West African Groundnut Soup (Maafe)

Let me introduce you to Authentic West African Peanut soup, made the traditional way. It is rich, warm, nourishing, and full of flavors. It is also very versatile, which makes it perfect for any season of the year.

Groundnut Soup

Every time I make this West African groundnut soup, my kitchen smells like absolute heaven. It is rich, nutty, slightly spicy, and very comforting.

Groundnut soup is a classic West African favorite. The recipe is simple, bold, and budget-friendly. You don't need fancy cooking skills or rare ingredients to get that authentic, deep flavor in your own kitchen.

The groundnuts give the soup a creamy texture and delicious nutty flavor, while the meat and spices add depth. It is also incredibly versatile. You can make it with beef, chicken, lamb, fish, or vegetables depending on what you have available.

I have two soups on this site made with peanuts (groundnuts), and they're different. This one is the traditional Nigerian version: peanuts roasted and ground fresh, with beef, smoked turkey, and crayfish. The second one is the non-traditional version: Easy Chicken Peanut Butter Soup. I make both, depending on my mood or who I am planning to host.

This is the version I grew up eating. The one made with whole peanuts that you roast yourself, grind into flour, and stir into a rich, meaty stew.

The depth of flavor you get from freshly roasted and ground peanuts is intense!

What Is West African Peanut Soup?

West African Groundnut Soup is a rich, flavorful soup made with roasted peanuts, beef, smoked meat or fish, crayfish, tomatoes, peppers, and spinach.

It is enjoyed in different forms across West Africa, and recipes vary by country, region, and family. Some versions are thick and stew-like, while others have a thinner, soupier consistency.

In my version, I use beef, smoked turkey, crayfish, ground roasted peanuts, fresh peppers, tomatoes, and spinach. The result is a rich and savory soup with a wonderful nutty flavor.

I have to confess, though, that smoked turkey is not traditional. We usually use smoked fish or other wild-caught smoked meats. I used smoked turkey because it’s what I have access to, and it adds that same delicious depth of flavor.

This African peanut soup recipe is easy to make and pairs well with rice, fufu, pounded yam, or eba.

Why You'll Love This African Peanut Soup

• Rich and flavorful: Roasted peanuts, beef, smoked turkey, and crayfish give this soup incredible depth.
• Easy to make: Once the meat is cooked, everything comes together in one pot.
• Naturally creamy: Ground peanuts thicken the soup without needing cream.
• Versatile: Use beef, chicken, fish, lamb, or vegetables.
• Perfect for family meals: A little goes a long way, especially when served with a filling side.
• Great with swallows or rice: Serve it with fufu, pounded yam, eba, rice.

Groundnut Soup, Peanut Soup, Maafe

Peanut soup goes by many names across West Africa and beyond: groundnut soup in Nigeria and Ghana, maafe in Senegal and Mali, and variations of it appear in Taiwan and the American state of Virginia, which tells you everything you need to know about how universally beloved this soup truly is.

Groundnut soup and peanut soup are common names used in different parts of Africa. Groundnut is simply another name for peanut.

Maafe, also spelled mafé or maafé, is another well-known West African peanut-based dish, particularly associated with countries such as Senegal and Mali. While the recipes share peanuts, they can differ considerably in ingredients, preparation, and consistency.

This is the Nigerian version, made the way my family has always made it, with beef, smoked turkey, and crayfish. It has a flavor that makes every other soup feel like it isn't trying hard enough.

Ingredients

• Peanuts: Raw peanuts are preferred, but already roasted will work as well.
• Beef: Any stewing cut with a bit of connective tissue.
• Smoked turkey: Optional, but I'd fight for it. Smoked fish works beautifully too.
• Crayfish: Dried ground crayfish.
• Palm oil: Traditional and worth using for the color and the flavor. Peanut oil works if you can't get palm oil,
• Tomato, bell pepper, habanero, onion, ginger: Blended base.
• Spinach: Stirred in at the very end. Ugu (pumpkin leaves) or bitter leaf also work

How To Make Groundnut Soup

Cook the Beef

I use beef because it makes the soup hearty and gives the broth plenty of flavor. You can use beef chunks, stew meat, or another cut that becomes tender with slow cooking.

Wash the beef thoroughly and place it in a pot. Season with salt, seasoning cubes, half of the onion, habanero pepper, and grated ginger. Add enough water to cook the beef.

Cover the pot and cook until the beef becomes tender, about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the size and cut of the meat.

