Astonishing List of Nigerian Soups & Stews (You Must Try)
How many of us love eating nice, hot soups (especially when you’re experiencing cold weather)? I’m definitely a huge fan! One thing I love about Nigerian cuisine is that there are so many GREAT Nigerian soup and stew recipes out there that you must try! So, for your convenience, I have developed a list of Nigerian soups that should help you decide what to eat when it is cold outside (or whenever you feel like eating soup).
(FYI, there is a larger list toward the bottom of the page).
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1. Nigerian Bitter Leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)
So, here’s the first Nigerian soup on our list of Nigerian soups & stews.
If you’ve not already heard of ofe onugbu (or bitter leaf soup), it’s a very healthy traditional Nigerian soup that is eaten by many tribes in the region.
Ofe onugbu is made with a leafy green called bitter leaf. If you’ve never heard of bitter leaf, it may be because it’s native to Africa.
Actually, bitter leaf has many names depending on the African tribe. Take a look at the list below to find out other names for it:
- Onugbu (Igbos tribe)
- Ewuro (Yorubas tribe)
- Shuwaka (Hausa tribe)
Also, if you are here in the United States and you want to make this dish, fortunately, you may be able to find bitter leaf in the frozen food section of an African market.
Lucky for us, buying this leaf already frozen really helps to cut down on preparation time since it’s most likely already washed!
And, what you’ll like to hear about this Nigerian soup recipe, is that it is not too difficult to make!
For your convenience, here is a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Bitter leaf
- Ground egusi seeds (melon seeds)
- Cooked beef
- Smoked catfish
- Palm oil
- Roma tomato
- Red bell pepper
- Habanero pepper
- Stock
- Onion
- Cayenne pepper
- Crayfish
- Bouillon powder
- Salt
(Also, in case you’re not already aware of this, Nigerians normally eat this soup with various fufu dishes or rice).
Healthy Nigerian Food Options
Speaking of healthy food, if you’re looking to try some healthy Nigerian food options, I recommend that you check out this article by The New York Times regarding adapting traditional Nigerian food into vegan and vegetarian options.
2. Ewedu Soup Recipe
Similar to the recipe above, this Nigerian dish is also a soup made with a kind of leaf. However, instead of bitter leaf, you will be using ewedu (jute leaves).
As mentioned previously, ewedu is a native soup from Nigeria. However, it’s not only popular in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. It’s also popular in East Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East, too!
Also, similar to the ofe onugbu recipe above, you can obtain jute leaves either fresh or frozen at your local African market.
(They may even carry these leaves at your local Caribbean, Persian, or Indian markets).
Now, if you’re looking for a good ewedu soup recipe, I recommend you check this one out by Sisi Jemimah’s Recipes.
(You’ll be SHOCKED at just how easy it is to make this Nigerian soup recipe).
Ingredients for Ewedu Soup Recipe
Here are the ingredients for Nigerian ewedu soup recipe according to the video by Sisi Jemimah’s Recipes:
- Ewedu (jute) leaves
- Water
- Blended egusi (melon seeds)
- Locust beans (iru)
- Ground crayfish
- Bouillon cube (optional)
- Salt to taste
3. Nigerian Egusi Soup Recipe
Now, for the 3rd recipe on our list of Nigerian soups and stews.
As mentioned in some ingredients listed above, egusi melon seeds, so egusi soup is a soup made with melon seeds.
Egusi soup is SUPER popular in Nigeria and people normally eat it with “swallows” such as fufu, pounded yam, eba, semovita, and amala.
Swallows, if you’re not already familiar with them, are edible doughy masses that you tear off and use to eat your soups. However, it’s called “swallow” because you don’t chew it before swallowing… you just swallow it along with your soup.
Here, take a look at this EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT video below by Itoro And Cavil to see what I mean (by the way, they are eating egusi soup to demonstrate):
Anyway, back to the egusi soup recipe.
I recommend that you check out Chef Lola’s Kitchen’s recipe for egusi soup if you’re interested.
Main Ingredients for Egusi Soup from Nigeria
Listed below are the main ingredients you will need for egusi soup:
- Egusi seeds
- Hot peppers
- Onions
- Locust bean
- Crayfish
- Beef, goat, or dry fish
4. Okro (Okra) Soup
The YouTube video above mentioned okra soup is a very good beginner soup for people who are trying to learn how to “swallow” fufu.
Nigerian okra soup, as mentioned above, is a good beginner soup because it’s very slimy, making it easier for a beginner to swallow fufu.
I must mention, that there are many different ways to make this soup. For example, you can make it with or without oil.
The ingredients you will need include the following:
- Fresh okra
- Onions
- Red bell peppers
- Habanero or Jamaican hot pepper
- Crayfish (dried)
- Ogbono (ground)
- Bouillon powder or salt
- Cow feet (pre-cooked)
- Smoked turkey (pre-cooked)
- Stockfish (pre-cooked)
That’s it!
