This healthy, plant-based recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Stew features peanuts (aka groundnuts), an ingredient common in West Africa. The traditional dish comes from Ghana, where bold flavors come together from sweet potatoes, spicy curry, fresh ginger, and rich peanut butter. Dark greens round out the color for a hearty healthy stew.

Enjoy this recipe on its own or serve with steamed brown rice or quinoa. If you like this recipe, you’ll also love: African Black Barley Salad with Coconut Berbere Dressing, West African Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Stew, Easy and Light Plant-Based Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts, and West African Vegan Fonio Salad with Mango and Cashews

Food Inspiration: My Study Abroad in Ghana

In college, I spent 5 months studying abroad at the University of Ghana in Accra. I went to learn more about West African dance, but I also got to explore the amazing, unique flavors of the region. One of the best ways to experience the culture of Ghana is to go to the massive food and goods markets that populate the country. Here, you’ll find everything from groundnut soup and fried plantains to batik dresses and knock-off “Adibas” and “Nikef” tennis shoes.

Some of my favorite dishes to eat while in Ghana were the basics you found at every market: egg sandwiches (hey, I wasn’t vegan yet), stews with fufu and chili paste, boiled collards, fried plantain crisps, tons of peanuts (aka groundnuts), and authentic, Ghanaian dark chocolate. The aromas and flavors from this Peanut Butter Curry Stew transport me back to that country and its beautiful people.

How to Cook West African Food on a Vegan Diet

Adapting the traditional recipe West African recipes for a vegan diet can seem tricky at first. However, once you get the hang of it, it becomes quite easy. In fact, West African food uses a variety of delicious vegetables as the backbone for many recipes. You’ll see lots of collard greens, okra, tomatoes, and chilis in their recipes. Also, starchy carbohydrates like cassava and rice are served with almost every meal.

For some great tips and inspiration on cooking West African food for a plant-based diet, I recommend checking out Eat with Afia on YouTube and Instagram.

Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips

Curry Powder: Use a good quality curry powder for your recipe. You want it to have a bright color and powerful aroma when you open the jar. If your curry powder is more than 6 months old, time to toss it and get a new one.

Natural Roasted Peanut Butter: Use roasted natural roasted peanut butter that contains no more than two ingredients: peanuts and salt (extra points if you can get a salt-free peanut butter). You want to avoid peanut butter that has added oils, sugars, syrups, or other ingredients. While these might taste great on a PB and J, they can throw off the flavors in this recipe.

Peanut Allergy? You can swap out the peanut butter in the is recipe for another roasted nut butter. I recommend either almond or cashew for their richness and nuttiness. However, you can also sunflower seed butter for a totally nut-free dish.

Vegan West African Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Stew

• Medium
• Servings: 4 
• Ready In: 30 minutes
• Yield: about 10 cups
• Freezer-Friendly
• Perfect for When You’re Feeling Sick

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Vegan West African Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Stew

This healthy, plant-based recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Stew features peanuts (aka groundnuts), an ingredient common in West Africa. The traditional dish comes from Ghana, where bold flavors come together from sweet potatoes, spicy curry, fresh ginger, and rich peanut butter. Dark greens round out the color for a hearty healthy stew.

Course Dinner

Cuisine African, Ghanaian, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan, Vegetarian, West African

Keyword 30 minutes or less, african, comforting, dinner, freezer-friendly, Ghana, greens, healthy, oil-free, peanut butter, plant-based, satisfying, spicy, wfpb

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 204kcal

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
• 3 inches fresh ginger peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 large sweet potato diced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup natural roasted peanut butter no added oils or sweeteners
• 1 bunch Collard greens stemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Fresh lime wedges chopped peanuts, green onions to garnish (optional)

Instructions

• In a medium pot, sweat the bell pepper and onion, covered, over medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the ginger and curry powder and cook 2 more minutes, until aromatic.
• Add the sweet potato, water, and peanut butter. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir the stew and make sure the peanut butter is mixed well into the broth. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potato is knife-tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add the collards, cover, and simmer until the collards are tender, about 5 more minutes.
• Remove the lid, taste to adjust seasoning. Garnish with limes, peanuts, or green onions to your preference, and serve.
• Enjoy on its own or serve over steamed brown basmati rice.

Notes

Yield: 10 cups

Nutrition Fact

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