25 African-Inspired Recipes You Need To Add To Your Rotation

If you're someone who enjoys the spice in life, then you might just need to crack open an African cookbook. Each corner of the content features varying styles of colorful, flavorful, exquisite cuisine. From the North, you'll find vibrant spices, dried fruits, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, and aromatic meats. Take a trip down the East African Coast to find starches, stews, and Arabic and Indian influences. West Africa features indigenous plants, peanuts, seafood, and rich stews. Down on the southern tip, you'll experience a cultural blend, influenced by Dutch, French, Malaysian, and Indian cuisine, while still holding to the deep African roots.

Within each of these areas of the content, recipes and cuisine vary across country lines, and are altered and influenced by the different cultures inhabiting those areas. The Maasai, for example, enjoy vastly different staples from the Bantu, although both are prevalent cultural groups within Tanzania. With that in mind, if you're new to the world of African cuisine, let's start with a continent-wide list of 25 African-inspired recipes you need to add to your rotation and make at home.

As a cultural anthropologist turned recipe designer and chef, I believe that doing a little research about the region a recipe comes from can enhance the dining experience. Many of these 25 African-inspired dishes are adapted from North African cuisine. Feel free to go heavy on the spices and aromatics, and crank up the heat. If you're having trouble sourcing ingredients, search for an African market in your area, or order them online. Now, let's get inspired.

Moroccan dishes are typically quite aesthetically pleasing. This is because they are often colored with vibrant spices. Harissa is a spicy tomato paste substitute that is sweet, flavorful, and aromatic. Mixed with honey, it creates a balanced mouthfeel that can seep into poultry in the slow cooker. This recipe is particularly flavorful, featuring potent spices, herbs, olives, capers, figs, and a refreshingly creamy yogurt sauce. With intrigue built from the varying textures and temperatures, along with the sweet and spicy contrast, this slow-cooker chicken is dynamic and irresistible.

Slow Cooker Harissa Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe

Who doesn't love an easy dish to execute? This Moroccan Chickpea Stew is straightforward, loaded with fiber and protein, and is devilishly aromatic. The colors alone create an aesthetic fit for any Instagram-happy foodie, and it takes just over 30 minutes to make, start to finish. Serve this thick stew over couscous or with grilled pita. Fresh herbs or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil make for a tantalizing garnish. Keep this recipe in your back pocket if you have gluten-free or vegan guests over for dinner.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew Recipe

Culinary cultural fusions are sometimes major busts, or just the duo our taste buds needed. Morocco is no stranger to French cuisine, due to the French colonial rule from 1912 to 1956. This may be why a ratatouille shakshuka crossover works so well. This recipe is similar to a classic shakshuka, but is loaded with hidden ratatouille vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. Be sure to cook the eggplant separately beforehand to ensure a tender texture, and caramelize those onions for a sweeter flavor. Enjoy with crusty French or sourdough bread.

Breakfast Ratatouille Shakshuka Recipe

Using fruit to flavor classically savory dishes can lead to tangy, subtly sweet, and dynamic results when done right. North African cuisine sometimes contains dried fruits mixed into savory dishes, but this particular Moroccan-inspired cherry gazpacho soup uses fresh cherries. It's light, tangy, fresh, and nutty. Blend most of the ingredients, but leave some diced for a pleasing texture with bursts of varying flavor. Bing cherries are essential, due to their rich flavor, balancing the yogurt, pistachios, and extra virgin olive oil.

Moroccan-Inspired Cherry Gazpacho Recipe

While a classic split pea soup may have a few herbs and spices, this Ethiopian version has a minimum of 11. Berbere spice is an underrated mix of a long list of spices, varying slightly depending on who's making it and the region it's being produced in. Therefore, this split pea soup is off-the-charts flavorful and fully vegan, omitting any ham. Serve with rice, Injera bread, or another starch. It's essential to toast the spices to allow them to blossom before adding wet ingredients, for a bolder, more memorable flavor.

Ethiopian-Inspired Berbere Split Peas Recipe

Tagine is a popular North African stew that often features vegetables, meats, spices, nuts, and fruit. It's traditionally made in a flat-rimmed pot with a conical lid, but you can use whatever pot and lid you have on hand. This particular recipe is made in a slow cooker, enhancing the convenience factor. Accentuated by veggies and spices, the chicken here is tender, juicy, and flavorful. Serve over a starch like couscous or rice, and top with freshly minced parsley.

