This Creamy Peanut Soup is an easy vegan African Peanut soup recipe with an intense peanut flavor, a delicate peanut crunch and a wonderful herbal note from the homemade pistou! Your rainy days need this easy, comforting soup!
If you’ve never tasted or heard of Peanut Soup before , you’re in for a treat!
My family came across this recipe a long time ago when I was just a baby and my dad was posted to Africa (Congo and Kenya). Obviously, I don’t remember anything about those places, but my mom picked up this divine soup recipe from locals and has been making it for us ever since!
WHAT IS PEANUT SOUP
If you’ve never heard about peanut soup before, you’ll probably be wondering what on earth it tastes like. So, let me tell you: it tastes like pure peanut butter minus the sweetness.
In contrast to Asian peanut sauces, this African peanut soup doesn’t have any strong soy sauces, vinegar, brown sugars or any distinctive flavor other than the peanut butter itself. So it’s a peanut lovers dream!! I promise you, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this simple yet delicious soup recipe!
MAKE AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP
Here’s basically how this delicious soup comes together: You’ll sauté some onions, sweet peppers (preferably yellow so the soup retains a gorgeous golden tone) and garlic.
When making any soup, this step is probably the one that everybody tends to rush, and I always stress not to. Because when you give onions and garlic a chance to fully sauté until soft, you get that sweet note of onion in your soup, not a harsh strong onion flavor that can take over your soup!
To boost the freshness of this soup, I prefer adding fresh cilantro and parsley—which is certainly optional, but really good! And then you’ll go right in with plenty of peanut butter (smooth preferably) and veggie stock.
The soup needs to simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes before you’ll add in the creamy dreamy finale.
Again to keep this soup entirely vegan, use coconut cream. Otherwise, heavy cream or nice thick Greek yogurt are great. Simply add in a half cup of that and then puree the soup into a creamy dreamy divine peanut goodness!!
Now we certainly can’t skip mentioning the Peanut Crunch Herb Pistou! A classic French version of the Italian pesto, except it’s not smooth, but rather chunky and crunchy.
To perfectly compliment the soup, I love making a pistou to get a smooth peanut-y soup with a crunchy peanut-y herb topping. Perfection! The peanut pistou also has lime juice and olive oil which both compliment the soup wonderfully 🙂
Can I just finally say, please make this Peanut Soup—you’ll be making it more often than you think—I promise!! And don’t forget to tag me so I can follow up on your deliciousness too! Happy soup season!! Enjoy 🙂
PEANUT SOUP RECIPE TIPS
- While this peanut soup is not necessarily a vegan soup, I prefer keeping it that way so everyone can enjoy it! But feel free to swap the veggie broth with chicken or beef for more flavor if you prefer!
- The secret thickener I use in this Peanut Soup is quick cooking oats. They add a nice nutty taste to the soup and enhance the texture.
- Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for nearly a month.
MORE SOUP RECIPES
- Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- White Bean Soup Recipe
- Cauliflower Hazelnut Pear Soup
- Moroccan Lamb and Turmeric Lentil Soup
- Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup
Creamy Peanut Soup with Peanut Crunch Herb Pistou:
This Creamy Peanut Soup with Peanut Crunch Herb Pistou is an easy and simple African soup with an intense peanut flavor, a delicate peanut crunch and a wonderful herbal note from the pistou! Your rainy days need this easy, comforting soup!
Ingredients
Peanut Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil use butter if you prefer
- 1 yellow onion finely minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 3 tablespoons finely minced herbs a mix of parsley and cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1 cup veggie stock or your stock of choice
- 1/2 cup cream heavy cream, table cream, Greek Yogurt or coconut cream if Vegan
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper more or less to taste
Pistou:
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts toasted or not, salted or not—your preference
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- juice of half a lemon
- pinch salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
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For the pistou: Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
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For the peanut soup: Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add in the olive oil or butter if using.
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Add in the onion, bell peppers and sauté over medium high heat, then drop the heat to medium and continue to sauté the veggies until very soft and golden (about 8-10 minutes).
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At that point add in the garlic, herbs and sauté for a couple more minutes until translucent, and add in the oats.
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Sautee the oats with the veggies for a minute more until the oats are slightly toasted and add in the peanut butter and stock.
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bring this mixture to boil and use a whisk to blend the soup ingredients together. Season the soup with salt and pepper to your taste.
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When the soup starts to boil, cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low allowing the soup flavors to simmer and infuse for 30 minutes at least. The soup will also thicken beautifully.
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Then use an immersion blender (or blender) to puree the soup till smooth. At that point, add in your cream (any type or yogurt) and blend some more. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt if needed.
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Serve the peanut soup right away topped with a swirl of pistou. Enjoy! 🙂
Recipe Notes
Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for nearly a month.
- While this peanut soup is not necessarily a vegan soup, I prefer keeping it that way so everyone can enjoy it! But feel free to swap the veggie broth with chicken or beef for more flavor if you prefer!
- The secret thickener I use in this Peanut Soup is quick cooking oats. They add a nice nutty taste to the soup and enhance the texture.
Mahy
Thank you Lisa! I agree!
Mahy
Thanks so much Kristine! Hope you make this one soon
Farida
I cant see the recipe? It sounds very interesting, never tried it before!
Mahy
Thank you Farida 🙂 The recipe is at the bottom, can you see it now?
Munira
Hi
This soup sounds amazing. Please tell me how to get the full recipe, including the pistou
Mahy
Hi Munira, the recipe is on the same page, just scroll down and you’ll find it 🙂
Katherine|Wanderspice
I love this soup! It’s so rich and delicious. And I think the herbs cut through the richness so nicely. Beautiful recipe.
Mahy
It really is Katherine! Thank you 🙂
Lauren @ The Cupcake Chronicles
Such an easy soup to make! Looks great!
Mahy
Thanks Laureen!!
Mahy
You’ll love this Emma!!