Vegetarian Peanut Soup
This West African peanut soup recipe is made with pantry staples and collard greens. It's a creamy, spicy vegan soup that's easy to make on busy weeknights.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 5, 2024
I know that peanut butter, tomatoes and collard greens may seem like an unlikely combination, but I hope you’ll trust me on this one.
This recipe was originally inspired by a friend’s vegan cookbook called Local Bounty. With the author’s headnote, “Of all the soups we serve in my restaurant, this one is by far the most popular,” and his endorsement, I trusted that this soup was a safe bet.
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out the revamped peanut soup with sweet potatoes and chickpeas in my cookbook!
We taste-tested the soup with a few different hot sauces (none of them African) and decided that we liked sriracha was the best. It provides just the right punch of heat.
The end result is a creamy, nourishing soup made of basic pantry ingredients, herbs and greens. It doesn’t require much prep and the hot sauce cuts down on the total number of ingredients, so it’s perfect for cold days and lazy weeknights.
I originally titled this soup “West African Peanut Soup.” While it’s inspired by West African peanut soups, it’s not authentic by any stretch. I’m told that authentic recipes do not contain collard greens, and I believe they often contain meat, among other details.
As a vegetarian, this recipe may be the closest I’ll ever taste to the authentic dish, and I love it for all of the aforementioned qualities. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or follow any diet under the sun, I hope you love it, too!
Vegetarian Peanut Soup
This West African-inspired peanut soup recipe is a creamy and comforting, spicy vegan soup. Made with a simple combination of peanut butter, tomato paste and collard greens, this soup comes together quickly and would be a great weeknight meal. If you love spicy flavors like me, don’t hesitate to use liberal amounts of ginger and garlic. Recipe yields 6 bowls.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño (optional, for heat), seeded, ribs removed, and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely grated or minced fresh ginger
- 4 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter*
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 medium bunch collard greens or kale (about 8 ounces), tough ribs removed and leaves chopped into bite-size pieces
- Hot sauce, preferably Sriracha
- For serving (optional): 1 batch of cooked brown rice
- For garnish (optional): ¼ cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeño (if using), and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and water, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Meanwhile, in a heatproof medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste. Transfer 1 to 2 cups of hot broth from the pot to the bowl. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then pour the peanut mixture into the soup and mix well.
- Stir the collard greens into the soup and continue cooking until the soup is nice and thick, with sufficiently softened greens, 15 to 25 minutes longer. Season the soup with hot sauce to taste (I usually add over 1 tablespoon Sriracha, but I like spicy soups). Remove the pot from the heat and add more salt to taste, if necessary (I often add up to ½ teaspoon more).
- Serve the soup in bowls as desired—perhaps over cooked rice, with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and cilantro on top. Serve with additional hot sauce on the side.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Local Bounty: Vegan Seasonal Recipes by Devra Gartenstein and my cookbook, Love Real Food.
Change it up: Add 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice, with the onion. You can also stir 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, into the soup with the collard greens.
*Peanut butter options: I use unsweetened natural peanut butter in this recipe (salted or unsalted both work). If you’re allergic to peanuts, substitute almond butter or sunflower butter and skip the peanut garnish.
Recipe edits: In 2025, I retested this recipe and matched it to my cookbook’s cooking method, which yields superior flavor and texture. The ingredients are the same, besides adding some olive oil to sauté the onion and an optional jalapeño, for heat.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This has become one of my staples! It’s pretty easy and can be made with mostly pantry ingredients so I don’t have to be too prepared. It’s a great base for adding extra stuff too. I made it today with just a bit of frozen spinach (didn’t have collard greens on hand) and added sweet potato and chickpeas. Add a few shakes of cumin, coriander, curry powder and turmeric, finish with a squeeze of lime and there you go! Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s great, Megan! Thank you for your review.
