Nigerian Recipes

Nigerian cooking spans centuries of regional tradition, vibrant spice blends, and weeknight-friendly techniques. Below are our tested Nigerian recipes — each with calories, per-serving cost, and step-by-step instructions designed to actually fit a busy kitchen.

vegan

Nigerian Jollof Rice

4.9 (142)

Smoky, deeply flavored one-pot rice with tomato, scotch bonnet, and bay. the dish that starts arguments in every African household, here in its simplest weeknight form.

Time: 55 min
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 380 kcal
Cost per serving: $1.45/serving

gluten free

Nigerian Egusi Soup

4.9 (89)

Rich melon-seed stew with leafy greens, smoked fish, and palm oil. the Sunday afternoon soup that anchors a Nigerian table. Serve with pounded yam or fufu.

Time: 1 hr 10 min
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 520 kcal
Cost per serving: $4.20/serving

gluten free

Suya (Nigerian Spicy Beef Skewers)

4.9 (76)

West Africa's street-grill classic. thinly sliced beef coated in yaji peanut spice mix, charred over fire. Serve with sliced onion, tomato, and lime.

Time: 37 min
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 410 kcal
Cost per serving: $5.10/serving

vegetarian

Puff Puff (Sweet Nigerian Doughnuts)

4.8 (58)

Pillowy, golden-fried sweet dough balls. the snack at every Nigerian party. Dust with sugar, eat warm.

Time: 1 hr 45 min
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 280 kcal
Cost per serving: $0.60/serving

vegetarian

Moin Moin (Steamed Bean Pudding)

4.7 (41)

Savory steamed pudding from blended black-eyed peas, peppers, and onions. a Nigerian breakfast staple high in plant protein and full of flavor.

Time: 1 hr 30 min
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 290 kcal
Cost per serving: $1.20/serving

vegan

Akara (Nigerian Bean Fritters)

4.7 (39)

Crispy outside, fluffy inside. Lagos street-corner breakfast made from peeled black-eyed peas, peppers, and onions, fried golden. Eat with hot pap or bread.

Time: 45 min
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 240 kcal
Cost per serving: $0.90/serving

vegetarian

Fried Plantain & Spicy Eggs

4.8 (32)

Sweet caramelized ripe plantain alongside scrambled eggs with peppers and onions. the breakfast you'll wish you grew up eating.

Time: 25 min
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 480 kcal
Cost per serving: $2.10/serving

vegan

Chapman (Nigerian Cocktail)

4.8 (56)

Lagos's favorite mocktail. bittersweet, citrusy, deeply red. Blackcurrant cordial, Fanta, Sprite, lime, bitters. Refreshing as a Saturday afternoon in Ikoyi.

Time: 5 min
Servings: 1 servings
Calories: 180 kcal
Cost per serving: $1.40/serving

vegan

Zobo (Nigerian Hibiscus Drink)

4.8 (71)

Tart, ruby-red drink steeped from dried hibiscus petals with ginger, pineapple, and clove. vitamin C–rich, vegan, refreshing, and uniquely West African.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 80 kcal
Cost per serving: $0.40/serving

Nigerian Meat Pie

4.8 (73)

Flaky golden pastry stuffed with peppery seasoned beef, potato, and carrot. the street-side hand pie that defines Nigerian small chops.

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 320 kcal
Cost per serving: $1.05/serving

Fish Roll

Flaky golden pastry wrapped around a savory tuna or sardine filling — the Nigerian small-chops staple sold at every bus park and birthday party. Sausage-roll shape, fish flavor, and gone in two bites.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.50/serving

Plantain Chips

Thinly sliced unripe plantain deep-fried until golden and crisp, then lightly salted. A popular Nigerian snack with a satisfying crunch, sold in bags across Lagos markets and eaten as a side or standalone munch.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.50/serving

Meat Pie

A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often with other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.50/serving

Samosa And Spring Roll

A signature small chops recipe — detailed prep, ingredient mapping, and finishing technique by the RecipeCrave kitchen team.

Time: 40 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.20/serving

Asun Rice

Asun rice is enjoyed by all parts of Nigeria, Asun, or peppered goat flesh, is another choice when we become sick of eating roasted or fried goat meat. You won't get bored of it if the correct ingredient is added to it.

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Smokey Jollof Rice

There isn't a West African meal that is more well-known than jollof rice. It is delicious, which is why it is so well-liked.

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Native Rice

Native Jollof rice originates from Nigeria, but it differs from the traditional Nigerian Jollof in the type of oil used and some of its other

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Suya Rice

Suya is enjoyed by all part of Nigeria, and Yes we can incorporate it into our smoky jollof rice or any other rice

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Jambalaya Rice

The ingredients for the one-pot cuisine jambalaya are rice, meat or seafood, and veggies. Jambalaya, which has French and Spanish origins, is quite comparable to paella and also similar to our jollof rice.

