Instant Pot African Peanut Stew is a hearty, comforting soup with rich, bold flavors. Tender bites of chicken and sweet potatoes are cooked in a vibrant sauce made with peanut butter and curry powder to give this soup a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
When I first heard about African Peanut Stew (maybe because of the name?) I was a bit skeptical about whether we would like it. But after trying it, it’s become one of our family favorites!
African Peanut Stew is also known as West African peanut stew, African Peanut Butter Soup, or groundnut stew. This soup is popular in the West African countries of Mali, Senegal and Gambia and is known by different names such as tigadenega, mafe or domoda, depending on the country.
I did have to do a bit of tweaking and testing to adapt the stovetop recipe for the Instant Pot. In particular, I had to increase the spices by quite a bit since pressure cooking dulls the spices.
You may also enjoy Chicken Curry Soup, Instant Pot Vegetarian Moroccan Stew, Instant Pot Beef Curry, or Misir Wot (Ethiopian Lentil Stew). Try my Instant Pot Curried Risotto if you want a one-pot vegetarian dish.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Spices
If your curry powder has been sitting in a cabinet for years, do yourself a favor and buy a new package of curry powder. Fresh curry powder will give your African Peanut Stew a vibrant flavor.
Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chili powder if you’d like the soup to be spicier.
Make sure that your Instant Pot isn’t too hot when you’re sauteing the spices. If necessary, press Cancel to cool down the inner pot after sauteing the onion mixture. Burnt spices will make this soup taste bitter.
Tomatoes
The recipe calls for canned tomatoes. You can also use tomato paste. Substitute 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for the canned tomatoes. The tomato paste will make the soup thicker.
Peanut Butter
Try to use peanut butter that doesn’t have additives and fillers. I always use natural peanut butter.
I like to use creamy peanut butter, but feel free to add chunky peanut butter for added texture.
Coat the measuring cup with vegetable oil before measuring the peanut butter to allow for easy cleanup.
Vegetables
I love the flavor of sweet potatoes in this soup, but you can use any vegetable of your choice: carrots, green plantain, potatoes, butternut squash, or okra. You might need to modify the pressure cooking time.
I like to add kale or spinach to add some extra nutrition and flavor to the recipe. If you’re using kale, chop it into 1-inch pieces and pressure cook with the chicken.
If you’re using spinach, add it at the end and it should heat through and wilt in the hot soup. If the soup has cooled down, heat through on Saute mode till spinach is wilted.
To make this stew vegan or vegetarian, omit the chicken and use butternut squash, carrots, or plantains.
Beef or Lamb
Although I prefer to make this Instant Pot African Peanut Stew with chicken, it can be made with lamb or beef. Cut the meat into 1 ½ inch pieces.
If you’re making it with lamb, pressure cook for 20 minutes. If you making it with beef, pressure cook for 15 minutes. Make sure the meat is not lean.
Freezing
This soup does well in the freezer. I don’t add the spinach and cilantro if I’m freezing the stew. I add those ingredients when I’m reheating the stew.
How to Serve
If the stew is not thick enough for your tastes, heat it up on Saute mode for a few minutes to thicken it.
I like to top the soup off with cilantro and sometimes I add chopped peanuts. You can also add a squeeze of lime to each serving and some hot sauce if you like to add spiciness.
Serve this stew with couscous, white or brown rice, cornbread or french bread on the side.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot African Peanut Soup – Ingredients
- Chicken
- Sweet potato
- Onion
- Broth
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- White wine
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cilantro
- Peanut butter
- Curry powder
- Chili powder
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to Make African Peanut Soup in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute Mode
- Saute onion, garlic, and ginger
- Saute spices and deglaze
- Saute chicken and add broth
- Add vegetables and peanut butter
- Pressure cook
- Quick-release pressure
- Stir in spinach and garnish with cilantro
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Onion, Garlic, and Ginger
- Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, add oil and allow it to heat up.
- Stir in onions, garlic, and ginger and saute till soft, about 2 minutes.
Saute Spices and Deglaze
- Add in salt, black pepper, curry powder, and cayenne pepper (if using).
- Stir until spices are fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds. *
- Press Cancel.
- Deglaze with white wine. Stir to remove any brown bits. There should be nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
* If the Instant Pot becomes too hot and the ingredients are burning, turn it off to cool it down and turn back on once cooled. You don’t want to burn the spices! If you need to, add a tablespoon of broth to deglaze the inner pot if you find that the ingredients are browning too quickly.
Saute Chicken and Add Broth
- Once deglazed, stir in the chicken until coated with the spices.
- Stir in broth.
Add Vegetables and Peanut Butter
- Stir in sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peanut butter.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 4 (4 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 4 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 4 minutes (00:04).
- Press ‘Start’.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Add Spinach and Cilantro
- Add spinach and stir until wilted.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve with cornbread, French bread or couscous.
Instant Pot African Peanut Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth (about 1½ can)
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (⅔ kg) cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 cups sweet potatoes cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (411 grams)
- ½ cup peanut butter preferably creamy natural
- 3 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped
- cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Select the Saute function and pre-heat the Instant Pot.
- Add oil to the pre-heated inner pot of Instant Pot and allow it to heat up.
- Stir in onions, garlic, ginger and saute till soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add salt, black pepper, curry powder and cayenne pepper, stirring until fragrant about 15 to 30 seconds. *
- Press Cancel.
- Deglaze with white wine. Stir to remove any brown bits. There should be nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Once deglazed, add chicken and stir to coat with spices.
- Stir in broth, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and peanut butter.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a Quick Release (QR) of pressure. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Select Cancel and open the Instant Pot lid.
- Stir in spinach until wilted.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve with couscous, cornbread or crusty French bread.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Amanda Amundson says
I’ve made this recipe over 5 times. It’s delicious, freezes well, and the leftovers get better and better.
Neena Panicker says
Amanda, thank you so much for your comment and rating, I’m so happy to hear that your like the recipe and the leftovers too!