13 Best Nigerian Soups

Curious about Nigerian soups? Learn more about the best West African soups you need to try, and enjoy them with your African fufu dishes!

If you know anything about Nigerian foods or foods from West African countries in general, it's that their soups, in particular, are delicious and so finger-licking good!

What are Nigerian soups?

Nigerian soups are made with a generous amount of, well, everything! Abundance is usually the game, from animal proteins to palm oil, leafy greens, and spices.

I would not be exaggerating if I said Nigerian soups are what delicious dreams are made of! The scrumptiousness of their tastes, the lip-smacking variety of aromatic smells, and everything involved in cooking them, make the soups what they are. 

In Nigeria, foods are generally classified into two kinds: the most popular being Fufu or Swallow foods, which are usually eaten with one of the many Nigerian soups. They are generally enjoyed by adults and children alike at any hour of the day.

The other kinds of food classification include rice, spaghetti, yams, potatoes, and others.

Are Nigerian soups healthy?

Nigerian soups are an excellent meal choice if you're on a low-carb diet because they are commonly made with healthy fats and animal proteins.

In addition, many Nigerian soups combine great taste from various ingredients like palm oil, crayfish, fermented locust beans (iru), proteins, vegetables, and spices to create an extremely nutrition-packed delicacy.

What do they taste like?

One of the best things about Nigerian soups is that no two of them taste alike. Instead, they all have unique tastes, ranging from sweet and spicy to slightly nutty and distinctly African. It is a known fact that Nigerian soups deliver deliciousness consistently. 

What do you eat Nigerian soups with? 

Typically, you eat Nigerian soups with fufu, which is a starchy, dough-like cuisine common to several African countries. Some of these fufu dishes include eba (garri), pounded yam, semolina, amala, and plantain fufu.

I love substituting these high-carb fufu dishes with keto-compliant options for a low-carb alternative.

Types of Nigerian Soup

There are many types of soup in Nigeria, usually native to certain areas. For instance, in Northern Nigeria, you might find creamy soups such as Miyan Kuka and Miyan Taushe, while the Igbos enjoy leafy soups such as Bitterleaf Soup or Ugu Soup. Draw soups such as Ogbono soup or Ewedu soup are a staple in the West among the Yoruba tribe.

However, some soups, such as Egusi soup, are eaten nationwide, with each tribe adding its own unique twist and traditional spices.

Here are some of the most common Nigerian soups you can enjoy!

Nigerian Egusi Soup

Nigerian Egusi Soup is one of the most popular soups consumed in Nigeria. This delicious soup is well-sought all over the country and beyond, and it is equally enjoyed by everyone.

The Nigerian soup is made from melon seeds in Africa. This healthy soup, full of beneficial nutrients like Vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, tastes terrific when paired with fufu dishes.

Ogbono Soup

Ogbono Soup is another incredibly delicious Nigerian soup. The soup is also known as draw soup in Nigeria, which means it is slippery.

Ogbono soup is made from ground African mango seeds rich in calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. 

Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)

Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu) is one Nigerian soup guaranteed to blow your mind with its incredible taste. This soup is one special soup that few can resist.

Banga soup is sweet and spicy with an earthy, nutty flavor. Made typically with sea foods and palm nut concentrate, you can mix it up using meat if you prefer.    

Okra Soup ( Okro soup)

Okra Soup (Okro soup) is another slippery type of soup. Its slimy nature might discourage you at first, but this soup is guaranteed to convert you to an okra lover once given a chance.

Okra vegetable is naturally slippery when chopped or grated, but it is loaded with many health benefits. The soup is usually made with smoked catfish, goat meat, fermented locust beans or 'iru,' and palm oil. 

Edikang Ikong Soup (Vegetable soup)

Edikang Ikong Soup (Nigerian Vegetable soup) is another finger-licking soup from Nigeria. This soup is made with waterleaf and ugwu leaves and boasts health benefits like lowering blood pressure and naturally boosting the immune system.

Bitter leaf Soup ( Ofe Onugbu)

Bitter leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu) is one soup with loads of benefits made from leaves that are pretty bitter. However, the more you rinse the leaves out before cooking, the less bitter it becomes. Bitterleaf soup is not unpleasant to eat, as the name suggests; instead, it is slightly but tolerably bitter.

When cooked with ingredients like beef, stock, smoked catfish, ground egusi, palm oil, and blended tomatoes and peppers, the leaves become a wholesome and well-sought-after delicacy. 

Nigerian Black Soup

Nigerian Black Soup, also known in some parts as efirin soup, is made primarily from blended scent leaves, egusi, ground crayfish, cooked meat (or fish), and stock.

Nigerian black soup is super easy to prepare and is highly nutritious. You have to taste it to appreciate it fully!

Efo Riro (Spinach stew)

Efo Riro (Spinach stew) is a well-loved soup in Nigeria. It doesn't take a long time to prepare, and it is loved by many. If you have kids who don't like to eat vegetables, prepare this delicacy for them, and they'll be begging for seconds.

This mouth-watering, nourishing soup is made using spinach, palm oil, iru, goat meat or beef, and a host of other health-packed and delicious ingredients. 

Nigerian Pepper Soup (Assorted Meat Soup)

Nigerian pepper soup (assorted meat soup) is a warm and nourishing soup made of proteins and special traditional pepper soup spices.

This light but fulfilling soup also makes you feel better if you suffer from a cold. Absolutely anyone can enjoy this tasty soup any time of the day.  

Ewedu Soup

Ewedu Soup is another very easy soup to make. It is made from ground or blended jute leaves boiled with crayfish, bouillon, cayenne pepper, and iru (fermented locust beans). If you don't live in Nigeria, you can buy the leaves frozen.

Seafood Okra

Seafood Okra is a hearty seafood soup that will make you fall in love with okra. To make this soup, you can use a mix of prawns, catfish, crabs, tilapia, shrimp, or any seafood of your choice. The more, the better.

Seafood okra soup is made differently from Nigerian okra soup and can be eaten alone as a meal. This protein-packed meal is rife with health benefits and tastes so good!

Catfish Pepper Soup

Catfish pepper soup is a delicious and easy meal that packs a punch in nutritional benefits. This pepper soup is made primarily with catfish, vegetables, and spices.

This soup is so soothing and heartwarming and perfect for a pick-me-up. You can have it any time of the day, and it will surely cheer you up!

Beniseed Soup

Beniseed Soup, also known as African sesame seed soup, has a rich, nutty, irresistible flavor. As the name implies, the soup is made from hulled or unhulled sesame seeds. When roasted, unhulled sesame adds a more exciting flavor to the soup than hulled sesame seeds.

Unhulled sesame is richer in calcium and iron than unhulled ones, so it is the preferred choice when making Beniseed soup. It looks a little like Egusi soup when cooked, but it has its own very unique taste you will love.

I hope you try these delicious, mouthwatering Nigerian soups. If you do, please leave a comment below to let me know how much you enjoyed them!

And if you need spicy soups that you can eat alone, check out these low-carb spicy soups that will warm you right up!

Learn more about African foods!

What is Fufu

Benefits of Jute Leaves

African Leafy Vegetables

Best Nigerian Foods for Weight Loss