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    Home » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot African Peanut Stew

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the disclosure.    

    Published: Mar 19, 2020 | Updated: Jan 17, 2021 | Author: Paint the Kitchen Red | 27 Comments

    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Instant Pot African Peanut Stew Pin - stew in a white bowl with cut sweet potato, peanuts and cilantro in background

    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.

    Instant Pot African Peanut Stew in a white bowl with cut sweet potato, peanuts and cilantro in background

    Table of Contents


    1. INTRODUCTION
    2. TIPS
    3. INGREDIENTS
    4. STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
    5. RECIPE CARD – PRINTABLE
    6. RELATED RECIPES AND GUIDES

    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.

    Here are some other soup and stew recipes you might like to try out!
    – Instant Pot Chicken Curry Soup
    – Instant Pot Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

    – Instant Pot Indian Beef Curry/Stew
    – Instant Pot Ethiopian Lentil Stew
    – Instant Pot Curried Risotto

    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 1/2 tsp 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 1/2 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.

    • Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
    • 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

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Ingredients - chicken, sweet potato, onion, broth, spinach, tomatoes
    • Chicken
    • Sweet potato
    • Onion
    • Broth
    • Spinach
    • Tomatoes
    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup ingredients - white wine, olive oil, garlic, ginger, cilantro, peanut butter, curry powder, chili powder, black pepper, salt
    • 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)

    1. Turn on Saute Mode
    2. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger
    3. Saute spices and deglaze
    4. Saute chicken and add broth
    5. Add vegetables and peanut butter
    6. Pressure cook
    7. Quick-release pressure
    8. Stir in spinach and garnish with cilantro

    How to Turn on Saute Mode

    Instant Pot Ultra Duo Saute Function collage - arrows pointing to Saute in Duo and Ultra - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Instant Pot DUO:  Select the Saute function.
    • Instant Pot ULTRA:  Select the Saute function and press Start.

    Saute Onion, Garlic, and Ginger

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Instructions collage - add oil, add onion garlic ginger, saute
    • 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

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Instructions collage - add spices, stir, deglazed
    • 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

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Instructions collage - add chicken, stir, add broth
    • Once deglazed, stir in the chicken until coated with the spices.
    • Stir in broth.

    Add Vegetables and Peanut Butter

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Instructions collage - add sweet potatoes, add tomatoes and peanut butter, stir
    • Stir in sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peanut butter.

    Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 4 minutes

    Instant Pot Duo Manual mode 4 minutes collage - close lid, press manual, press + -, display says 4 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • 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

    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cook 4 minutes collage - open lid, select pressure cook and set time to 00:04, display says on - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • 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 Duo Pressure Cooking collage - display shows On, float valve is down, display shows L0:00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cooking collage - Ultra display shows On, float valve is up, display shows 00 00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • 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

    Instant Pot Quick Release collage - move handle to venting, float valve down, lid propped open - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • 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

    Instant Pot Ultra Release Steam and Open collage - press steam release button, float valve in down position, Instant Pot Ultra is open - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • 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

    Instant Pot African Peanut Soup Instructions collage - cooked soup, add spinach, stirred
    • Add spinach and stir until wilted.
    • Garnish with cilantro.
    • Serve with cornbread, French bread or couscous.
    Instant Pot African Peanut Stew in a white bowl with cut sweet potato, peanuts and cilantro in background

    Instant Pot African Peanut Stew

    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.
    5 from 8 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 459
    Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1 cup onions chopped
    • 2 Tbsp garlic minced
    • 1 Tbsp ginger minced
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp black pepper powder
    • 1 Tbsp curry powder
    • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine
    • 3 cups chicken broth (about 1 ½ can)
    • 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
    • 2 cups sweet potatoes cubed into 1 inch pieces
    • 14.50 oz diced tomatoes
    • 1/2 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.
    • See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
    * 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.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 459 kcal | Carbohydrates: 11 g | Protein: 38 g | Fat: 28 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 132 mg | Sodium: 545 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 3 g
    Course Soups/Stews
    Cuisine African
    Main Ingredient chicken
    Have you made this recipe? I love seeing your photos! Tag me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed or #PaintTheKitchenRed!

    Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!

    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.

    If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandra

      September 24, 2022 at 11:54 am

      If you have time, I would love to know where you get the small white cups and glass cups to hold the various ingredients. They look so useful!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        September 25, 2022 at 1:06 am

        Sandra, I believe the glass bowls were purchased at Smith’s (owned by Kroger) here in Salt Lake City, and the white bowls at World Market.

        Reply
    2. Elyse

      May 10, 2022 at 9:57 am

      Hi everyone, Has anyone tried this with turkey? I have so much in the freezer.

      Reply
      • Elyse

        May 10, 2022 at 9:58 am

        What about chicken breasts?

        Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        May 11, 2022 at 4:36 pm

        Elyse, you could use chicken breasts or turkey with the same timings.

