains, or any starch. Making it from scratch pays some serious flavor dividends. Plus, you’ll love serving your friends and family such a nutritious, comforting meal.
Whether we call it maafe, groundnut soup, or sauce d’arachide, this West African peanut soup is a comfort food that my family comes back to regularly. The last time I made it, a friend asked me why we call them groundnuts.
Well, groundnuts and peanuts are the same thing, so we use the words interchangeably. It’s called peanuts in America, but in Africa, we refer to them as groundnuts.
Making a Peanut Soup Recipe From Scratch
Using natural peanut butter (with no added sugar or sweeteners) makes it incredibly easy. I was thrilled the first time I saw a peanut grinder in a health food store because I now know I’m using 100% peanuts.
However, feel free to make it from scratch, which is what I did for you. Making your own peanut butter is a breeze and avoids added sugar, salt, oils, and often preservatives. Grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor with a bit of oil to prevent overheating the motor. Not only is it healthier, but it also tastes better!
Ingredients
The basic ingredients for this sauce are peanut butter, tomato sauce, onions, meat, and spices, depending on availability. You can omit the oil to make it healthier, and it will still taste superb.
How to Make Groundnut Soup
Follow along with my easy numbered instructions below to see how to make groundnut soup in your own kitchen.
- Roast your unpeeled peanuts in a pan on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. You could also bake the peanuts on a baking tray at 300℉ (150℃) oven for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool them completely. (Photo 1)
- Grind – When the peanuts have cooled, grind them into a fine paste. You may need to do it in three to four batches to avoid overheating the motor. Set aside. (Photos 2-3)
- Make Stock – Season the beef with half the salt, pepper, and paprika. Add water to cover and simmer until the meat is tender (about 30 minutes, depending on the cut). A pressure cooker speeds it up. Remove the beef and reserve the stock. (Photos 4-6)
- Sauce – Next, blend the tomatoes, half the onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and parsley in a food processor or blender with a little water until smooth. (Photos 7-8)
- Brown Beef – In a large saucepan, heat the oil, add your cooked meat, and brown it for 3-4 minutes. Then, add the remaining onion and sauté for 2 minutes. (Photo 9)
- Add the tomato mixture and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from burning. (Photo 10)
- Season – Add the groundnut paste, 3 cups of reserved broth, and the rest of the salt, paprika, bouillon powder, and white pepper to taste. (Photo 11)
- Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, then adjust the soup to the desired consistency. (Photo 12)
- Serve with rice, and enjoy.
Chicken Alternative
If you want to use chicken instead of the beef above, follow these directions.
- Season the chicken with paprika, ½ of the onion, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Sear the chicken with oil in a large pot, stirring frequently and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Puree the tomatoes, half of the onion, garlic, ginger, and parsley in a blender. Pour the mixture into the pot of chicken, bring to a boil, and simmer until the meat is tender.
- Assemble – Add the creamy peanut butter and broth, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Adjust the thickness to the desired consistency, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- To make a peanut stew, simply simmer the soup until it thickens more.
- A high-speed blender or coffee grinder works best to get a paste. A food processor may do the job, but the texture is a little different.
- If opting for peanut butter, use the natural creamy version with no additives.
What Pairs With Homemade Peanut Soup
West African groundnut soup pairs beautifully with garlic rice or traditional white rice. Other African favorites, like njama njama and fufu, go great with groundnut soup. Wash it all down with a cold glass of pineapple ginger juice.
More Incredible African Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”UiSa2rAw” upload-date=”2020-02-21T17:21:26.000Z” name=”Groundnut/Peanut Soup” description=”Groundnut/Peanut soup is a rich, nutty, and palate-pleasing meal when served with rice, plantains or any starch.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
This blog post was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Groundnut Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) peanuts, shelled with the skin
- 1-2 pounds (450-900g) stew beef (cut into cubes)
- 2 teaspoons (10-12g) salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoons (5g) white pepper (divided)
- 2 teaspoons (4g) paprika
- 2 teaspoons (5g) bouillon powder (divided)
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) oil
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped (divided)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½-inch knob (15g) ginger
- 3 tablespoons (10-12g) parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Roast your unpeeled peanuts in a pan on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. You could also bake the peanuts on a baking tray at 300℉ (150℃) oven for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- When the peanuts are ready, set them aside to cool completely.
- When the peanuts have cooled, grind them in a coffee grinder to a fine paste. You may need to do it in 3 to 4 batches to avoid straining the grinder. It should make about a cup of peanut paste. Set aside.
- Add beef to a pot and season with half the salt, pepper, and paprika. Add 4-5 cups of water to cover the beef and cook covered until the meat is tender. That usually takes 30 minutes or more, depending on the cut. A pressure cooker will shorten the process.
- When the beef is ready, take it out and reserve the stock.
- Next, blend the tomatoes, half of the onion, garlic, ginger, and parsley in a food processor or blender with a little water until smooth.
- In a large saucepan, heat oil, add your cooked meat, and brown it for 3-4 minutes. Then add the rest of the onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the blended tomato mixture and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the groundnut paste, 3 cups of reserved broth, and the rest of the salt, paprika, bouillon powder, and white pepper to taste.
- Continue cooking for 10 minutes, and adjust the soup's thickness to the desired consistency.
- Serve with rice, and enjoy.
Tips & Notes:
- Peanut soup is amazing with beef or chicken. Feel free to mix and match. I usually use chicken, but my family wanted beef the day I made this one.
- If using beef, simmer in water or broth until tender, then do a reverse sear. Reserve the broth for later.
- To speed up cooking beef until tender, a pressure cooker comes in handy.
- 2-3 pounds (900-1,500g) chicken (1 chicken, cut into pieces, or just thighs works great.)
- 1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
- 1 medium onion (mince half the onion to season the meat, and save the other for the sauce)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) oil (any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point)
- 2 medium tomatoes (Roma and plum tomatoes work best because they’re less juicy)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 ½-inch knob (15g) ginger
- 3 tablespoons (12g) parsley
- ½ cup (128g) natural peanut butter
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- Season the chicken with paprika, ½ of the onion, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over low heat, then add the chicken and sauté, stirring frequently and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Puree the tomatoes, half of the onion, garlic, ginger, and parsley in a blender. Pour the mixture into the pot of chicken, bring to a boil, and simmer until the meat is tender.
- Add the peanut butter and broth, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Add water or broth if the soup is thicker than you prefer, or simmer it longer, uncovered, to achieve the desired thickness. Drip a little soup from your stirring spoon. If you are satisfied with the thickness, serve it.
I love it and I want to learn more.
That’s perfect if you have that much spirit to learn you must be on the blog every day. Try more and more recipes, this is how you will become a good chef at home 😉
I love your recipes and the videos
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me.