Need a visual? If that’s the case, then please view this YouTube video for Nigerian okra soup by Sisi Jemimah’s Recipes.
5. Ogbono Soup
So, ground obgono was mentioned in the previous recipe.
Obgono soup is actually another very popular soup in Nigeria! In English, obgono soup is “drawback soup” because it’s a slippery soup.
(If you don’t already know, obgono is African wild bush mango seeds).
Like Nigerian okra soup, obgono soup is a slippery soup (as mentioned above). For this reason, it is also another easy soup for beginners to eat while swallowing fufu (or other swallows… pounded yams seem to be a favorite for this soup).
These are the basic ingredients for Nigerian drawback soup:
- Beef
- Smoked fish
- Ogbono
- Red palm oil
- Crayfish
- Chicken bouillon
- Greens
6. Efo-Riro (Spicy Nigerian Spinach Stew)
This is a Nigerian vegetable soup that’s native to the Yoruba people in Western Nigeria.
The main ingredients you will be using for this Nigerian dish include the following:
- Meats (i.e. beef, goat, cow skin – ponmo, tripe)
- Fish
- Green vegetables (spinach)
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
Check out this recipe by Nigerian Food TV to learn more!
Or, you can also check out the SUPER HELPFUL YouTube video below for an Efo Riro recipe by SisiYemmieTV:
7. Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)
Ok, so here’s another Nigerian soup to try in our list of Nigerian soups.
Ofe Akwu is palm nut soup or palm kernel soup (also known as banga soup).
The main ingredient is palm fruit extract or palm fruit concentrate, but you also make it with meat, fish, as well as different kinds of spices, too.
These are the names for this palm nut soup and where it’s called by that name:
- Banga soup (Niger Delta region of Nigeria)
- Ofe Akwu (Igbos tribe)
- Mbanga soup (Cameroon)
- Abenkwan (Ghana)
- Moambe (Congo)
Also, here is a video recipe on how to make a Nigerian banga soup recipe by SisiYemmieTV:
8. Nigerian Gbegiri Soup
And finally, here’s the last of our list of Nigerian soups and stews.
Gbegiri soup is a bean soup that people of the Yoruba tribe eat. It’s a SUPER easy recipe to make, too!
These are the main ingredients you’ll need for this Nigerian brown bean soup:
- Black Eyed or Brown beans
- Smoked Mackerel/Titus
- Ground crayfish
- Stock cube
- Palm oil
- Pepper
- Salt
Here’s a visual recipe for you by Lady F K kichen so you can see just how easy it is to make this easy Nigerian soup recipe:
What to Serve with Gbegiri Soup
People eat gbegiri soup with ewedu soup and buka stew.
What To Serve With List of Nigerian Soups
Most people serve soups in Nigeria with what they call swallow. You will see some examples of swallow and other soup accompaniments below:
- Nigerian fufu
- Pounded yam
- Eba (Garri)
- Agidi
- Tuwo Shinkafa
- Amala
- Semolina
List of Nigerian Soups FAQs
Now, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions regarding a list of Nigerian soups & stews.
How many types of soup do we have in Nigeria?
There are more than 30 kinds of Nigerian soups in Nigerian cuisine. Here are just a few of them:
- Bitter Leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)
- Ewedu soup
- Egusi soup
- Okro (Okra) soup
- Ogbono soup
- Efo-Riro
- Banga soup (Ofe Akwu)
- Gbegiri soup
- Afang soup
- Pepper soup
- Ofe nsala (white soup)
- Rivers Native Soup (cocoyam)
- Groundnut soup
- Owho soup
- Nsala soup
- Catfish pepper soup (Point and Kill)
- Miyan kuka
- Edikaikong
- Edikang Ikong
- Abak Atama
- Efirin soup (Nigerian black soup)
- Seafood okra soup
- Beniseed soup (African sesame seed soup)
What is the most popular soup in Nigeria?
Egusi soup, which is made with melon seeds, is the most popular soup in Nigeria.
Why is fufu called swallow?
Fufu is called swallow because you’re supposed to swallow it once it enters your mouth as opposed to chewing it first and then swallowing it.
Related Articles Related to List of Nigerian Soups & Stews:
- Popular Nigerian Breakfast Recipes
- How To Make Nigerian Donuts
- Incredibly Delicious Nigerian Sausage Rolls Recipes
- 9 Awesome Nigerian Chicken Recipes You Must Try
- Amazing List of Nigerian Party Food You Need To See
Final Thoughts on List of Nigerian Soups & Stews
I seriously hope you consider cooking these AMAZING recipes for Nigerian soups and Nigerian stews. They are seriously something you MUST try sometime in your life.
Have you tried any of these recipes before? Please let me know in the comments below!
