Skip to content
A spread of West African dishes

Browse by cuisine

West African Recipes

58 recipes — each showing allergens, prep time, and servings. Page 2 of 3.

Boli West African

Boli

Plantains roasted directly over open coals until caramelized outside and meltingly soft within — smoky, sweet, and satisfying, eaten with groundnuts or spicy sauce.

25 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Ewa Agoyin West African

Ewa Agoyin

Soft, mashable beans slowly cooked until creamy, then drenched in a fiery, deeply caramelized pepper and onion sauce — a beloved Lagos street food.

300 min Serves 4
Seafood Shellfish
Asaro (Yam Porridge) West African

Asaro (Yam Porridge)

Yam chunks simmered down with palm oil, tomatoes, and peppers into a thick, savory porridge that's comforting, richly flavored, and endlessly warming.

60 min Serves 4
Fish Seafood Shellfish
Nkwobi West African

Nkwobi

Cow foot slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender, then tossed in a spiced, tangy ugba palm paste — a bold, festive Nigerian delicacy loved at late-night gatherings.

105 min Serves 4
Seafood Shellfish
Isi Ewu West African

Isi Ewu

Goat head cooked and seasoned with fiery ground peppers, ugba, and aromatic spices — a bold, celebratory Nigerian dish with deep, complex flavor in every bite.

140 min Serves 4
Seafood Shellfish
Pepper Soup West African

Pepper Soup

A piercingly spiced, crystal-clear broth simmered with goat meat or catfish and a blend of earthy Nigerian spices — warming, restorative, and intensely aromatic.

55 min Serves 3
Fish Seafood
Tuwo Shinkafa West African

Tuwo Shinkafa

Northern Nigeria's soft, sticky rice swallow — mild and smooth, shaped into balls to scoop up rich miyan kuka or any hearty northern soup.

40 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Miyan Kuka West African

Miyan Kuka

A silky Northern Nigerian soup made from powdered baobab leaves with dried fish and dawadawa, lending it a distinctive earthy, slightly sour depth.

45 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Kilishi West African

Kilishi

Nigeria's answer to jerky — thinly sliced beef coated in a paste of peanuts, spices, and chile, then sun-dried and grilled to intensely flavored, chewy perfection.

2 min Serves 4
Peanut
Garri West African

Garri

Toasted cassava flakes with a pleasantly sour, slightly smoky flavor — eaten soaked in cold water as a snack, or cooked into smooth, stretchy eba.

5 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Dodo West African

Dodo

Ripe plantains fried in hot oil until golden-edged and caramelized — sweet, soft, and slightly yielding, a beloved West African side dish that pairs with almost everything.

15 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Chin Chin West African

Chin Chin

Crispy, golden fried dough snacks kneaded with coconut, nutmeg, and a hint of sweetness — addictively crunchy and a staple at Nigerian celebrations.

45 min Serves 4
Dairy Wheat
Puff Puff West African

Puff Puff

Pillowy Nigerian doughnuts — yeasted dough dropped into hot oil until perfectly round, golden, and light inside, dusted lightly with sugar for a festive treat.

60 min Serves 4
Wheat
Bofrot West African

Bofrot

Ghana's plump, slightly chewy take on fried dough balls — golden outside, soft and airy within, fragrant with nutmeg, and irresistible warm from the fryer.

60 min Serves 4
Wheat
Tapalapa West African

Tapalapa

West Africa's crusty artisan bread — baked in wood-fired clay ovens for a shatteringly crisp crust and a chewy, slightly earthy interior perfect for mopping up stew.

120 min Serves 4
Wheat
Superkanja West African

Superkanja

Gambia's deeply flavored okra stew — silky and gelatinous from slow-cooked okra, enriched with fish, palm oil, and spices into a uniquely comforting dish.

60 min Serves 4
Fish Seafood
Plasas West African

Plasas

Sierra Leone's beloved stew of dark, leafy greens slow-cooked with palm oil, smoked fish, and peanuts until the flavors meld into something rich and deeply satisfying.

50 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Eba West African

Eba

Garri stirred rapidly into boiling water into a firm, golden swallow with a faint sour tang — versatile, filling, and the workhorse companion to virtually every Nigerian soup.

5 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Amala West African

Amala

Dark, velvety yam flour swallow with a distinctive earthy, slightly bitter note — smooth and elastic, perfectly suited to pairing with ewedu and gbegiri.

10 min Serves 4
Wheat
Ewedu West African

Ewedu

Jute leaves blended into a silky, draw soup with a clean, grassy flavor — light yet deeply nutritious, and a classic Yoruba pairing with amala and gbegiri.

15 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Gbegiri West African

Gbegiri

Smooth, creamy bean soup made from peeled black-eyed peas cooked down until velvety — mild, nourishing, and the perfect trio partner alongside ewedu and amala.

60 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Ofada Rice West African

Ofada Rice

Nigeria's short-grain, unpolished local rice with a distinctive nutty, slightly earthy aroma that makes it the ideal canvas for robust ayamase sauce.

40 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Ayamase West African

Ayamase

A bold, fiery green pepper sauce made with bleached palm oil and assorted meats — complex, deeply savory, and the iconic pairing for smoky ofada rice.

60 min Serves 4
No common allergens
Chicken Yassa West African

Chicken Yassa

Bright, tangy, and deeply aromatic — chicken slow-braised with caramelized onions, lemon, and mustard until tender and glossy, a Senegalese comfort classic.

60 min Serves 4
No common allergens