1-Pot Chickpea Tomato Peanut Stew (West African-Inspired)

***DO NOT SKIP THIS RECIPE***

Now that I said that, let me get into the details! This recipe is FANTASTIC! A some others have commented, it makes a ton of food. I’m a single person who has been eating off of this for several days (and shared some) so far and still have plenty leftover. The flavors of the stew are complex and exactly what you were looking for to change up your home cooking menu. Also, why decide between serving this over rice or broccoli when you can have BOTH?? Yep. I did that.

The only modifications I made were purely out of personal taste: I replaced coconut milk with Country Crock brand of plant based cream (because I don’t like coconut), and I replaced chickpeas with kidney beans (because I don’t like chickpeas). I also added one extra can of kidney beans because this recipe made a ton of sauce that could easily accommodate more beans….and who doesn’t want that?? Thanks minimalist baker for posting an excellent and easy recipe!

I made this for my family last week and it was a huge hit, my 11 year old especially loved it and asked to take it to school for lunch the next day, but alas he’s not allowed to take in stuff with nuts! I used crunchy natural peanut butter and loved the crunchy peanut bits that gave you, and just added one cup of water to keep it thicker. I didn’t have the same chili garlic sauce but subbed a similar paste and it came out great. I will definitely be making this again, it made LOADS and was inexpensive ingredient wise. I love that this uses a lot of canned ingredients which I would usually have in the cupboard anyway. Thanks for the great recipe!

This is a great recipe! I made it a little differently, by blending milled tomatoes with the other sauce ingredients and adding some Harissa for heat with a touch of Garam Masala and coconut aminos to balance out. Not quite the original flavor but this recipe serves as perfect jumping off point! Thank you!!

My wife and I love this dish–we have made it a few times since discovering this recipe, and it quickly became one of our very favorite dinners for two.

This was very easy. I did not particularly like the flavor of the chili garlic paste so would omit that next time. I added a dash of cinnamon and cumin and a bit of cayenne. It is delicious!

Seriously one of my FAVORITE minimalist baker recipes. I have made it countless times, and it’s always a crowd favorite. I make it exactly as the recipe says. My favorite is to dip naan bread into it. I like to use petite diced tomatoes, fire roasted. Love this recipe and is a staple in my home for years to come!

I lived in Mali for a number of years and the peanut stew (called Tiga Dege Na there) was my favorite. Now trying for more plant-based recipes and this was a great substitute. I added ginger and reduced the tomato (it seemed a little too tomato-y with this amount) and it tasted really like what I ate there! Added peeled sweet potatoes which I love as part of this (& carrots to increase the veggie content). You can add cabbage or any greens to be traditional too and it would be great.

This recipe is perfect as written. I prefer to use the maximum 4 tsp chili garlic sauce. Try it over steamed broccoli! I like this with rice too. Lime is a must. I add an extra can of chickpeas to get closer to my protein goal. You could add chicken too as suggested if you want meat. Thanks for another keeper of a recipe, Minimalist Baker. I’ve been utilizing your site for 7-8+ years or so and I’m so grateful for your work!

Just polished off a nice bowl of this stew! I used crunchy peanut butter (as recommended by another reviewer) and I didn’t add any water because I wanted it thick! I also added some cauliflower rice directly to the stew, plus some frozen spinach. I served over brown rice!

Thanks Dana!

Absolutely delectable. I just added juice of one lemon for acidity to cut through the rich creamy texture. I also used hot and sweet maggi sauce (15 ml) and it tasted like nostalgia. Would just recommend using 1 cup veggie broth or water instead of 2 cups and add more if needed.

I liked this! Definitely will make it again. :-) I liked how simple it was. I default to curry, so I was trying to find something with a different flavor to add variety.

I made it as written, except one can of coconut milk is just shy of 2 cups and I couldn’t see opening another to make up the little bit of difference. I also added 2 Tbs of chili garlic sauce, it just added a hint of spice, I would say it’s still pretty mild. I do think I would like it better next time with a little less PB, and something else added for flavor like some smoked paprika or something.

I served it over steamed broccoli as suggested and liked it. I’ll eat the leftovers with roasted sweet potato. All in all, a solid weeknight meal.

This is one of those recipes I keep coming back to year after year! I make it exactly as the recipe states, and then top it with lime and cilantro, and it is just divine. Super easy, tasty, and hearty. Highly recommend!

It was gloomy and rainy all day so I knew I needed something warm and comforting, I also had a pot of leftover chickpeas I had made from dried that I needed to use up! This was the perfect recipe – easy, one pot and so delicious. I added some diced sweet potato to the stew and some warming spices; fresh ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cumin! I replaced the water with my chickpea broth and it was fantastic. This will be in my cold month dinner rotation!

I JUST made this while doing the taste testing along the way, this is a KEEPER! I did some slight changes:

-Italian flavored diced tomatoes (only because it was all I had/ used same amount as recipe) which I was apprehensive at first with adding peanut butter, but it works! I taste tested it first with putting all the other ingredients into a small cup then added some peanut butter and stirred it together.
-Omitted chili garlic or cayenne (we’re not a spice family unfortunately!)
-Substituted the tomato paste for tomato sauce ( 2-8oz. cans)
-Only did 3/4ish of a cup of peanut butter. I figured I could always add more, but this amount seemed to be enough to make it sweet and creamy.
-I also went a little larger on the vegetable amounts. I used a white onion on steroids haha, 2 bell peppers ( 1 medium orange and 1 small/mediumish yellow), and 6 garlic cloves minced and another tablespoon of pre-bought minced garlic. Really just gave it a little more volume and a little more flavor.
-I did not add any extra water because I felt it was the perfect stew thickness

Thinking about pairing it with jasmine rice or spaghetti squash!