        Reply
    3. Gary Kaetzel

      May 03, 2022 at 9:40 pm

      I haven’t made this yet but I need to! Just wanted to thank you for showing the different keypads on the different models of IP! They are a little different and have caused a few people to ask where the manual button was on their model and where the pressure cook button was on their model! I know all that stuff, having cooked with mine for 4 years now, but everybody has to start somewhere!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        May 04, 2022 at 12:25 pm

        Thanks, Gary! I hope you enjoy the recipe.

        Reply
    4. Darby Flatt

      November 04, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      This is soooo good! I served it with brown rice. I will definitely make it again.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        November 07, 2021 at 12:58 pm

        Hey Darby, thank you for taking the time to comment – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    5. Susan

      February 18, 2021 at 4:44 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! This is really good. I’m exploring recipes as part of Black History Month and an African Stew seemed apropos. I’ve never cooked anything like this before. Thank you for helping expand my horizons. A quick thought on sweet potatoes not softening. Just today I learned that there are white sweet potatoes that stay firmer than the orange ones while cooking. I wonder if that is what the reviewer had. I had never heard of them before and bought one by mistake. Found a recipe for roasting them that I’m going to try tomorrow.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        February 19, 2021 at 10:21 am

        Thanks Susan! I love this recipe. I’m working on a vegetarian version of this recipe that is so good too. Hope to put it out sometime in the next few months!

        Reply
    6. Jocelyn

      February 06, 2021 at 12:15 pm

      The cook time at the top of the recipe says 25 minutes. In the body of the recipe the individual step cook times do not add up to 25 minutes. Is there a step missing? BTW, my daughter substituted canned chick peas for the chicken and it was wonderful!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        February 08, 2021 at 11:51 am

        Jocelyn, the cook time includes time to build pressure and to release pressure, in addition to the actual pressure cooking. So I take my best guess on that – about 10 to 15 minutes to build pressure and about 5 to 10 minutes for the pressure to release. I’m glad you liked the recipe.

        Reply
    7. Leone

      January 21, 2021 at 8:49 pm

      I look forward to making this very soon. My one question is what type of curry would you suggest? I have several and I’m not sure which would be best. Probably can’t go wrong no matter what.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        January 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm

        Leone, I’ve used different brands: Sun brand, McCormick, Simply Organic. I think it’s more important to have a fresher bottle, if possible.

        Reply
    8. Lisa

      July 03, 2020 at 9:50 am

      5 stars
      My family devoured this last week and asked me to make it again, so I doubled the recipe. Looking forward to a delicious dinner tonight! Thank you for your very detailed instructions, pictures, videos, etc.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        July 06, 2020 at 11:24 am

        Hey Lisa, at this very moment I’m cooking a vegetarian version with a completely different method in the Instant Pot. If it turns out, I’ll be sharing it in the future. I’m glad you like the recipe and appreciate the detail 🙂

        Reply
    9. Carol SR

      April 14, 2020 at 5:56 am

      5 stars
      This recipe has been a favorite of mine for 40 years and I appreciate the update for Instant Pot cooking. It’s one of those meals that can be ‘dressed up’ for company or served as a family meal.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        April 14, 2020 at 2:25 pm

        Wow, Carol, that’s incredible that you’ve been making this dish for so long. I’d love to know what you think of my take on the recipe! Let me know if you try it out.

        Reply
    10. Albert Chin-A-Young

      April 10, 2020 at 9:31 pm

      Great recipe. Very flavourful. And the couscous really made a difference. Definitely added to the taste.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        April 11, 2020 at 4:35 pm

        Thank you for commenting, Albert! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.

        Reply
    11. Marilyn Morrison

      April 01, 2020 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      I finally made this last night and it was wonderful! I am so sorry that I did not take a picture as it was every bit as beautiful as it was tasty.

      I cannot imagine why the previous customer’s sweet potatoes were still hard after 10 mins. I, also, was concerned about the stew being cooked through in only 4 minutes. I gave it 5 and the sweet potatoes were softer than perfect!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        April 01, 2020 at 7:46 pm

        Wow, thank you so much Marilyn. After hearing from the last reader I’m so glad you took the time to share your experience. I still don’t know how her sweet potatoes didn’t cook at 10 minutes if they were cut into cubes…

        Reply
      • Lynn A

        September 19, 2020 at 5:09 am

        5 stars
        I made this last night. First time I ever had it and my husband and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. Definitely will be making this again! It had the perfect blend of spices that came together beautifully. None of the flavors over powered the others and it was very satisfying. Thank you for this

        Reply
        • Paint the Kitchen Red

          September 19, 2020 at 4:42 pm

          Lynn, thanks for letting me know. You’re most welcome 🙂

          Reply
    12. Jan Z-R

      March 23, 2020 at 5:41 pm

      It appears there is NO WAY 4 minutes under pressure cook is enough! After 10 minutes the sweet potatoes are still hard as a rock! Is that a misprint?

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 23, 2020 at 6:41 pm

        Jan, I’ve made this many times, and the sweet potatoes have been cooked very soft at 4 minutes. I don’t understand how they’re not cooked, unless there are different types of sweet potatoes? How big did you cube them? Also, is it possible your Instant Pot didn’t come to pressure?

        Reply

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