This soup was delicious. I briefly sautéed the onions, ginger and garlic to soften them and bring out the sweetness before adding the water and stock. I also used chicken stock because that’s all I had. And I used sweetened, chunky peanut butter…which wouldn’t be my preference, but it was all I had…and ultimately, I thought the sweetness balanced the heat and the saltiness. I also added some sliced Papadeux peppers…just because I had them and thought they’d nice color and sweet-heat (and they did). And lastly…I’m not a vegetarian so I added a couple of sliced shrimp…which also worked really well. I think I added a lot more kale than “a bunch” because I had a bag of pre-washed, precut kale…and it didn’t wilt down as much as I thought it would…but it was still fantastic. This is a RICH, hardy soup…GREAT for a cold night. I found a relatively small bowl to be very filling. Thanks for an awesome recipe…I will make this again for sure.
Thank you for sharing how you made this soup, Nicholas. I’m glad you loved it!
This was the first recipe I made when I decided to learn to cook “adult” food. It blew my mind (and turned out great despite my minimal cooking skills at that time). In the years since, I’ve cooked hundreds of recipes from this blog and others – I can say that this recipe sparked a real love of cooking healthy, flavorful, delicious food! And even though my skills have grown a whole lot since that first try at “real” cooking, I still make this often – it’s so comforting and tasty!
I love that this was one of your first recipes! Thank you for sharing, Amanda.
Deliciously fabulous (as always!). Here’s what I did:
– Sauteed onion with a diced sweet potato ~5 minutes
– Added red pepper, a seeded diced jalapeno, and lots of garlic and ginger for ~2 minutes
– Threw in a pinch of nutmeg + cinnamon
– Simmered for recommended time with broth
– Added greens and PB + tomato mixture * do NOT skip mixing separately and adding hot broth. This makes for a smooth soup and is a tried tested and true method from vegetarian recipe books of yore.
– A squeeze of lime before serving
I will make this again and again. It’s a very versatile soup base.
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Gracie!
Our friend and neighbor brought this to our Winter Solstice gathering last night. It was wonderful! We all loved it and I am taking the recipe for our next family gathering. I haven’t cooked it yet, but it hit the spot for a cold, dark winter night.
My mom and siblings tried this when I made it for myself. They don’t like “exotic” food, would never choose vegetarian food, and don’t even like peanuts. They were all surprised that they loved it!! The soup disappeared very quickly!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate your review, Amanda.
Hi there, this sounds delicious! Trying to start the year off on a good note and so am doing some calorie counting. Do the calories listed include the optional brown rice?
Hi Anna, everything listed in the ingredients is included in the nutritional information.
Tasted yummy – even when substituting kale with home-grown mustard greens
Thank you for sharing, Jyothi!
I made this a few months ago and it was amazing! Even my “no vegetables only meat” friend admitted he liked it.
I am going to make it again for a large group and was wondering if you can make it the day before and have it taste as good as made the same day?
(obviously don’t put in the chopped peanuts until ready to serve)
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Katie.
Would this work with miso broth instead of vegetable broth? (I have some miso broth I need to use up)
Hi Laz, I haven’t tried it. Sorry!
I love this recipe! Such an easy meal. I make mine in the instant pot. Add everything but the hot sauce and kale to the instant pot (including sweet potatoes). Cook on high for 8-10 minutes. Quick pressure release and then stir in the hot sauce and kale. Top with peanuts
That sounds delicious, Jess. Thank you for sharing.
This soup is the best! I’ve made it a few times. Made it a couple days ago and didn’t pay attention to using unsalted peanut butter or low sodium broth so it ended up too salty. Just a recommendation to other cooks out there to leave out the tsp of salt if you have salt in the other stuff.
Thanks Kate!!
Thank you for sharing, Kat!
I love peanut butter but wasn’t sure about this combination with tomato paste. Well, it is amazing and so different from any soup I’ve ever made or even tried. I used kale instead of collards, added a sweet potato which made it even more satisfying, and a little less than 1/2 a serrano pepper instead of hot sauce. The leftovers will make a yummy and filling hot lunch this week!
I’m glad you loved it, Lauren! Thank you for your review.
This is a favorite in my house!! i def recommend adding a sweet potato and a jalapeno like the recipe in the book calls for. Delicious and fun to make.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Keri!
If you knew how many times I’ve made this soup! It’s one of my favorites. All the aromatics blends so well. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Tracy!
Excellent! I added fresh cilantro (1/4 cup) and some lemon juice (1 tbsp) and it was excellent! My whole family, including young kids, loved it!
That’s great to hear, Natasha! I appreciate your review.