Slow Cooker Chicken And Artichoke Tagine Recipe

Stews are popular all over Africa, and this spicy harissa eggplant stew is loaded with flavorful ingredients. If you're looking for a veggie-forward dish with a fresh spicy kick, then grab an eggplant and get started. Although it only takes 15 minutes to cook, a longer, slower roast can result in a sweeter, richer dish. The lemon juice creates a bold, tangy finish, and the harissa adds that North African-inspired heat and umami.

Spicy Harissa Eggplant Stew Recipe

New recipes can be intimidating, but an Instant Pot recipe can make your life a whole lot easier. The boldest tagines have both olives and fruit, and this preserved-lemon green olive combination is to die for. Fresh ginger and garlic infuse the broth with aromatics, which the dried apricots will absorb beautifully. Serve with soft flat bread, cut into triangles or lightly toasted. Alternatively, you could enjoy this vegetarian tagine over rice or couscous.

Instant Pot Vegetable Tagine Recipe

Chicken is a vehicle for flavor, and boy, does this baked harissa chicken know a thing or two about flavor. The best thing about this recipe is the simplicity –- just seasoning and chicken. The acidity of the lemon juice balances the ultra-sweet honey, while the harissa dominates the umami and heat departments. It's best to marinate the chicken for at least half an hour.

Serve the chicken alongside vegetables and a starchy grain to soak up the succulent juice. Top with fresh parsley, and enjoy the flavors of North Africa.

Easy Baked Harissa Chicken Recipe

Let's keep things ultra simple and just toss everything in one pan. For this chicken tagine, that's all you'll need. However, the simplicity of the recipe doesn't reflect the layered, rich flavor of the dish. The balance of preserved lemons and green olives creates a whirlwind of complexity, while the chicken soaks in all of the juices. The fragrant and aromatic spice mix will transport you to northern Africa. Who knew you were just one pan away?

Simple 1-Pan Chicken Tagine Recipe

If you're a fan of baba ganoush, then it's essential that you try the Moroccan version, zaalouk. With a similar base ingredient of eggplant and mashed texture, the main difference here lies in the peripheral ingredients. This bolder version is loaded with garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, lemon, cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper. Fresh tomatoes give this eggplant salad a rich umami and meaty undertone. Enjoy with toasted pita or fresh bread, warm or cold. Use it as a dip, spread, or side dish. This versatile dish is memorable and aromatic.

Moroccan Zaalouk (Eggplant Salad) Recipe

If you enjoy Ethiopian cuisine, then it's likely you've enjoyed injera, which is an Ethiopian flat bread. Well, it's time you learned how to make it. Similar to a crepe, this shortcut version uses teff, an indigenous African grain. With only six ingredients, this flat bread can be rolled, stuffed, folded, and dipped. Be sure to pair with a rich Ethiopian stew. This particular recipe uses yeast to create that bubble hole texture, so it's essential to let the mixture rest and rise for a full hour.

Shortcut Injera (Ethiopian Sour Flatbread) Recipe

Dukkah is not a main course, but instead a nut and spice blend used to enhance dishes. It's nutty, crunchy, aromatic, sweet, and rich. Hazelnuts are a typical base, but this particular recipe, like others, uses pistachios and cashews, as well. Spices flavor the nuts, and the entire mixture is pulsed in a blender until coarse. This Egyptian blend is meant to be textured. It can be sprinkled on finished dips, meats, vegetables, or any savory North African dish.

Dukkah Nut And Spice Blend Recipe

Moroccan food is so magical because it often creates contrast. Hot and cold. Spicy and refreshing. Tender and crunchy. This Moroccan chicken with roasted vegetable couscous is just that. Full of intrigue with varying flavors and textures. It's essential to marinade the chicken and sear it at a high temperature to lock in all those juices. The couscous will absorb the flavor of the chicken, and the veggies will help to balance each bite.

Moroccan Chicken With Roasted Vegetable Couscous Recipe

We all know that couscous is popular in Morocco and the Middle East. But it's time we didn't just treat it like a side dish; instead, put it center stage. These crispy Moroccan-inspired couscous cakes are loaded with herbs, spices, shredded carrots, and dried fruit. It's everything you might find in a couscous side dish, mashed into a starchy cake and pan-fried in oil. Dip these crispy cakes into a refreshing yogurt lemon sauce to balance the mouthfeel.

