37 Nigerian Food Recipes You Need To Try

Nigeria is a rich and diverse country famous for many things ranging from its culture to its music and people. Still, one aspect of the country most people aren’t often familiar with is its many incredible cuisines. Nigerian food recipes are incredibly delicious.

From delicious rice and beans-based dishes to decadent stews and sauces from northern and southern parts of the country. And even irresistible snacks and desserts that’ll fast become a favorite, Nigerian food recipes have something for everyone and every occasion.

So, whether you’re preparing for your next trip to Nigeria or simply looking for a unique dish to spice up your meals, in this article, you’ll find some of the best Nigerian food recipes to dazzle your appetite.

Quick Table: Nigerian Food Recipes

Recipes	Calories Per Serving	Preparation Time
Akara	180	2 Hours 25 Minutes
Nigerian Salad	255	15 Minutes
Boli	118	55 Minutes
Abacha	400	25 Minutes
Gizdodo	275	1 Hour 30 Minutes
Amala	300	10 Minutes
Dundun	226	30 Minutes
Beans And Corn Porridge	380	3 Hours
Masa	416	16 Hours 10 Minutes
Pounded Yam	321	15 Minutes
Goat Meat Pepper Soup	532	55 Minutes
Efo-Riro	246	30 Minutes
Oafada Stew	184	55 Minutes
Puff-Puff	246	25 Minutes
Pap	200	8 Minutes
Asaro	460	35 Minutes
Soaked Garri	357	5 Minutes
Nigerian Tapioca Pudding	209	2 Hours 20 Minutes
Gbegiri Soup	409	2 Hours 10 Minutes
Jollof Spaghetti	418	40 Minutes
Egg Stew	265	20 Minutes
Fura Da Nono (Millet cereal Yogurt)	205	20 Minutes
Kunun Aya	109	12 Hours 5 Minutes
Shuku Shuku	358	25 Minutes
Nigerian Beef Stew	235	1 Hour 15 Minutes
Egusi Soup	321	50 Minutes
Nkwobi	182	40 Minutes
Moi-Moi	110.4	5 Hours 50 Minutes
Jollof Rice	418	1 Hour
Nigerian Meat Pie	327.6	1 Hour 10 Minutes
Nigerian Pancake	416	15 Minutes
Suya Beef Kebabs	249	45 Minutes
Seafood Okra	203	30 Minutes
Chin Chin	519	40 Minutes
Nigerian Fried Rice	310	45 Minutes
Nigerian Shawarma	1320	30 Minutes
Fish Pepper Soup	241	35 Minutes

1. Akara (Beans Fritters)

These delicious bean fritters have a lightly crispy exterior and soft and fluffy interior that will delight your taste buds. They are easy to make and are made from a fluffy batter consisting of peed black-eyed beans, onions, and peppers. 

Whether paired with breakfast porridge-like oats or enjoyed on their own, they are the perfect breakfast to make on weekends when you have some extra time on your hands.

They’re also a great vegan and low-carb dish you can enjoy guilt-free

Calories Per Serving: 180

Preparation Time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes 

2. Nigerian Salad

Looking for a hearty and filling salad you can whip up in less than 30 minutes? Enter the Nigerian salad. This creamy salad is packed full of everything needed to take your salad from boring to tasty. 

It features a mix of lettuce, cucumbers, pasta, baked beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage. All are coated in a creamy salad dressing you can make on your own or buy from the store.

Calories Per Serving: 255

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes 

3. Boli(Baked Ripe Plantains)

Boli is a classic street food enjoyed as a quick snack by most people, and it is a healthy and gluten-free way to enjoy the sweet taste of plantains. It features seasoned baked plantains with a crispy golden brown exterior. 

This dish is traditionally eaten with peanuts or some kind of stew, but you can enjoy them with guacamole as done in this recipe.

Calories Per Serving: 118

Preparation Time: 55 Minutes

4. Abacha (African Cassava Salad)

A rich and spice-filled salad, Abacha is a unique salad that’s common in the southeastern region of Nigeria. With a mix of shredded cassava, onions, crayfish eggplant, palm oil, peppers, calabash nutmeg, leaf greens, and any fish or meat of your choice, it is a loaded salad you can enjoy alone as a complete meal.

