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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. nia says

      July 05, 2022 at 11:03 pm

      Hi, what type of mushrooms do you recommend for the vegan version?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        July 12, 2022 at 12:31 pm

        Hi Nia, I use baby bella mushrooms but any will do!

        Reply
    2. Jay says

      April 30, 2022 at 3:46 am

      Hi. Can you use another oil to replace palm oil? I avoid anything with palm oil,given how it is sourced and damage it does to our environment. Really want to make this minus palm oil. Any suggestions please?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        May 08, 2022 at 8:27 pm

        Yes, you can use any oil.

        Reply
    3. Swt missy says

      February 18, 2022 at 5:03 pm

      I made this today for my guest, along with yam. Smoke turkey and chicken stew. This meal was delightful. Thanks

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        February 28, 2022 at 8:35 am

        You're so welcome!

        Reply
    4. Kevin JCJD Symons says

      October 03, 2021 at 12:54 am

      5 stars
      We used goat meat, with beetroot leaves, and this developed a wonderful, rich stew. The sauce was flavoursome and tasted rather in a creamy up-market French-style. Next time I shall add mushrooms!

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        October 03, 2021 at 11:43 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Kevin! Thanks for your feedback!

        Reply
    5. Trishe says

      March 13, 2021 at 3:34 pm

      I bought some palm oil from an Indian based store & I’ve never bought it before but it has a .... different smell. Is that normal?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        March 14, 2021 at 1:34 pm

        Hi Trishe, yes it has a distinct smell compared to olive oil. As long as it does not have any black or weird color (it should just be red), it is still good.

        Reply
        • Trishe says

          March 19, 2021 at 7:30 pm

          5 stars
          Ok, I have made this two days in a row.. I love it!

          Reply
          • Tayo says

            March 21, 2021 at 12:57 am

            It's a keeper for sure. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Trishe!

    6. Bambi b says

      February 01, 2021 at 1:48 am

      5 stars
      Simply amazing!! Will cook again thank you!!

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        February 01, 2021 at 10:13 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Bambi! Have a blessed day!

        Reply
    7. Synamon says

      January 30, 2021 at 1:43 pm

      Hi! I plan to make this tomorrow. I bought some palm oil from the store and it was hardened is this normal? If so do I get it to liquify?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        January 31, 2021 at 12:11 am

        Yes, palm oil sometimes solidifies at room temperature. To melt it, scoop some into a pot on low heat and it will melt in no time.

        Reply
        • Synamon says

          February 02, 2021 at 3:55 pm

          5 stars
          Thank you. I made it and it was DELICIOUS. I used leftover smoked Turkey. Thank you so much for this recipe I’ll def be making it again. I haven’t eaten it with rice yet but maybe tomorrow for lunch.

          Reply
          • Tayo says

            February 02, 2021 at 9:32 pm

            I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it, Synamon! I bet it was awesome with leftover smoked turkey 😀

      • amaya says

        February 26, 2021 at 11:53 am

        yes if it is hard just let it it

        Reply
        • amaya says

          February 26, 2021 at 11:56 am

          How long do yo cook the meat if it is beef

          Reply
          • Tayo says

            March 02, 2021 at 1:48 am

            It should take 30-40 depending on how tough the beef is.

      • Folake says

        November 23, 2021 at 8:34 pm

        5 stars
        Ti Nhu - Delicious.

        Reply
    8. Ava Gordon says

      January 27, 2021 at 1:27 am

      5 stars
      I made this and I have to say this is a very flavorful dish..omg.. My taste buds were dancing.. I am Jamaican but I love African food.. Next time I make this stew I shall cut Down on the pepper tho..lol.. Thanks for such wonderful dish..i will try more..

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        January 27, 2021 at 11:34 am

        Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Ava! I hope you enjoy my other dishes!

        Reply
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    Trackbacks

    1. bahis siteleri says:
      Jun 10, 2022 at 8:30 am

      perfect

      thank you for a very good article

      Reply
    4.88 from 65 votes (40 ratings without comment)

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