Crispy Moroccan-Inspired Couscous Cakes Recipe

If you're in the market for a comforting, North African-inspired vegetarian dish that is both sweet and savory, then you must try this sweet potato tagine pot pie. Use pre-made phyllo sheets, buttered and loosely crumpled into textured balls, to place on top of the pot of cooked vegetables. They will get ultra-crispy in the oven, and the nigella seeds will not only add flavor and texture but also a unique aesthetic.

Sweet Potato Tagine Pot Pie Recipe

South Africa is famous for its peri peri chicken, and you can try this spicy, smoky version right at home. Peri peri is a tangy hot sauce, classically made from African bird's eye chilis. However, this recipe calls for hot peppers, so choose whatever is accessible in your area. The apple cider vinegar creates a sweet and tangy punch, while the garlic, oregano, and paprika round out the intensity. The marinade will turn your chicken red and create a beautiful aesthetic with a delightful intensity of flavor.

Spicy Smoky Peri Peri Chicken Recipe

It's absolutely essential to toast your spices when cooking authentic North African food. This helps to release the flavors, which creates a stronger outcome. When making your own harissa, a little step like this can make all the difference, as opposed to opting for store-bought items. Homemade harissa is next-level and will give chicken thighs a sparkle of intensity. Bake the vibrant sauce-coated chicken thighs in the oven until juicy and tender, and serve with a grain, vegetables, or a fresh side.

Smoky And Spicy Harissa Chicken Thighs Recipe

While shakshuka is typically red, made with a base of tomatoes and peppers, green shakshuka takes a whole new direction. Instead of being ultra saucy, this recipe takes a step away from tradition with a spinach-cheese base. With inspiration taken from North Africa and Israel, this super-greens version still features poached eggs. Although it's not sauce-based, the spinach retains moisture, along with the gooey cheese, creating a sturdy base for the eggs to cook in. Enjoy it with toast or straight from the pan.

Green Shakshuka Recipe

Shakshuka is a recipe that is hard to resist. Poached eggs cooked in a tomato-pepper sauce, loaded with spices and fresh herbs ... what's not to love? This breakfast food is gaining popularity in the United States, so pop on that apron and let's make a simple version for brunch. All you need is a pan, some veggies and spices, a few eggs, and some patience. Be sure to leave the eggs gooey (if that's your thing) so the yolk can run into the sauce.

Simple Shakshuka Recipe

One of the heartiest, richest, and most beloved West African dishes is the region's peanut stew. It's simple to make, dense, filling, and loaded with nutrient-dense vegetables. Although the recipe calls for just one jalapeno, add more to your liking. The same goes for garlic and ginger. The addition of lemon juice is often overlooked, but the sweet acidity creates a rounded mouthfeel.

Garnish with peanuts to enjoy a pleasing crunch, and swap out spinach for kale or collard greens for a heartier green that can withstand re-heating.

West African Peanut Stew Recipe

Jollof rice has a deep history in West Africa, extending to the 14th century. Today, it's enjoyed all over the world, including the U.S., as immigration and slavery created culinary fusions. This rice is far from your boring side dish, as it's loaded with spices, hot peppers, vegetables, and more. The brightly colored rice is fairly simple to make and is a fantastic accompaniment to any meat or vegetable dish with African roots.

Jollof Rice Recipe You'll Wind Up Adding To Your Dinner Rotation Recipe

If you've never enjoyed bobotie before, think of it like a mousakka-style casserole with an egg-based top. This makes it a desirable breakfast-style dish if you enjoy a hearty, dense start to the day. The flavorful meat base, in this particular recipe, is made with lamb, spices, vegetables, and raisins. The egg topping is creamy and creates balance. Enjoy as is, or serve over white rice. This South African classic is one of a kind and can be enjoyed any time of day.

Traditional South African Bobotie Recipe

It's always important to season your rice, but why not make it the star? This West African-inspired jollof rice recipe is made with a homemade pepper and sauce, with the rice cooked right in the sauce pot. Ingredients like tomato paste and chicken stock create a rich umami undertone, while the hot peppers, ginger, and garlic create a warm spice. Garnish with cilantro for a citrusy finish, and be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving hot.

West African-Inspired Jollof Rice Recipe

When cooked properly, okra can be an incredibly flavorful, tender, and texturally pleasing vegetable. Blackened, it's unstoppable. This recipe is full of continent-wide flavors and utilizes grilling, which offers an authentic fire-roasted flavor.

Serve the blackened okra with red rice for a balanced dish, or pair it with fish, meat, or other vegetables. Although the cook time is about 75 minutes total, it's worth the wait.

Blackened Okra With Red Rice Recipe

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