Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Ndolé
Cameroon’s national dish: bitterleaf greens simmered with ground peanuts, beef, and shrimp into a deep, satisfying stew.
Cameroonian · medium · serves 5
prep 30 min · cook 50 min
~1107 cal · 59g protein · 88g carbs · 64g fat · 18g fiber · 34g sugars · 12g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Ndolé is the national dish of Cameroon, a rich stew built on ndolé leaves, a bitterleaf green that is repeatedly washed and boiled to tame its bitterness, cooked down with a thick paste of ground peanuts, aromatics, and usually beef, dried fish, or shrimp. It comes from the coastal Littoral region around Douala, the heartland of the Duala people.
The dish is a balancing act between the characteristic bitterness of the greens and the creamy, savory richness of the groundnut base, a contrast that Cameroonians prize and that defines the dish's distinctive flavor. Getting that balance right is the mark of a skilled cook.
Ndolé is festive, labor-intensive food, brought out for weddings, holidays, and Sunday gatherings and served with fried ripe , boiled yam, or 'miondo' sticks. To be offered a plate of well-made ndolé in Douala is to be treated as honored family.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 5
6 cups bitterleaf (washed well) or spinach, chopped
1.5 cups raw peanuts
1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
1/2 cup dried or fresh shrimp
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 or habanero, minced
1 tbsp crayfish powder (optional but traditional)
1/3 cup red palm or vegetable oil
for 5 boiled or miondo, to serve
Instructions
1
Boil the peanuts for 20 minutes, then blend with a cup of water into a smooth paste.
2
Season the beef (or mushrooms) and simmer in 2 cups water with half the onion until tender, keeping the broth.
3
Prepare the greens: if using bitterleaf, boil and wring it two or three times to remove the bitterness; spinach just needs a quick blanch and squeeze.
✎ Chef’s note
Bitterleaf lives up to its name. Boiling and wringing it several times in fresh water tames the bitterness to the pleasant edge ndole is known for.
4
Fry the remaining onion, garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet in the oil until soft.
5
Add the peanut paste and fry 5 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and turns nutty-gold.
6
Add the meat with its broth, the greens, shrimp, and crayfish powder.
7
Simmer 20 minutes, until thick enough to mound on a spoon. Serve with boiled plantains.
Douala, Littoral tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Littoral (Douala). Littoral is Cameroon's port region around Douala, where ndole, bitterleaf simmered with ground peanuts and fish or beef, is the dish that tastes like home. Plantain, cassava sticks, and grilled mackerel from the Atlantic fill out the everyday table.
🗺️
Cameroon. Ndole is usually named as the national dish, and it is bitterleaf, the same Vernonia leaf used across west and central Africa, washed repeatedly to draw off the bitterness then cooked down with ground peanuts and often shrimp or beef. It is served with fried ripe plantain or with boiled cassava sticks.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cameroon
Puff-Puff and BeansSweet fried dough balls served with a savory stewed bean pot, a filling Cameroonian breakfast.
Poulet DGFried chicken and sweet plantain simmered with peppers and vegetables in a rich tomato sauce, a Cameroonian celebration favorite.
Poulet Braisé (Cameroonian Grilled Chicken)Chicken marinated in garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet, gently simmered tender, then charred over coals and basted with its spiced marinade.
Browse all Cameroon recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Cameroon meal
Cameroonian Banana CakeDessert
Eru (Wild Greens with Waterleaf)Lunch
Similar dishes from around the world
Sancocho DominicanoDominican Republic
Sauce Graine (Palm Fruit Stew)Côte d’Ivoire
Mauritanian CouscousMauritania
Cassava Leaf StewSierra Leone
Gboma DessiTogo
Fungee and PepperpotAntigua and Barbuda
Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Ndolé?
Cameroon’s national dish: bitterleaf greens simmered with ground peanuts, beef, and shrimp into a deep, satisfying stew.
Where does Ndolé come from?
Ndolé is a Cameroonian dish from Littoral (Douala), Cameroon.
Can Ndolé be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Ndolé recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Ndolé safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Ndolé take to make?
About 80 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking), serving 5.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.