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    Home » African Recipes » African Stews

    Feb 12, 2025

    Efo Riro - Nigerian Spinach Stew

    Published on Feb 12, 2025. Updated on Feb 14, 2025. By Tayo. This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure. 101 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    efo riro pinterest

    Efo riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew) is a mouthwatering, savory, African stew made with spinach and is oh so flavorful! Who knew spinach could taste so good?

    Efo riro

    Raise your hands if you loved your leafy greens as a kid! Nope, that wasn’t me. Just trying to get my vegetables in was like a punishment to me. Not like I had a choice, my mama don’t play!

    But there was one dish that would get me salivating every time - the Nigerian Spinach Stew, also known as Efo Riro, in my native Yoruba language.

    What was not to love? This spinach stew transforms a bland vegetable like spinach into a mouthwatering dish you won’t be able to get enough of. You will eat it with everything and sometimes,  just by itself.

    This stew has turned a former spinach-hating kid into a Spinach Loving Queen.

    What is Efo Riro?

    Efo Riro is a Yoruba word and it loosely means ‘stirred spinach’. In Nigeria, the vegetables used for Efo Riro are 'Efo Shoko' (Lagos spinach) or 'Efo Tete' (African spinach).

    These are the local spinach varieties that are very popular and easily available. In other parts of the world, any spinach greens will do.

    This African stew is popular in some West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. The recipes are similar with only slight differences but my version is commonly made in Nigeria among the Yoruba tribe.

    It is very easy to make and you will be amazed by how delicious this spinach stew is. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe!

    Ingredients Used

    Efo riro ingredients
    • Spinach: I use roughly 8 cups of chopped spinach. You can use fresh or frozen spinach.
    • Meat: You can use beef, lamb, goat meat, chicken, smoked catfish, tripe (shaki), or any meat of your choice, or even mix and match!  For a vegan option, you can leave out the meat or use mushrooms.
    • Palm oil: The traditional recipe calls for palm oil but I have made this spinach stew with olive oil and it still turned out delicious!
    • Vegetables: Plum (roma) tomatoes, red bell peppers, habanero peppers, and onions. Plum tomatoes are best for Nigerian stews because they are denser and have less juice.
    • Broth: Just a bit for flavor and to reduce the chance of the stew burning when using fresh spinach.
    • Spices: I used bouillon, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground crayfish, and salt. Ground crayfish is a Nigerian condiment similar to fish sauce, which you can get from an African store or from Amazon. You can omit this if you don't have any. I also use crushed red pepper flakes as an optional garnish.

    How to Make Efo Riro

    Efo riro, fry the blended tomatoes and pepper
    1. Start by cooking whatever meat you decide to use. I prepared my goat meat by rinsing it over running water and boiling it with about a teaspoon of salt, bouillon, and black pepper. Let it boil until it is tender.
    2. Blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, and half of the onion together using a food processor. Chop up the other half of the onion and set it aside.
    3. If using fresh spinach, chop it up into smaller pieces and rinse in a colander, squeezing out as much water as you can. Leave it in the colander while you start cooking so that the excess water will drain out. This will help prevent the spinach stew from becoming watery.
    4. Also, wash and drain the mushrooms (if using mushrooms).
    5. Heat ½ cup of palm oil in a pot on medium heat, add in your onions and stir for about 2 minutes. Add in your blended tomato and pepper mix and add in your spices after about a minute. You can use only 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you want it less spicy.
    6. I like plum tomatoes for this recipe because after blending, they are not too watery. If you use another type of tomatoes, you might need to pour the blended mixture into a pot and cook it separately till some of the water evaporates. Use medium heat or it will begin to splash everywhere.
    7. If using fresh spinach, add ¼ cup of broth/stock. You can use water if you don't have any but will need to adjust the spices. If using frozen spinach, do not add any water as frozen spinach already contains water.
    8. Add the goat meat and mushrooms and any other meat of choice and let it cook for another 5 minutes so it can soak up the flavors.  When it begins to boil, add in the spinach. It will most likely fill the pot and look like it might spill over but it wouldn’t.
    9. Stir intermittently over a period of 5 minutes and the spinach will shrink considerably. Taste for salt and add more spices if you desire.
    10. I like mine just slightly chewy so I don’t leave it in for more than 5 minutes but if you like it softer, you can leave it for a few more minutes on low heat.
    Making efo riro, add goat meat and mushrooms

    This recipe serves 8 and contains 5 net carbs per serving.