This salad traditionally uses potash for the base sauce, but if you cannot get your hands on some baking soda is a great substitute.

Calories Per Serving: 400

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes

5. Gizdodo

Known commonly as small chops, Gizdodo is an amazing combo that consists of fried plantains and chicken gizzards sauteed in a sauce made from bell peppers, thyme, curry, bouillon cubes, onions, and pureed tomatoes. 

It is often served as an appetizer on special occasions and parties and would make an excellent starter for your next dinner party. 

Be careful with the peppers when making this dish, as you don’t want your gizdodo to be overly spicy that it overwhelms the sweetness of the plantains.

Calories Per Serving: 275

Preparation Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes 

6. Amala

Few dishes unite the Nigerian people as much as Amala. From the north to the south, this delicacy is loved by everyone and is often eaten at lunch or dinner. It is essentially a thick pudding made from cooked yam flour and hot water. 

It is very easy to make and is often served with gbegiri soup or beef stews. 

This dish requires a lot of turning and mixing with a good quality spatula to combine the yam flour well and avoid any lumps. So, you’ll need a bit of elbow grease when making it.

Calories Per Serving: 300

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes 

7. Dundun (Fried Yams)

A savory and equally crispy alternative to french fries, dundun is a delicious street food. It can be eaten as a snack or paired with a  pepper sauce to make it a complete meal. It is really easy to make and consists of deep-fried plantain and yam slices.  

The pepper sauce that accompanies this dish is made from a tasty blend of tomatoes, onions, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper, and crayfish.

You can also bake the yam and plantains if you’re trying to reduce your fat and grease intake.

Calories Per Serving: 226

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

8. Beans And Corn Porridge

Also known as adalu, this beans and corn porridge is an amazing entree you can serve at dinner time. It is made from black eye beans and corn slow cooked with a mix of tomatoes, ginger, garlic, paprika, onions, crayfish, and palm oil. 

To make this delicacy even better, You can add some smoked turkey or fish, although it’s optional.

Although black eye beans are commonly used for this dish, you can use any beans you have on hand, whether it’s pinto or black beans.

Calories Per Serving: 380

Preparation Time: 3 Hours 

9. Masa (Rice Pancakes)

A rice pancake that’s filling enough to be eaten at any time of the day; Masa is a delicious dish that’s more commonly eaten in the northern parts of Nigeria. It is made from fermented rice batter combined with sugar and baking powder that is then fried in oiled masa pans that give the dish its signature round shape. 

It is a hard-to-resist dish with a lovely chewy texture and is versatile enough to be enjoyed alone or served with any sauce or stew you prefer.

It might be hard to find the traditional masa pan, but a great substitute is a pancake puff pan.

Calories Per Serving: 416

Preparation Time: 16 Hours 10 Minutes

10. Pounded Yam

Pounded yam is a mashed potato-like dish that belongs to a class of food Nigerians commonly refer to as swallow because each bite requires little chewing and is simply swallowed. 

As the name implies, pounded yam is traditionally pounded with a mortar and pestle to mash the yams into a dough-like consistency, but this recipe will save you all that stress. It is made from puna yam or African yams cooked till perfectly soft and blended in the food processor until smooth and thick.

It is typically not eaten alone and is served with soups like egusi or okra soup.

Calories Per Serving: 321

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes 

11. Goat Pepper Soup

Need a spicy soup you can cozy up with on a cold day? This goat pepper soup is the perfect savory comfort food.

With bold flavors that consist of goat meat, crayfish, peppers, onions, uziza leaves, and pepper soup spice all brought to a simmer, this spice-filled soup will delight your taste buds with every bite.

The goat pepper soup is great on its own or can be served with rice or bread.

Calories Per Serving: 532

Preparation Time: 55 Minutes 

12. Efo Riro (Sauteed Spinach)

A savory spinach stew that’s both easy to make and healthy, efo-riro is an amazing dish that will soon become your favorite way to eat your greens.

Chopped spinach is sauteed in a rich sauce made from pureed peppers, tomatoes, palm oil, black pepper, beef stock, and any meat or fish of choice.

