This vegan spicy peanut, potato and black bean soup can be prepared simply in the slow cooker or stove top.
The aromas that are produced by this appetite stimulating soup are just amazing.
This hearty, wholesome soup is the perfect welcome to arrive home to especially after those long busy days.
Try some hot sauce if you like it really spicy.
A squeeze of lemon juice provides a delicious zing.
Quick Origins Of Peanut Soup (Groundnut Soup)
Peanut soup, or often prepared as a groundnut stew, originates from many countries around the world including Africa, South America, Asia and some regions of North America.
Peanut soup or stew from West Africa often contains ingredients such as tomatoes, various spices, herbs and chilli's, and veggies such as okra. Meat is often added.
Rice, couscous, sweet potatoes or yams are common accompaniments to peanut stew.
Inspiration For Vegan Spicy Peanut Soup
This spicy peanut soup recipe is not an authentic peanut soup but rather an adaption of what I wanted spicy peanut soup to taste like.
More or less while devising the recipe my thought processes were kinda like:
OK I want to try a spicy peanut soup and keep it simple but wholesome, and use whatever ingredients I have in my pantry. So canned coconut will bring the creaminess, peanut butter... well the essential peanut flavour. But as I used crunchy peanut butter it also contributed tasty texture. To bring the spiciness without resembling too much of a curry I decided chilli powder would be simple and ideal. To save time chopping I decided to add onion and garlic powder.
Black beans and brown lentils went in as I love adding beans and lentils to almost everything. I chose white potatoes as they are absolutely amazing cooked in a slow cooker soaking up all the savoury flavours. The sweetcorn was an after thought as while preparing the soup I suddenly thought of the solitary corn cob that had lurked in the fridge for a few weeks. So I grabbed it, skinned the corn off with a knife and popped the kernels in.
So basically that was my inspiration! And it all worked beautifully.
Easy Slow Cooker Method
It is so easy to prepare slow cooker vegan spicy peanut soup. First the coconut milk, veggie stock, peanut butter, onion, garlic and chilli powders are added to the slow cooker and mixed together until smooth.
Next in are the chopped potatoes, carrots, sweet corn, brown lentils and black beans. The contents are seasoned with salt and pepper, mixed well, and the slow cooker lid popped on.
The soup is initially cooked for 3 hours on high, but can be set to medium heat for 4-5 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours.
After 3 hours the kale is dropped into the slow cooker and pushed under the bubbling spicy peanut soup to
While the kale is cooking the peanuts are toasted in a small pan. This is very easy and takes only a few minutes.
Heat a small pan over a high heat, lower the heat to medium and pop in the peanuts. Shake the peanuts almost constantly so that they become tinged with golden hues and not burnt, after a minute remove from the heat and continue shaking for a few seconds.
Next the coriander or cilantro is chopped, and the lemon sliced into wedges, just enough for each serving.
After 30 minutes the kale should be perfect. The slow cooker lid is removed and the soup left bubbling until ready to serve.
If your not hungry yet the aromas that this spicy peanut soup creates while simmering slowly away are simply amazing and guaranteed to stimulate the appetite.
Each spicy peanut soup bowl is garnished with toasted peanuts, coriander and a wedge of lemon. The soup is delicious with a little lemon zing squeezed directly in the bowl.
Of course other garnishes can be added and a few suggestions are included below in the recipe notes. I also like a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Alternatively simply serve the spicy peanut soup with a slice of wholemeal bread or your favourite crusty bread.
This recipe is enough to feed 4 very hungry people. However with accompaniments and garnishes the soup could stretch to 6 portions as it is a very satisfying and hearty soup.
If you'd rather prepare this spicy soup on the stove-top then check out the recipe notes as I have outlined an easy method.
How To Prepare Slow Cooker Spicy Peanut Soup
Mix through the garlic, onion and chilli powders.
Next add the chopped potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn, brown lentils and black beans.
Season before popping the lid on and leaving to cook for 3 hours.
Cook for a further 30 minutes.
Prepare the coriander and lemon wedges.
Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
Serve the soup with chopped coriander, lemon wedges and a sprinkling of toasted peanuts.
Recipe Notes And FAQS
Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or frozen in a freezer-proof container for 4-6 months. Defrost before reheating.
Reheat leftover peanut soup by bringing to a simmer in a saucepan, lower the heat, and gently bubble for 3-5 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Add extra veggie stock or coconut milk if you'd like to thin the soup a little, perhaps to stretch out the leftovers to several portions.
Of course. Simply add all the ingredients, except the kale and peanuts, to a soup pan and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Ensure that you start with enough liquid to cover the potatoes.
After 25 minutes add the kale and simmer for an extra 5 minutes.
Add extra veggie stock or coconut milk if desired so that you achieve your desired consistency.
Less liquid will result in a much thicker soup, but many prefer a thinner soup so simply add small amounts of extra liquid until your happy.
Absolutely. That is the beauty of a slow cooker you get to control the heat setting and so can cook for longer.
Low setting: cook for 7-8 hours
Medium setting: cook for 5-6 hours
Low setting: cook for 3-4 hours
Just add the kale about 30 minutes before you want to serve your soup.
At the end of cooking the slow cooker lid can be removed and the soup left to bubble for extra time if you'd like to thicken up the soup more. Or remove the lid, turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly as the soup will also thicken as it cools.
A bowl of this spicy soup is very satisfying and filling so lots of accompaniments are usually not needed. But here is a few ideas that I use for my family:
* Your favourite crusty bread
* a wedge of this tasty easy no yeast 100% wholemeal Irish soda bread
* crackers, vegan poppadum's (especially mini ones)
* traditional Scottish oatcakes
* vegan 3 ingredient quick dinner rolls (easy recipe)
* vegan easy 3 ingredient flatbread
* cooked rice, ladle the soup over. Any variety of cooked rice can be used.