    Storing and Reheating

    Spinach stew stores well in the fridge for about 5 days and you can also freeze it for a few months.

    When you're ready to eat it, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove with a little water.

    What to Eat with Efo Riro

    Nigerian spinach stew goes great with a lot of different foods! It is traditionally eaten with rice or fufu, but for a low carb option, you can eat it with plain cauliflower rice or low carb fufu dishes like cauliflower fufu or coconut fufu.

    Spinach stew is popular in west African countries

    Tips and Variations

    • Only add the stock/water if using fresh spinach.
    • You can leave the spinach in for about 5 mins more on low heat if you want it softer and less chewy.
    • If you want the spinach stew to be less spicy, use only 1 teaspoon or ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
    • I did not add the time to cook the meat in the recipe because it varies widely depending on what type of meat you use. And it is quite common to use whatever leftover meat you already have in the fridge.
    • I like to use fresh spinach for this but frozen will work too. If using frozen, microwave for a few minutes till it begins to thaw out and drain the excess water.
    • I made my efo riro with goat meat and mushrooms. Even though efo riro does not traditionally use mushrooms, I wanted to show just how versatile this stew is and how it can be made vegan.

    Related Recipes

    Check out these other low carb African stews and soups!

    Sukuma Wiki (Kenyan Collard Greens)

    Mafe - African Peanut Stew

    Ofada Stew (Ayamase Stew)

    African Fish Stew

    Nigerian Beef Stew

    Cow Foot Soup

    efo riro

    📖 Recipe

    efo riro

    Efo riro - Nigerian Spinach Stew

    Efo riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew) is a mouthwatering, savory, African stew made with 'Efo Shoko' (Lagos spinach) or 'Efo Tete' (African spinach). Who knew spinach could taste so good?
    4.88 from 65 votes
    Print Pin SaveSaved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: African, Nigerian
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 246kcal
    Author: Tayo Oredola
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 8 cups spinach chopped
    • 12 oz cooked meat I used goat meat but you can use any.
    • 2 cups mushrooms
    • ½ cup palm oil
    • 2 roma tomatoes
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 1 habanero pepper
    • 1 onion
    • ¼ cup water or stock
    • 2 teaspoon bouillon powder
    • 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 teaspoon ground crayfish
    • 1 teaspoon pepper flakes optional
    • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

    Instructions

    Preparation

    • Blend tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper and half of the onion together using a food processor.
      2 roma tomatoes, 1 habanero pepper, 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper
    • Chop up the other half of the onion and set aside.
    • If using fresh spinach, chop it up, wash and squeeze, and leave in a colander. If using frozen spinach, microwave for a few minutes.
      8 cups spinach
    • Wash and drain the mushrooms.
      2 cups mushrooms

    Instructions

    • Heat palm oil in a pot on medium heat, add in your onions and stir for about 2 minutes.
      ½ cup palm oil
    • Add in your blended tomato and pepper mix and stir for about a minute.
    • Add the spice and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
      2 teaspoon bouillon powder, 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoon ground crayfish, 1 teaspoon pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt
    • If using fresh spinach, add stock or water and bring to a boil.
      ¼ cup water or stock
    • Add the goat meat, mushroom, and any other meat you desire and let boil for another 5 minutes.
      12 oz cooked meat
    • Add the spinach and stir intermittently for about 5 minutes.
    • Add more salt or spices if desired.
    • Garnish with red pepper flakes, if you want it spicier and enjoy!