As you can probably tell, Nigerians love their spice and peppers, so if you’re not a fan of spicy food, be sure to reduce the number of peppers used when making this dish.

Calories Per Serving: 246

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes 

13. Ofada Stew

Ask any Nigerian and they will tell you that there’s regular stew, and then there’s ofada stew. This flavor-packed stew is a delicacy made with bleached palm oil, locust beans, pureed peppers, meats, and any seafood of choice. 

Ofada stew gets its name from the ofada rice it is commonly served with, so if you can, take a trip to your local African store and get some ofada rice. Be sure to serve the stew over some cooked ofada rice to appreciate the dish fully.

Calories Per Serving: 184

Preparation Time: 55 Minutes 

14. Puff-Puff 

Puff-puff is a tasty street food that can be enjoyed as a dessert or paired with some tea as a light snack. It is made from a deep-fried dough that consists of yeast, flour, sugar, and salt. They are really easy to make and require minimal ingredients.

The signature look of puff-puff is the round tennis-ball shape, so if you want to get the perfect shape and size, a great hack is to pour the batter into a plastic or piping bag and then push out the dough directly into the oil from the bag.

Calories Per Serving: 246

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes 

15. Pap (Corn Pudding)

A tasty corn-based pudding served at breakfast or as a light snack during the day, pap is a custard-like dish made from fermented pap paste.

It is really easy to make, only requires a few steps, and is best served with Akara, although you can also add fruits and milk to make it a meal on its own.

When making the papa, ensure to continuously stir the pap paste at each step to avoid lumps in the pudding.

Calories Per Serving: 200

Preparation Time: 8 Minutes 

16. Asaro (Sweet Potato Porridge)

A sweet and savory porridge that melts in the mouth with each bite, Asaro is a great dish you can enjoy for lunch or dinner.

It is made from sauteed onions, sweet potatoes, peppers, curry, crayfish, fish, and palm oil, all brought to a simmer and lightly mashed with spinach.

You can make this porridge with any legume you prefer, so don’t hesitate to switch up the sweet potatoes with yams or russet potatoes.

Calories Per Serving: 460

Preparation Time: 35 Minutes

17. Soaked Garri

This sweet and tangy Nigerian cereal is a classic dish that can be eaten almost any time of the day. 

It is really easy to put together and requires no cooking. All you’ll need is a combination of garri  (cassava flakes), water, sugar, ice milk, and any other fruits and nuts you prefer as toppings.

Keep in mind that garri is known for swelling and doubling in size when soaked.  So it is important to avoid putting too much else you’ll end up with so much that you can’t finish.

Calories Per Serving: 357

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

18. Nigerian Tapioca Pudding

A creamy pudding with a sweetness that’s hard to resist. Nigerian tapioca pudding is made from tapioca pearls soaked and slow-cooked with coconut milk, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves. 

You can sweeten the pudding with sugar, agave nectar, or any other artificial sweetener of your choice.

The pudding is best served cold with nutmeg, nuts, fruits, and more milk.

Calories Per Serving: 209

Preparation Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes

19. Gbegiri (Honey Bean Soup)

This delicious soup is comfort food with a savory and sweet taste that will delight the palate with each bite. 

It is made from a cooked mixture of Nigerian honeyed beans, peppers, onions, and crayfish that are pureed and brought to a simmer with palm oil. Gbegiri is commonly served with swallow like amala or can be eaten alone. 

Nigerian honeyed beans are traditionally used because they have a natural sweetness, but regular black-eyed peas are also a great substitute.

Calories Per Serving: 409

Preparation Time: 2 hours 10 Minutes 

20. Jollof Spaghetti

A pasta dish with a Nigerian twist, Jollof spaghetti is a tasty Afro-fusion dish with all the traditional flavors of jollof rice all packed into rich and bright red tomato-based pasta. 

It consists of spaghetti brought to a simmer with a sauteed mixture of pureed peppers and tomatoes, onions, prawns, chicken, bouillon cubes, and tomato paste.

