17 Delicious and Authentic West African Recipes To Try

IT I absolutely love sharing my favorite West African recipes here!  As you know, I’m a first generation American from Liberia, West Africa.  Growing up, I would say about 80% of my diet was from West African dishes my mother prepared.  Now, as an adult, West African foods are still my go-to for my family. They are also literally the only foods I’ll eat when I go home to visit my mom.

I’m sharing some of the most popular West African Recipes, not just from Liberia, but from other parts of West Africa.  You’ll find that some of these dishes, by name, are the same across several West African nations. However, the way they are prepared tend to differ.

Below are some more of the tastiest West African Recipes to try:

17 Delicious and Authentic West African Recipes

Jollof Rice

One of the most popular West African dishes is Jollof Rice, which is a rice dish often likened to Paella or Jambalaya, though it does not taste remotely like either.  Various West African nations prepare it differently.  In fact, can you believe there’s actually an annual Jollof Rice Competition that takes place every summer in Washington, DC?  Various country “representatives” prepare jollof rice and judges decide on a winner by West African nation.  Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I will point out that West African Jollof Rice has been the reigning winner for the past two years! Actually, I’m fine with bragging about that.  🙂

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.lovepeaceandtinyfeet.com/quick-and-easy-west-african-dishes-jollof-rice-recipe/

Cassava Leaf

Cassava Leaf is basically a hearty stew, complete with a variety of meats and served with rice or sometimes fufu. It is extremely popular in Liberia, but other African nations also serve variations of this dish under the names Saka Saka and Pondu.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.lovepeaceandtinyfeet.com/liberian-cassava-leaf-recipe/

Potato Greens

Potato Greens is a Liberian stew made with fresh potato greens leaves and meats and served with rice. I’m unsure of whether there’s a version of this dish made in other West African Nations, but here’s a recipe for the authentic Liberian Potato Greens.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.lovepeaceandtinyfeet.com/west-african-rice-recipes-liberian-potato-greens/

Fufu soup

This is light and low-calorie soup from Liberia, Ghana, and other nations. Again, each nation prepares it differently.  I’ll share a Liberian version soon, but here’s a recipe of Ghanaian Fufu Soup made of hot tomato broth with ground fish powder.

Full Recipe: https://recipesaroundtheworld.com/recipes-from-around-the-world-fufu-and-lightsoup-

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Cachupa

Cachupa is popular in Cape Verde, where each of the nine inhabited islands has made their own version. It is made from fish or meat, corn cassava, and sweet potatoes.

Full Recipe: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/foodie-friday-cachupa-the-national-dish-of-cape-verde-islands

Yassa – A West African recipe and a Senegalese staple. Made from rice and marinated chicken.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/255466/senegalese-chicken-yassa/

Kedjenou – Basically chicken dipped in a spicy stew cooked in terracotta goal. Among the famous West African dishes from Ivory Coast.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.196flavors.com/ivory-coast-kedjenou/

SuperKanja – Considered among the nutritional stews from the Gambia.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxM4I6u2fLI

Eddoes – A tropical root vegetable from Liberia, often served with meat or fish.

Find the Full Recipe at: http://caribbeanpot.com/409/

Thieboudienne – A traditional recipe from Senegal and made from cassava, vegetables, rice, and fish.

Find the Full Recipe at: http://www.food-of-africa.com/senegalese-food/thieboudienne/

Asaro – A traditional porridge from Yoruba, made from boiled and mashed yams.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://www.mydiasporakitchen.com/2017/08/16/yam-porridge-asaro-recipe/

Banga stew– A dish from Nigeria that will contain a pack of useful minerals and vitamins.

Full Recipe: https://www.nigerianfoodtv.com/how-to-make-banga-soup-urhobo-banga-soup/

Egusi soup – Stew made from dried and grounded up melon seeds. Originated from Nigeria.

Full Recipe: https://www.allnigerianrecipes.com/soups/fried-egusi-soup/

Meat pies – A Nigerian dish packed with flavored Maggi cubes and minced meat.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mirandalarbi/21-deliciously-warming-west-african-dishes-you-should-be-eat

Nkatenkwen – A popular dish from Ghana often served with fufu.

Full Recipe:  https://recipes.fandom.com/wiki/Nkatenkwan

Moi Mio – Made from pounded beans and fresh peppers. It is among the versatile dishes from Nigeria.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mirandalarbi/21-deliciously-warming-west-african-dishes-you-should-be-eat

Waakye – Among the Ghanaian people, the dish is popularly known as breakfast for champions. It is a combination of beans, grounded cassava, rice, and stew.

Find the Full Recipe at: https://africans4life.blogspot.com/2018/05/waakye-recipe-pure-ghanaian-deligh.html

Have you tried any of these delicious, authentic West African Recipes? Share your favorites below! 

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