This recipe has been in my family’s rotation for years and we all love it, including my young kids! I always throw a couple sweet potatoes in the broth. I lived in West Africa for a couple years, and rice and peanut sauce were served twice a day in the area where I lived. While this version is different, the flavors take me right back!
I’m glad it takes you back! Thanks for sharing, Emily.
I have to admit, while i was mixing the tomato paste and peanut butter together, i had my doubts. But i followed it through to the end, and i am glad it did.
Very good
Hi, sounds delicious but what if you can’t handle hot foods, will leaving out the sirrach ruin it?
Chris
Hi, I don’t find it too spicy. But you can reduce or omit. Let me know what you think!
I have to leave a review because this soup was the most amazing, delicious soup I’ve ever tasted. I made the version from your cookbook with the sweet potatoes and chick peas. Sooooooooo good!! I will continue to make this every week for the rest of my life :)
Hello, I came across this recipe and I’m very interested in trying it. I was wondering what you think about substituting cabbage for the collard greens?
Thanks!
HI Tiffany, That is an interesting idea! I don’t know if it will provide the same flavor at the end you want here, but you can try it. Let me know what you think! You may want to cook it longer so the cabbage can soften a bit.
I made this last night for a friend who’s eating vegan. I didn’t have any brown rice in the house, so I whipped up some wild rice and served it with that instead. It was fantastic! Surprisingly so. I think if you substitute cilantro for the greens and gave it a squirt of lime before serving, it could also be a great Thai dish. Really great and versatile.
Hi from NJ
How much kale? 1/2 lb? More?
Would crushed ginger work? I have a bottle.
Thanks!
Adam
Hi! I don’t have ounces, sorry. I haven’t tried with crushed, so the flavor may vary.
Another hit! I made your cookbook version with the sweet potato and chickpea additions, and my grocery store was out of fresh ginger so I had to use ginger paste. Very filling and comforting dish. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make some white rice to go with it, but this is a keeper!
Love this soup. I make it with crushed tomatoes, dried ground ginger, don’t mix the pb separately and replace the greens with broccoli and it is still delicious. Such a great base recipe!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Leah! I appreciate your comment.
Wow this was good! I made it tonight and it was exactly what I was hoping for. The only thing I did was add some small steamed sweet potato cubes at the end for a little more heartiness. Love love love it!
That’s great, Daria! I appreciate your review.
Mmm Cookie and Kate recipes never disappoint! This one was no exception, I did add a sweet potato to ours.
Great to hear, Morgan! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made this more than any other recipe over the last 5-6 years when I seek comfort food. I pride myself on cooking gourmet meals for my family and although this may not be a “Julia Child” recipe, it’s turned into my favorite comfort food of all time. Thank you for sharing something so wonderful and nutritious.
You’re welcome, Coley! I appreciate your review.
Love this recipe! I sautéed the onion, garlic and ginger first then added everything else including sweet potato and a dash of lemon. I also blended it end so it was smooth. The sriracha made it! Such a great recipe thank you :)
You’re welcome, Kelly! Thank you for your review.
I wasn’t onboard with this recipe at first. I made it as written and didn’t care for it at all the first day. But this happens to me all the time. I don’t know if its a matter of letting flavors mellow over time, or if my taste buds are different depending on whether I’ve cooked or not. So I gave it shot on day two [a busy day] and it was not bad, but meh. Today is day three and now I love it. Had a bowl for breakfast and for lunch will try it over rice. I see in the comments that you’ve amended the recipe slightly? Sautéing veggies and adding chickpeas? So I will try that. I don’t know what to put in my recipe notes for the kids. “Don’t eat for 3 day”? haha
Thanks Kate for a fabulous recipe. Added the chickpeas, and some lime at the end and used chopped peanuts and shredded coconut for toppings. So satisfying!
Hi Kate, I am planning to make this for a group, and I won’t be able to eat it (dietary restrictions)…is there any way you can give me an approximate measurement for the sriracha since I won’t be able to taste it? Thank you so much!! Love your recipes, by the way!
Hi! I would recommend a teaspoon at a time or you could just let others add it to their specific servings.
Absolutely amazing and delicious!!
This is so good! I added about 1 1/2 cups of cubed delicata squash because I happened to have it in the freezer, and used habanero hot sauce instead of sriracha. It’s going into my regular rotation.
