- Country of origin
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Category
- Soup
- Difficulty
- ●●○ Medium
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 40 min
- Servings
- 6 servings
Nutrition, per serving
Calculated from the raw ingredient quantities in the recipe below, divided by six servings.
Notable amounts: egusi soup is defined nutritionally by its seeds and its oil, not by starch. Ground egusi seeds alone contribute a large share of the protein and fat; the palm oil traditionally used adds most of the rest, including a substantial saturated-fat share. Fiber lands around 2 g per serving. Carbohydrate is genuinely low before the fufu, eba or pounded yam it’s traditionally served with, each of which adds significant calories and carbs on their own.
History
Egusi soup is a thick sauce made from egusi seeds (a variety of melon or squash grown for its protein-rich seeds rather than its flesh), ground and then simmered with palm oil, leafy greens (spinach, amaranth leaves), meat or dried fish, and spices seasoned with chili. This preparation is a staple of Nigerian cuisine, particularly among the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa peoples, as well as in neighboring countries like Ghana, Cameroon and Sierra Leone, each region adding its own nuances of spices and leafy greens.
Egusi seeds, rich in protein and fat, are an important nutritional source in traditional West African diets, dried and then ground into powder or a coarse paste before being incorporated into the sauce, where they play a thickening role comparable to a roux in other culinary traditions. Traditionally served with fufu, eba or pounded yam to scoop up the sauce, egusi soup remains one of the most commonly eaten dishes in Nigerian households on a daily basis, both in cities and in the countryside.
Ingredients — serves 6
- 300 g ground egusi seeds
- 500 g beef or dried fish
- 200 ml palm oil
- 2 handfuls spinach or amaranth leaves
- 1 onion, chili, stock
- Dried shrimp (optional)
Step-by-step Nigerian egusi soup recipe
- Cook the meat or dried fish in stock with the onion and chili until tender.
- Heat the palm oil in a large pot until very hot.
- Stir in the ground egusi seeds mixed with a little water, stirring constantly to form small clumps.
- Add the cooking stock from the meat gradually, stirring to avoid lumps.
- Stir in the cooked meat and dried shrimp, and let simmer over low heat for about fifteen minutes.
- Add the spinach or amaranth leaves right at the end of cooking, just long enough for them to wilt.
Cooking method
Technique: ground egusi seeds are stirred into hot oil constantly to form characteristic small clumps rather than a smooth texture.
Traditional equipment: large metal pot, traditional grinding stone for reducing the seeds to powder.
Tips: add the liquid gradually while stirring constantly when incorporating the egusi, to avoid forming large compact lumps.
Economic context
Egusi soup itself draws on staple, locally grown ingredients — melon seeds, leafy greens, palm oil — which keeps it firmly within everyday Nigerian cooking rather than a special-occasion dish, unlike some of the richer stews found elsewhere on this site.
Source: World Bank / FAO, Food Prices for Nutrition database (Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet) v4.0, 2024 data, CC BY 4.0, DOI 10.57966/41AN-KY81. Retrieved 29 July 2026. This figure describes the cost of a healthy diet in Nigeria generally — it is not a costing of this specific recipe.
Who this dish suits
Fits well with
- High-protein, high-fat eating patterns
- Diets built around whole seeds as a plant protein source
Worth knowing
- Very energy-dense at 760 kcal per serving, before the fufu or eba it’s usually eaten with
- 69 g of fat per serving, largely from palm oil, well above most daily reference values
- Low in fiber and carbohydrate relative to its calorie count
What about you?
In your opinion, where’s the best place or restaurant to enjoy good egusi soup?