Thank you for this recipe idea!

Just made this for brunch. I halved it since there are only two of us and I still have plenty left over. Served over short brown rice. I did not have the chile, so I used a mix of dried jalapeño and ground chiltepin peppers for spice. I spent time in Mali, West Africa where the dish is made with chicken. I liked this chickpea version.

Ate this as a simple stew instead of serving over anything, and it was delicious! 5 stars, though I should probably note the substitutions I made based on ease, personal preference, and what I already had in the kitchen. Maybe it will help others:

• one large chopped carrot instead of red pepper
• regular peanut butter instead of natural
• one 15 oz can tomato sauce instead of tomato paste
• one 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk instead of low fat
• lime juice is mandatory, not optional!
• one cup vegetable broth instead of 2 cups water (used less than 2 cups since tomato sauce has more water than tomato paste)

i literally just made this! it is amazing. i can’t wait to taste it tomorrow – everything is better the next day.

So delicious, halved this recipe but not the coconut milk. Didn’t add water, doubled the chili garlic added spinach and served it over a baked sweet potato.

This was SO quick and easy. I was truly amazed that virtually every ingredient is a pantry staple. And it’s GOOD.

I served it over both rice and steamed broccoli, and that worked well. I did add one large diced sweet potato, which I will definitely do again. I also added about half a tablespoon of sugar, as I always do when working with canned tomato products; it takes away that bitter tomato bite–I had to wonder if that would have helped the couple of commenters who said it was too “tomatoey.” Finally, I didn’t add any water. I liked how thick it was.

This is now a permanent active recipe. As always, Thank you!

This recipe was super easy. The only real prep is chopping up the onion and bell pepper and opening a few cans. True to the nature of the list, it can be made with almost entirely pantry staples. (I had to get the bell pepper because I didn’t have that.) The recipe made a lot more stew than I was expecting, so I was glad for the information on how to freeze it. We ended up eating it all before needing to freeze it, though.

The flavour had a little too much tomato in it for my preference. Next time, I will probably drain the tomatoes. If the stew ends up being too thick that way, I will add water to thin it and avoid the overly tomato flavour.

We had ours with steamed broccoli. That was a yummy way to serve it. I have had other peanut stew with spinach, which might be good in this one, too.

TLDR: Very easy. Too much tomato taste. Makes a lot of stew. Good solid recipe and will be even better with a few tweaks.

Amazing quick and easy dish to make with all pantry staples! Came together so easy and it was delicious and comforting! Oh and so creamy!
Thank you for yet another great go to meal!

Super yummy and so easy to make! Recommend adding sweet potatoes it really lifts the stew!

One of my all-time favorite recipes, my sister shared it with me. We usually make it over rice. I was obsessed immediately. I have recommended it to so many people. Seriously delicious, the flavors are unlike anything I’ve had and it is so rich. I am from the midwest and this feels like a full-on meat and potato stew, it will fill you up. The sauce/base is where it is at but I can’t even express my love for the red peppers and the way it all comes together. Thank you! <3

Love This, a weekly favourite.

This was SO good and rich. I only had one can of tomatoes, but I added in the 2 cups of water because it thickened a lot. Be careful when simmering if you don’t have a heavy bottomed pan- because the stew is so thick, everything settled to the bottom of my pan and started to burn unless i stirred it every minute. I added a couple limes worth of juice at the end and served with naan. One of my new favorites!!

I have been on a Min. Baker recipe binge lately, and this one did not disappoint! I kept mine thick and did not add the water. Without it, this recipe makes a huge pot — without the added water it filled a 4-quart/4-Liter pot to the brim! For one person, I would say a half recipe would be plenty of food with leftovers.

Also, I do agree with several other reviews that something is missing spice-wise. I added fresh ginger, a bit of cinnamon, cumin, and a bay leaf. It might be worth revisiting and consulting traditional recipes.

This is the most delicious vegan/gf recipe I’ve ever made and definitely top 3 of all time. It tastes so delicious and I had it on top of brown rice!

I lived in Senegal for a year and Maafé was always one of my favorite dishes. This is a great vegan version. Its very easy to cook. One of the best parts of eating it in Senegal was carrots and potatos, so I roast those in my air fryer as I am prepping the sauce and add them in at the end, along with a handful or so of whole peanuts, which is how my host family usually prepared it. I dont add any water at the end to keep it thick and more like a sauce/curry than a stew, which is also how my host family generally prepared it. I also add some habenero sauce or chipotle powder to give it more heat.

Be warned this recipe makes a HUGE amount (I split it and make it in 2 sauce pans. Generally we eat one pan for lunch/dinner and the other we save for the next day or so.

Another yummy dish! I just love how simple and quick your recipes are. So many others say comes together in 30 but takes so much longer! Keep these recipes coming, THANK YOU!

Excellent recipe! Doubled it and added some of the spices suggested in other comments/recipes: fresh ginger, cinnamon and coriander. I also added some chopped sweet potatoes and kale at the end, which really added interest snd flavor.

I’ve made a lot of recipes from this site and this is one of my favorites! It’s so creamy and delicious. Reminds of a tomato soup but more filling. Served it over brown rice with Naan. I had it for dinner and leftovers for lunch a few times. Makes a big batch with leftovers for lunches.

This was incredibly delicious and comforting. Easy to make! I added a few squirts of lime juice at the end of mine, and it added great dimension. Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

I’ve made this once before this fall and it was spectacular! It made a ton so I ate the leftovers pretty much every day for a week. I want to make it again for my boyfriend but couldn’t find the chili garlic sauce. Do you think I could sub for harissa paste? Please let me know what you think!

this was so good! i added a jalapeño and some leftover roasted butternut squash. served it over steamed broccoli and with naan. amazing!!! thank you :)