    Notes

    This recipe serves 8 and contains 5 net carbs per serving.
    • Only add the stock/water if using fresh spinach.
    • You can leave the spinach in for about 5 mins more on low heat if you want it softer and less chewy.
    • If you want the spinach stew to be less spicy, use only 1 teaspoon or ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
    • I made my efo riro with goat meat and mushrooms. Even though efo riro does not traditionally use mushrooms, I wanted to show just how versatile this stew is and how it can be made vegan.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 598mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 23820IU | Vitamin C: 32.7mg | Calcium: 226mg | Iron: 2.2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angèle says

      February 13, 2025 at 9:51 am

      Greetings! I keep scrolling and I don’t see the formal recipe with measurements and amounts of each ingredient. Please advise. Thank you! Can’t wait to try this recipe out.

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        February 15, 2025 at 2:34 pm

        Hi Angéle, if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you'll see a recipe card with all the ingredients and measurements. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

        Reply
    2. Shameka Walker says

      January 19, 2025 at 7:27 pm

      What can I use instead of ground crayfish powder, because I have a shellfish allergy😊

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        January 21, 2025 at 10:21 am

        Hi Shameka, you can actually skip it. It adds more flavor to the dish but it will taste just as amazing without it!

        Reply
    3. SUMMER LYNN says

      December 17, 2024 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for the first time tonight. I didn't have access to goat so I used chicken breast. The flavor is phenomenal! I've been wanting to expand our culinary tastes and I can't wait to try more of your recipes!!! Thank you so much!!

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        December 31, 2024 at 12:40 pm

        You're so welcome, Summer!

        Reply
      • Agota says

        January 09, 2025 at 7:22 am

        Amazing recipe, thank you so much for sharing it.I added some chicken thighs.

        Reply
        • Tayo Oredola says

          January 21, 2025 at 10:26 am

          I'm glad you enjoyed it, Agota!

          Reply
    4. Roslyn Ballard says

      October 24, 2024 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Tayo,
      This is delicious! Like others I mad a couple adjustments. I didn’t have spinach and didn’t want to waste the delicious kale & watermelon radish tops I received from my CSA order. I also used a vegan ground meat I make from cauliflower, walnuts & mushrooms. Since I didn’t have crayfish, I used wakame (dried seaweed). The flavor was amazing, and it really is a very versatile dish. I will definitely make it again with spinach because I have had African Spinach Stew and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        November 26, 2024 at 9:29 pm

        Hi Roslyn, I love how you made it your own with those creative swaps! So glad it worked out well for you!

        Reply
    5. Toks says

      October 06, 2024 at 5:40 pm

      Hi Tayo how are you? Toks here. I am currently on a low carb diet and therefore being mindful of nutrition, your recipes have been very useful and helpful in calculating the nutritional content of popular Nigerian dishes. Just wanted to confirm, is the nutritional content listed above per serving? Thanks

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        November 26, 2024 at 9:38 pm

        Hi Toks, yes it's per serving.

        Reply
    6. Madoka says

      April 17, 2024 at 2:30 am

      Wow, wow, wow! Thank you for the great recipe! I didn’t have ground crayfish, so I added shrimp sauce instead …I think it worked well. It was really delicious.

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        May 13, 2024 at 9:46 pm

        I'm thrilled you loved the recipe and made it work with what you had! Shrimp sauce sounds like a delicious substitute for ground crayfish. Thanks for sharing your tweak—it might inspire others too!

        Reply
    7. Santana says

      March 16, 2024 at 10:07 am

      5 stars
      Easy to make - I didn’t use the ground crayfish because it’s against our dietary guidelines but without it , it’s still delicious!

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        May 13, 2024 at 9:58 pm

        Glad it was still delicious without the crayfish. Thanks for sharing your experience!

        Reply
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    4.88 from 65 votes (40 ratings without comment)

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