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Do you enjoy peanut butter? This peanut butter soup dish will be a hit with your family. This soup is not only simple to prepare but also quite tasty! With creamy peanut butter, spicy chili powder, and black pepper, it is packed with flavor and nutrients. We are going to show you how to make this peanut butter soup recipe.
What Is Peanut Soup?
Peanut soup is an African recipe that’s very popular in West Africa, and especially in Ghana. It is made from peanut butter. It is made by combining peanut butter or blended roasted peanuts with stock and tomato sauce. I grew up eating the indigenous form of this peanut soup (groundnut soup) made with freshly blended roasted peanuts and indigenous seasonings; oh mine! The soup is delicious!!
What Does Peanut Soup Taste Like?
If the idea of peanut butter and tomato paste turned into soup makes you question this recipe, I strongly urge you to get past that apprehension! There’s a cup of peanut butter in the recipe, so it will taste like spicy watery peanut butter. Served over warm rice, it’s a creamy, spicy and comforting combination.
African Peanut Butter Soup
This is probably the easiest peanut soup you’ve ever tried, but don’t be deceived by how easy this is because it is incredibly delicious.
The traditional recipe uses red palm oil as a base for the fat and flavor of the peanut soup. But I used vegetable oil instead. The sweet potatoes is also an addition that is not always included but it’s something I always add to make the dish more hearty.
How To Prepare Peanut Butter Soup
When you make peanut soup, you’re working with a concentration of peanut tastes. Therefore a little goes a long way in your soup to create a perfectly balanced soup!
- Blend – To make this easy peanut soup, you will start by blending the Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions. Garlic and Ginger.
- Caramelize the Onions – To caramelize the onion, you will allow them to cook in the oil, stirring only occasionally for about 5 minutes until they are super soft and lightly golden brown.
- After that, Prepare the sauce by adding the blended tomatoes, onions. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes (a little more or less). Now stir in the seasoning. Stir well to bring out the flavors!
- Next, add Peanut butter. Use a wooden spoon to stir well until the peanut butter dissolves in the sauce.
- Cook – Continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or till it is well cooked and the soup becomes thickened to your likeness.
Tips For Making African Peanut Butter Soup
- Use natural peanut butter made with only peanuts and salt. Whether you opt for chunky or creamy, that will really come down to your preference. Just make sure the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain oil, sugar or any other additives. We want to maximize the peanut flavor.
- Don’t use tomatoes in place of tomato paste. In a lot of recipes, this would totally be acceptable, but in this case, we want to create a thick base for the peanut soup. The fresh tomatoes or even canned tomatoes will instead create a lighter broth, which is not part of the authentic recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook the sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes add bulk, nutrition and a sweet taste to the recipe. So I love adding them, especially when making it vegan. But if you overcook them, they will become soft and change the consistency of the soup entirely. So make sure to chop them small and check on them after 20 minutes of simmering.
What To Serve With Peanut Butter Soup
In Ghana, they eat it with fufu, which is dough made from boiled cassava. It can also be served with;
- Cooked rice
- Pounded yam
- A loaf of crusty bread for mopping the soup or some fresh dinner rolls to sop up every drop left in my bowl!
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. It will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezing Instructions: You can also freeze peanut soup in the freezer for up to 3 months by using a sealable container or freezer bag. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then microwave when ready to eat.
If you’ve tried this African Peanut Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it.
Peanut Butter Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add onions and ginger, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onions are very soft and translucent, but not browned.
- Add tomato paste and mix with the onions until they are well coated. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot, season with salt and cayenne pepper, and mix with the onion and tomato paste mixture.
- Pour the vegetable broth or water into the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Stir in the peanut butter until it’s well blended with the mixture. Add spinach and/or chicken, if desired, and stir to combine.
- Serve over white rice with crushed peanuts, if desired.
Notes
- If you don’t have fresh ginger, substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger for ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Instead of sweet potatoes, you can use yams or white potatoes
- You can substitute the spinach for any other hearty greens like kale, mustard greens or collard greens, or leave them out all together.
- To make it vegan, just leave the chicken out. You can add tofu, more potatoes or leave as is without the chicken.
