Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato + Kale

by Lindsay January 02, 2018

Spicy Peanut Soup. Are you ready?

All the people shout: WE ARE READY!

Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potatoes + Kale.

When eating well involves:

sweet potatoes
peanuts / peanut butter
fire roasted tomatoes
garlic and jalapeño
cilantro

…and a generally creamy, spicy, YUMMY vibe, there is no denying this.

You guys, this soup! Stew? It’s kind of both. It depends on how you make it and how much liquid you add, but EITHER WAY IT IS SO DARN GOOD. It literally checks all the boxes – creamy, satisfying texture; extremely awesome flavor; super nutritious; doesn’t take five and a half days to make. It doesn’t have meat, but girl, if you want meat, add meat! Not huge on kale? Swap for spinach. These are my favorite kinds of recipes – ones that just kind of let you do whatever you want to do and make it your very own.

Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

How To Make This Peanut Soup

Okay, you’ve got choices here.

Instant Pot: Raise your hand if you got one for Christmas. Yeah? Good news, because this can be made in the Instant Pot!
Slow Cooker: also a yes!
Stovetop: ALSO a yes! In almost the same amount of time! You just need to babysit it a little more, but hey – babysitting garlic, onion, jalapeño, sweet potatoes, and a creamy soup base as it comes together happens to be my all-time favorite kind of babysitting.
Freezing it for meal prep: OF COURSE YES! More on that HERE.

So many options, all made easy when you have so little time.

Why I Love This Soup

This soup is cozy and lovely. It’s not too spicy, although you could just omit the jalapeño altogether if you were worried about that. It has just the right balance of creaminess and kick and it reminds me of another version of a good-for-you curry. Speaking of which, this would go great over some brown rice or quinoa.

You would not be sad if you made a skillet of socca (bread! hot, buttery, crispy, gluten-free chickpea flat bread!) to go with this soup.

You have no excuses. I am not letting you get out of making this recipe.

Blanket, soup mug, and Netflix, coming right up.

Spicy Peanut Soup: FAQs

Can this soup be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker?

Yes! See recipes notes.

Can I substitute anything for the peanut butter?

Almond butter (and almonds on top) could work!

Can I add protein to this?

Sure can! Cubed chicken would be perfect. Just simmer for a bit longer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato + Kale

4.9 from 177 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 5-6 (about 1 1/2 cups per serving)

Print Recipe

Description

Okay, YUMMMM. Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potatoes + Kale! Comforting and SUPER nutritious. Naturally vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, ALL THE GOOD THINGS.

Ingredients

Units

2 tablespoons olive oil
half an onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
one 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
one 14-ounce can light coconut milk
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry and/or turmeric
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup peanut butter
1–2 cups kale, stems removed, chopped

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Saute until soft and fragrant.
Add sweet potatoes. I like to brown them a little bit with the aromatics to get them nice and flavorful.
Add tomatoes, coconut milk, water, spices, and peanuts. Simmer until sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
Add peanut butter and kale. Simmer until everything is thick, creamy, and delicious. Top with more peanuts and a little cilantro if you’re obsessed like me.

Notes

Instant Pot: Cook everything except peanut butter and kale on high pressure for about 3 minutes with a quick release. (Sometimes I reduce the liquid when I make it in the Instant Pot by a cup or so, and then just add more as needed when it’s all done. But that is optional – it should work fine either way.) Stir in the peanut butter and kale after cooking. Voila!

Slow Cooker: Cook everything except peanut butter and kale on low for 6 hours. Stir in the peanut butter and kale. Donezo! Don’t cook the sweet potatoes too long or they’ll fall apart on ya! Just cook until they pierce easily with a fork. If you’re doing Sugar Free January with us, this is an excellent recipe that has natural sweetness and nutritious fats to keep you full. I like to dip into this with some seedy crackers – you can find our product recommendations on this post.

One last note. This recipe is inspired by an amazing West African recipe called maafe, or groundnut soup. I did what I always do and changed/added some ingredients based on what I love and what I had on hand (kale, jalapeño, coconut milk, cilantro, etc.) making it more of a cultural mash-up. That’s why I’m not calling it a proper West African peanut soup even though those are its roots. If you want a legit West African version of that soup, here are two sources – a blog post, and a video.

Freezer Meal Version

Freeze Together:
3 cups chopped sweet potatoes, fresh or frozen
2 jalapeños, minced
half of an onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
Instant Pot Instructions: High pressure 8 mins + 10 mins natural release
Slow Cooker Instructions: High setting 6 hours
Final Step: Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, and 1-2 cups chopped kale. Add water to thin to desired consistency.
Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: West African-Inspired