* couscous, the giant couscous variety is particularly tasty
* cooked noodles, ladle the soup over.
* toasted peanuts/cashews/sunflower or pumpkin seeds
* roast chickpea croutons ( recipe can be found within the curried cauliflower soup post)
* lemon slices
* chopped coriander, parsley, chives
* hot sauce
* fresh sliced chilli's
* sliced spring/green onions
A few suggestions:
* switch the black beans for your favourite pulse, black chickpeas if you can source them are perfect
* sub the sweetcorn for peas
* use light coconut milk rather than full-fat coconut milk
* replace the white potato for sweet potato or butternut squash
* instead of dried onion and garlic, use fresh
* brown lentils can be replaced with any other whole lentil such as green, beluga, puy, etc
* kale can be replaced with any other green leaf veggie, however if using spinach it only needs mixing through the soup before serving
More Delicious Vegan Soups:
Traditional Scottish Red Lentil Soup
Tamarind Chickpea Soup (sweet, spicy, sour and savoury!)
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Chickpea Croutons
Slow Cooker Spicy Peanut, Black bean And Potato Soup
Equipment
- Slow cooker/crock pot at least 3.5 litres in size (3 ½-4 US quarts)
Ingredients
- 220 millilitres coconut milk canned
- 750 millilitres vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder use extra if preferred
- 5 tablespoon peanut butter crunchy or smooth
- 330 grams potato rough chopped into small dice
- 80 grams carrot very small diced
- 1 can black beans 400 grams/ 14 oz can, drained
- 1 can brown lentils 400 grams/ 14 oz can, drained or canned green lentils
- 100 grams sweetcorn fresh, frozen or canned
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder or 1 diced small onion
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder or 4 fresh cloves, minced or diced
Added near end of cooking:
- 100 grams kale chopped, weight is after being destalked
Garnish, optional
- 50 grams peanuts plain or dry roast in a small pan
- 5 grams coriander cilantro, chopped, use more if liked
- 1 whole lemon sliced into small wedges
Instructions
- Set the slow cooker to the high setting to preheat while you add the ingredients.
- Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, peanut butter, onion, garlic and chilli powders to the slow cooker. Mix well pressing the peanut butter with a fork on to the side of the slow cooker pot to break it up as much as possible.
- Add the veggies (except the kale), beans and lentils.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Place the lid over the pot and set a timer for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours give the soup a quick stir and add the kale. Push the kale beneath the liquid.
- Leave to cook for a further 30 minutes.
- Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve each bowl with some toasted chopped peanuts and coriander scattered over.
Toast the peanuts (optional, the nuts can be left plain or omitted)
- Heat a small non-stick pan for a few minutes over a high heat. Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped peanuts. Shake the pan frequently to evenly tinge the nuts with golden bits.
- After a few minutes remove from the heat and continue to shake the nuts as they will continue to brown in the residual heat.(Adding a sprinkle of salt to the peanuts when first added to the pan is tasty, but this is optional also)
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Nutrition data does not include the toasted peanut garnish.
- For a soup with less fat and calories use a lighter canned coconut milk.
- For a soup with less sodium choose a vegan stock with less added salt.
- Need a gluten-free soup? Simply ensure the vegan stock is gluten-free and check that your chilli powder and any seasonings are free from gluten ingredients.
- Crunchy or smooth peanut butter is fine for this recipe, but crunchy does add more texture.
- Leftover peanut soup can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
- Or frozen for 4-6 months. Defrost before reheating.
- Reheat peanut soup by bringing to a gentle simmer, and heat for 3-5 minutes. Add extra veggie stock or coconut milk if the soup is too thick. This will also stretch out one portion into several.
- Serve peanut soup with some crusty bread, crackers, oatcakes or ladle the soup over rice, noodles or couscous for a more substantial meal.
- Want to cook for longer on a lower setting?
- Low setting: cook for 7-8 hours Medium setting: cook for 5-6 hours
- Timings are a guide and different slow cookers may differ.
- Just add the kale about 30 minutes before you want to serve your soup.
- Want to cook on the stove-top? Add all the ingredients, except the kale and peanuts, to a soup pan and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Ensure that you start with enough liquid to cover the potatoes. After 25 minutes add the kale and simmer for an extra 5 minutes. Add extra veggie stock or coconut milk if desired so that you achieve your desired consistency and thickness/thinness.
Vicky
I have never had soup with peanuts in it before, so I was excited to see this recipe. I like the option to make it gluten free as well. This is perfect for a chilly night!
This was the first time I've had soup with peanuts too, although I have had peanut butter in curries which I really enjoyed. So happy you like the spicy peanut soup, thanks for your comment 🙂
Tara
So many amazing flavors packed into this soup! I love how easily it all comes together in the slow cooker too. Yum!
Thanks a bowl of this peanut soup is definitely yum! And yes I love how I can just chuck everything in the slow cooker and forget about it!
Emily Flint
This soup was so delicious and easy to make! I love that the base is coconut milk...yum!
Oh yes the coconut milk base is so full fo umami tastiness especially when mixed with the peanut butter. My mouth is watering as I type! That's great you enjoyed the soup 🙂
Tawnie Kroll
Now that it's Fall, i plan to make this on repeat! So warming and nutritious, thank you!
Your welcome. Great idea! I prepare this spicy peanut soup at least once a month now that its chillier up here in the Scottish highlands. Leftovers for lunch are amazing 🙂
Tavo
I want to dive into that soup! It conveys so many delicious and nutritious flavors! Black beans, potatoes, yummy!
Thanks for your lovely comment! This black bean soup is definitely my favourite this autumn 🙂