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Atama Banga

There are 3 different regions I have explored that use palm kernels to make soups. For igbo indigens, they call it Ofe Akwu and is primarily eaten with rice, while Delta indigens call it banga soup and it is commonly made with beretete and the soup is quite thick in consistency and lastly Akwa Ibom and Crossriver indigens call it atama soup which is a lot runnier in consistency and is commonly made with atama leaves .Banga soup is popularly consumed by the people of Delta state. it is mostly eaten with starch. Banga soup is very similar to ofe aku of the igbos

Time: 50 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $3.20/serving

Shawarma

Marinated meat — chicken, beef, or lamb — slow-roasted on a vertical spit until caramelised and juicy, then shaved and wrapped in flatbread with pickled vegetables, hummus, and garlic sauce. Street food perfected.

Time: 25 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.20/serving

Yamarita

Yamarita is a very interesting way of elevating yam — even children who wouldn't normally touch plain yam will totally love this egg-battered, deep-fried treat.

Time: 25 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.20/serving

Owo

Urhobo people from Delta State in Nigeria adore the soup known as "Urhobo Owo." It pairs well with starch, boiled yam, boiled plantains, and yellow garri. Whatever you prefer, Owo Soup won't let you down!

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Ogbono

Ogbono soup is a delicious and incredibly simple to make Nigerian concoction soup. A meaty and filling stew cooked with Ogbono seeds (wild mango seeds) and simmered in a delectable light broth.

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Efo Riro

since Efo Riro is one of Nigeria's most well-known vegetable soups and a favourite of the Yoruba people, it doesn't need an introduction. As long as you adhere to the main guidelines and prerequisites, making this dish is rather simple.

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Seafood Okra

Seafood Okra soup is simply Okra soup made with seafood, such as fish, prawns, or crab. Okra soup continues to be one of my all-time favourite soups. whether it's simple Okra stew or something more elegant. It always tastes delicious no matter how it is prepared.

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Oha Soup

Ora (Oha) soup is native to the South Eastern Nigeria. It is a very traditional soup similar to the bitterleaf soup but cooked with Ora leaves

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Ofe Owerri

The Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria are known for their traditional vegetable soup called Ofe Owerri. As you might have guessed, Ofe Owerri is peculiar to the people of Owerri in particular. "Ofe" means soup, and "Owerri" is the capital of Imo state in South Eastern Nigeria.

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Fisherman Soup

Anywhere there is a body of water, such as a river, sea, ocean, or lake, the local populations frequently link it with a fishermen stew or soup. Best fish of choice are; fresh croaker, catfish and barracuda fish. Their flavour profiles are unique and makes the soup taste even better. It also helps the appearance as

Time: 1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.00/serving

Buka Stew

Nigerian buka stew, also known as "bukas," is a delectable palm oil stew created with a combination of tomatoes and peppers that is frequently served alongside simple foods like rice, beans, and soup combinations.

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.50/serving

Ofe Akwu

I will call this the stew version of banga . just as banga is to the rivers people ofe aku is to the eastern people.

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.50/serving

Ofada Sauce

One of the many types of stew that we eat in Nigeria is called Ayamase stew, also known as Ofada stew or the Nigerian designer stew. This stew's distinctively excellent flavour comes from the use of green coloured peppers and onions, as well as from the usage of local spices such locust beans.

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Servings: 6 servings
Cost per serving: $4.50/serving

Grilled Fish And Bole

The same marinade used for the grilled fish and grilled turkey recipes can be used As the wet rub for the fish and bole in this recipe

Time: 50 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $5.50/serving

Naan Bread

Naan is a leavened flatbread that is typically served in the cuisines of Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Caribbean. It can be cooked in the oven or fried on a tawa.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.40/serving

Stuffed Masa

Masa is commonly eaten by the northern Nigeria, it is made from rice and often enjoyed as a breakfast or snacks

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.40/serving

Isi Ewu

Isi ewu is a fiery Igbo delicacy of goat head slow-cooked until tender, then tossed in a sauce of ground crayfish, ehuru, utazi leaves, and palm oil. Rich, peppery, and deeply aromatic — served at celebrations and in specialist restaurants across eastern Nigeria.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.40/serving

Basmati Rice With Goat Meat

Fragrant basmati rice cooked alongside slow-braised goat meat in a spiced tomato and onion base. The rice absorbs the rich goat stock as it cooks, making every grain savoury and deeply flavoured. A hearty Nigerian-inspired one-pot meal.

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.40/serving

Nkwobi

Nkwobi is a special delicacy eaten by the eastern Nigerians, it is mostly enjoyed with a bottle of chilled beer

Time: 35 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.40/serving

Cowtail And Plantain

It is simple to create and requires only basic ingredients. The cowtail is mostly responsible for this dish's distinctive flavour. With a cowtail, you can never go wrong. Although it is greasy, the flavour and aroma are orgasmic. A test will persuade you.

Time: 55 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.80/serving

Fried Beans

Nigerian Fried Beans is so delicious that even those who do not like beans enjoy it!

Time: 55 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.80/serving

Ekpang Nkukwo

The Efiks (Cross River) and the Ibibios (Akwa Ibom State) have a delectable dish called Ekpang nkukwo, which is made from a mixture of cocoyam, water yam, and leaves. In Cross Rivers, it is heavily eaten by nearly all new mothers or anyone getting ready to get married.

Time: 55 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.80/serving

Tropical Juice

A blend of fresh mango, pineapple, passion fruit, and a squeeze of lime — the kind of juice that tastes like a vacation. No added sugar; the fruit does all the work.

Time: 55 min
Servings: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $2.80/serving