The stock it releases becomes the base of your soup, so don't drain it. You want enough broth left in the pot to form the base of the soup.

Toast The Peanuts

The peanuts are the star ingredient in this soup. I recommend using raw peanuts, so you control the roast.

If you only have roasted peanuts, that's fine, but still toast them in a dry pan for a few minutes to wake up the oils, which gives the soup a deeper, richer nutty flavor.

Whatever you buy, check the label: peanuts only or peanuts and salt only. Nothing else.

While the beef is cooking, roast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The key is to keep the heat moderate and stir frequently. Peanuts can burn quickly, and burnt peanuts will give the entire soup a bitter taste.

You want the peanuts to become nicely browned and fragrant, not dark and burnt.

Grind the peanuts

Transfer the roasted peanuts to a dry blender, coffee grinder, or food processor and grind them into a fine powder. Traditionally, we use a mortar and pestle to grind this into powder. Don't add water!

The ground peanuts will act as both a flavoring and a natural thickener for the soup.

Prepare the pepper mixture

Cut the tomatoes, bell pepper, remaining onion, and habanero pepper into smaller chunks before blending. Blend until smooth.

Cutting the vegetables into smaller pieces makes it easier on your blender and helps everything blend evenly.

If you don't have fresh peppers, you can use cayenne pepper instead, although I prefer the flavor of fresh peppers.

Add the smoked turkey

Remove the bones from the smoked turkey and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Add it to the pot with the beef after the beef has cooked for about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until the beef is tender.

If you're using smoked fish instead, add it later so it doesn't break apart too much during cooking.

The smoked meat and crayfish in this recipe also play a role beyond adding protein. They are flavor builders. If you have access to these ingredients, please don't skip them.

Add the ground peanuts, Crayfish, And Palm oil

Add the ground peanuts, crayfish, and palm oil or peanut oil. Palm oil is traditional, and it's often used for the color and the flavor. Peanut oil works if you can't get palm oil; however, you will lose that red hue and some of the character.

Stir thoroughly to make sure the ground peanuts are evenly incorporated into the soup.

Cover the pot and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will gradually thicken as the ground peanuts absorb some of the liquid.

Add the spinach

Finally, stir in the spinach and simmer for about 2 minutes. Ugu (pumpkin leaves) or bitter leaf also work, but if you use bitter leaf, go light, or the bitterness will run over the peanut flavor.

Taste the soup and adjust the salt and seasoning if necessary. That's it! Your West African Peanut Soup is ready.

A word about the last stage:

Once that ground peanut goes into the pot, the soup will catch and burn faster than you expect. Stir it, check it every few minutes, and keep the heat moderate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use peanut butter instead of grinding peanuts?

Yes, if you are in a pinch or if that's the only thing you have access to. You will get a smoother, creamier soup, which is lovely, but this recipe isn't built around it. Rather than adapt this one, try my Easy Chicken Peanut Butter Soup. It's designed for jarred peanut butter from the ground up, and it's one of the most-made recipes on this site.

What can I use instead of beef?

Goat meat is excellent and very traditional. Chicken also works. We use the local bred chicken for this; however, you can adapt the recipe to use any type of chicken you can access. Assorted meat (shaki, ponmo) is fantastic if you can get it.

Can I make it without palm oil?

Yes. Peanut oil or any neutral oil will do. You will lose the red color and some depth, but the soup still works.

Watch How to make the West African peanut soup below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA7F_JLLp4U

My soup is bitter. What happened?

Two usual suspects: burnt peanuts, or too much bitter leaf. Peanuts go from perfectly browned to burnt in under a minute, so stay with the pan, and don't cook on high heat.

How do I make it thicker or thinner?

To make it thinner, add more beef stock or water. To make it thicker, let it simmer uncovered a few more minutes.

Can I make this vegetarian?

You will be losing the crayfish, smoked turkey, and beef stock, which is most of the savory structure, so it's a real rebuild rather than a swap. Use a strong mushroom, vegetable stock, add smoked paprika for the smoke, and go for more ginger and pepper.

What kind of peanuts should I buy?

Any brand, as long as the ingredients list reads peanuts and possibly salt. Anything with added sugar or oils will throw the soup off.

Other Soups You Might Like

• Easy Chicken Peanut Butter Soup: Creamy, chicken-based, and made with jarred peanut butter
• Banga Soup
• Goat Meat Pepper Soup
• Catfish Stew
• Nigerian Chicken Stew

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