Calories Per Serving: 418

Preparation Time: 40 Minutes

21. Egg Stew

Looking for a unique way to enjoy your eggs? Turn them into this Nigerian-style egg stew. It is a savory and spice-filled stew made from eggs brought to a simmer with a fried mixture of coarsely blended peppers, onions, tomatoes, curry, and garlic.

It is such a versatile sauce that you can serve with rice or potatoes or enjoy on its own.

Calories Per Serving: 265

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes 

22. Fura Da Nono (Milet Cereal Yogurt)

A creamy and tangy gruel of ginger millet and fermented cow’s milk, fura da nono is a dish that’s common with the nomadic cattle-herding people of Northern Nigeria.

With it’s tangy yogurt-like texture, this millet-milk combo consists of spiced millet balls known as fura that are mashed and combined with nono milk.

Be sure to garnish the mixture with coconut shavings or other fruits of your choice.

Calories Per Serving: 205

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

23. Kunun Aya (Tigernut Drink)

A drink with a creamy and nutty flavor, kunun aya is a milk drink made from tiger nut, cinnamon, and cardamom pods.

It is really easy to make and can be enjoyed as a dairy-free milk substitute or sweetened with sugar and enjoyed as a cold drink at any time of the day.

You’ll need to soak the tiger nut with warm water overnight to soften them before blending. 

Calories Per Serving: 109

Preparation Time: 12 Hours 5 Minutes 

24. Shuku Shuku (Coconut Macaroons)

A crunchy street snack you can enjoy for dessert, shuku shuku is a highly addictive macaroon made from caramelized coconut flakes, sugar, egg yolks, and bread crumbs.

It is super easy to make and can be baked till golden brown or caramelized in a pan

Calories Per Serving: 358

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes 

25. Nigerian Beef Stew

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5207355810632238/

As you can probably tell by this point, Nigerians love their beef and spicy stews, and this Nigerian beef stew is a staple dish served with different other sides and rice dishes.

It is made from a simmered mix of pureed tomatoes, onions, peppers, oregano, thyme, and curry. The mixture is then cooked with beef chunks until they are tender and coated with the richness of the stew.

You can serve this stew with almost anything from rice and beans to pasta, so don’t hesitate to make some to store in the fridge and pair it with side dishes on busy weeknights.

Calories Per Serving: 235

Preparation Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes 

26. Egusi Soup

Egusi is a rich melon seed soup that’s a classic in most Nigerian households. It is made from a spice-filled combination of sauteed peppers, ground melon, smoked turkey, fish, prawns, beef stock, spinach, and palm oil.

This dish is best served with pounded yam or rice, and the best part is that you can subsite the spinach leaves with any other leafy green you prefer.

Calories Per Serving: 321

Preparation Time: 50 Minutes

27. Nkwobi(Sauteed Cow Trotters)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/66639269478987148/

A flavor-filled delicacy common in Nigeria’s eastern region. It is made from slow-cooked cow trotters combined with a bright red palm oil sauce made from ground peppers, crayfish, potash, and bullion cubes.

It is a mouth-watering dish you can serve alone or pair with rice or boiled yam for a filling meal.

Calories Per Serving: 182

Preparation Time: 40 Minutes

28. Moi Moi (Beans Pudding)

Moi-moi is another black eye beans based dish with a soft texture and incredible taste. It is made from a steamed mixture of pureed black-eyed beans, peppers, and onions. 

You can also add any other filling of choice like boiled eggs or fish into the mix to up the ante.

This recipe requires you to peel the black-eyed beans before blending, but if you’re looking for the easy way out, you can always use store-bought black-eye beans powder as they are usually already pre-peeled and blended.

Calories Per Serving: 110.4

Preparation Time: 5 Hours 50 Minutes 

29. Jollof Rice

A well-renowned spicy rice dish cherished by Nigerians in every part of the world, Jollof rice is a tasty entree with a smokey spice flavor.

With its eye-catching red hue, this dish is made from long grain rice simmered in a tomato sauce that consists of peppers, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, thyme, and curry.

It is a one-pot dish that’s fairly easy to put together and can be paired with sides like plantains or chicken.