I have two little people that have peanut allergies, do you know if almond butter would be a decent substitute?
Yes, that is a great option. I hope you enjoy it, Erin!
This soup is a crowd pleaser! It’s so simple, hearty, and easy to make. Every time I make it for my co-workers they freak out. The star of the show for me is the sriracha, so don’t skip it!
It is finally raining in California! Wet and cold so what better day to make your African Peanut Soup and am having a bowl right now . Yum !! So very good !! Thank you for this and all the yummy recipes !
Hi Kate, Question – do the Nutrition Facts you have listed include the brown rice? And if so, do you have them without the rice?
Hi! It includes everything listed in the ingredients and included in the picture. I don’t provide them separately. Sorry!
This soup is delicious – I’m not usually a fan of sweet potato, but I absolutely love this! I am not vegetarian but enjoy meatfree days and you are my go to person to choose recipes from, be it your book or online. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Marcia! I appreciate your review.
This is my second time making this soup. Went back to eating meat but still use your recipes all the time. I boiled and shredded some chicken breast and threw it in. So good!
Great to hear, Nicole! Thank you for your review.
Hi there!
If I am to add chickpeas and or sweet potatoes when do I add those? And just add raw?
Hi! You can add canned when the soup simmers. I hope you love it!
Hi Kate,
I’m debating whether to make this recipe. It sounds like one helluva of a soup. The thing is: I can’t quite figure out what it tastes like. Is this soup a relatively sweet soup? Does it taste like peanut butter? I like to occasionally eat peanut butter, but I’m not a peanut freak, and I’m wondering how strong/concentrated the flavor flavor of PB is.
Thanks!(:
I think it is more savory. There is a peanut taste, but I don’t think it tastes like peanut butter.
This is a delicious soup, made it exactly according to the Love Good Food recipe. My question is, does it freeze well? Way more than my husband and I will be able to eat in a reasonable amount of time.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have said this freezes ok.
This is unreal, a great vegan dinner. I had no kale or spinach so I threw in some frozen peas. Rather than rice I served it over a baked sweet potato. I love it! So filling and tasty.
Made the West African Peanut Soup this morning. Prior to that I made 2 cups of sugar water for my humming bird feeder and set it on the counter to cool. As I finished adding veggies, I noticed that a measuring cup with 2 cups of water was still on counter so quickly added it to my soup. After allotted time I tasted the soup, which was extremely sweet. Added a bit of vinegar to cut the sweetness, checked to be sure my peanut butter was sugarless, and discovered my humming bird water was gone. I am forever humbled, but will try it again tomorrow and pay attention this time. It did smell wonderful…. And I’m sure when made, minus humming bird food, it will be delicious!
I used to make a different version of peanut butter soup, and then I found this recipe. I make this weekly! I was also inspired to purchase Devra Gartenstein’s cookbook, which I love. Thanks for the great Blog!
You’re welcome, Theresa! I appreciate your review. I’m excited you have been enjoying my recipes.
OUTRAGEOUS GOOD!!! Serious rib-sticking food! Such savory, primal flavors! The collard greens really do it right. Hardcore eats all the way around. I wasn’t sure about what to do for hot sauce, so I used gochujang. I’m going to try making it with some PBfit low-fat peanut butter powder next time, but not so I can lose weight, I’m just looking for an excuse to eat larger portions.
I’m so glad you loved it, Gregory! Thank you for sharing.
I started using frozen kale to save time. I just dump it straight from the bag into the hot stock and let it heat through. This is my 3rd or 4th time making this recipe. I love it! This soup requires such little effort for it to be so filling and nutritious.
I make a very similar version from a cookbook I found back in the ’90s. Some differences are tomato juice instead of broth, diced tomatoes, the sweet potatoes, cabbage slaw instead of collards, red pepper flakes for the heat, apple juice and green beans. Served solo, on rice or mashed potatoes.
I love this soup! Such great comfort food and super easy. I added a sweet potato and a bunch of hot sauce. So excited for leftovers tonight!
I love to hear that, Dave! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made this soup a number of times and again tomorrow. It’s so easy, delicious and filling! Thank you ❤️
You’re welcome, Lorayne!