Calories Per Serving: 418

Preparation Time: 1 Hour 

30. Nigerian Meat Pie

Nigerian Meat pies are hand pies that are very similar to empanadas. It is a savory pie with a tasty filling of minced beef, carrots, potatoes, onions, and pepper flakes; all tucked into a flaky pastry dough that’s baked till golden brown.

It is a delicious snack you’ll love with each bite.

Calories Per Serving: 327.6

Preparation Time: 1 Hour 10 Minute 

31. Nigerian Pancake

These pancakes are savor crepes with a spicy Nigerian twist. They consist of fried crepe-like pancakes with a brown and flaky exterior and peppers and onions for a hint of spice.

Calories Per Serving: 416

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

32. Suya (Beef Kebabs)

These skewered beef chunks are coated in a spicy peanut sauce and grilled to perfection. They have a nutty and lightly crispy exterior that will delight the senses with each bite, and they make a perfect side dish to pair with any meal.

Calories Per Serving: 249

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes 

33. Seafood Okra 

This seafood okra is a spice-filled stew you can serve with any swallow or enjoy as a hearty soup on its own. It is packed full of shrimp, smoked fish, dried fish, crayfish, periwinkle, grated okra, and pumpkin or spinach leaves.

It is so delicious that you’ll ask for seconds after one bite.

Calories Per Serving: 203

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

34. Chin Chin

Chin Chin is a sweet and crunchy snack that’s quite easy to make. It features little squares of fried dough made from flour, nutmeg, eggs, milk, sugar, baking powder, and butter.

It stores well at room temperature, so you can easily make a large batch and store them in cookie jars for a long time.

Calories Per Serving: 310

Preparation Time: 40 Minutes

35. Nigerian Fried Rice

Nigerian fried rice is a delicious dish commonly served on special occasions or Sunday dinners.

It is a savory and veggie-packed dish made from rice cooked in chicken stock and then stir-fried with carrots, peas, onions, sweet corn, bell peppers, livers, and shrimp.

This is the perfect dish for you if you’re looking for fried rice with more spice and flavor.

Calories Per Serving: 310

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

36. Nigerian Shawarma

Similar to the Arabic/ Mediterranean shawarma, Nigerian shawarma is a loaded pita wrap with a twist. 

It is a pita bread wrap with a moist and packed filling that consists of chicken breasts, sausages, cabbage, and carrot. It also contains a tasty sauce made from mayonnaise, ketchup, sriracha, lemon juice, and sugar. 

This wrap is so popular you’ll often find it sold at most restaurants and street food stalls.

Calories Per Serving: 1320

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes: 

37. Fish Pepper Soup

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/55028426685752022/

If you’re not a fan of goat meat or are on a pescetarian diet, this fish pepper soup is the seafood version of the goat pepper soup. It consists of fish chunks simmered in a spicy broth made of peppers, paprika, onions, basil, ginger, and cloves.

It is a great comfort food to serve on a cold day.

Calories Per Serving: 241

Preparation Time: 35 Minutes 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Nigeria’s Most Popular Food?

The most popular food in Nigeria is jollof rice.

This spicy rice dish is famous in most west African countries, but it is especially cherished in Nigeria as the country even has an ongoing friendly feud with other countries like Ghana over who has the best Jollof rice.

It is served at everything from parties to weddings and weekly Sunday dinners.

While different regions of the country might have slightly different answers when asked, for the most part, no matter where you are in Nigeria, you are sure to find some jollof rice on the menu.

Which Nigerian Food Is Healthy?

There are many healthy Nigerian foods you can try if you’re on a more health-conscious diet.

Most Nigerian dishes are made from nutrient and vitamin-rich vegetables, leafy greens, and proteins, so with each dish, there is a good balance of carbohydrates and vegetables. 

However, some great healthy options include efo-riro, moi-moi, bean porridge, and gbegiri soup.

What Is A Typical Nigerian Breakfast?

The most common Nigerian breakfast often consists of heavy carbohydrate-dense meals to help people get through the day.

These include dishes like yams and eggs sauce, corn, and grain-based pudding like pap or oatmeal are also commonly enjoyed with Akara or Moi Moi. Bread served with tea are also a standard breakfast people have on busy weekdays.