Top Nigerian Soups You Will Love

The mouth-watering taste, aroma and all the orisirisi in Nigerian soups are to die for. It’s difficult to select the best soups in Nigeria because they are all delicious and nutritious in their unique ways. Apart from the greatness of their flavours, making your Nigerian soup at home is a great way to save money while maintaining the same nutritional value. Let’s delve into the top Nigeria soups you will love:

1. Ewedu Soup

Ewedu soup is a simple Nigerian soup from the Yoruba of South-West, Nigeria. The soup is majorly made with ewedu leaves (also known as jute or molokhia leaves) and simmered in boiling water.  It is usually accompanied by stew, meat, and amala. Optionally it is mixed with Gbegiri soup.

2. Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup is a widely known soup in Nigeria. Made from Egusi Seeds (cucurbitaceous plants), it is one of the most sought-after soups in Nigeria. Go to any events by Nigerians, if the caterers are serving soups, you can bet egusi must be there.

3. Bitter Leaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu)

Bitter leaf soup originated from Anambra State, in South-East Nigeria. It is a famous soup because it can be prepared in more than five different ways by various ethnic groups. Bitter leaf is the main vegetable, but in contrast, the soup is actually not bitter. All traces of bitterness are removed by squeezing and washing the leaves several times.

Other ingredients are cocoyam paste (or other thickening paste), red palm oil, dried fish, beef and tripe, crayfish, salt, seasoning cubes, and a traditional seasoning called ogiri igbo.

4. Afang Soups

Afang soup is one of the most recognised soups of the Efiks of Cross River State. The soup is beloved by many due to its richness in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Afang soup is made from water leaves, afang leaves, also known as okazi, dried fish, meat, onions, red palm oil, crushed crayfish, and spice cubes. It is absolutely delicious, and if you’ve never tasted it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

5. White Soup (Ofe Nsala)

This soup originated from the eastern region of Nigeria. It is made of utazi leaves and tiny pieces of yam. Catfish is the most popular protein for this soup, but you can make it with beef, chicken, goat meat, and other assorted proteins. Afia Efere is the related type of ofe nsala made by the Efik ethnic group. White Soup is best served with pounded yam or fufu.

6. Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)

Banga or ofe akwu is a flavorful Nigerian soup made with palm fruit, beef or dried fish, vegetables, and seasonings such as salt and chili pepper. The soup is traditionally paired with fufu, garri, pounded yam and other dishes. The name of the dish is derived from two words: ofe, meaning soup or stew, and akwu, meaning palm fruit. 

There are many variations of this soup, and is known under different names. For example, the Urhobo ethnic group of Delta State in the Niger Delta of Nigeria calls this soup oghwo amiedi, and they typically serve it with a cassava paste usi; the Isoko ethnic group calls it izuwo ibiedi; and in eastern Nigeria, banga soup goes by the name ofe akwu, where it’s served with rice and yam.

7. Ogbono Soups

Ogbono is a traditional Nigerian soup made with a combination of ogbono seeds, red palm oil, onions, stock, seasoning cubes, leafy vegetables such as spinach, pumpkin leaves, or bitterleaf, and assorted meat and fish such as beef, tripe, shrimp, and crayfish. The ingredients are simmered in an uncovered pot until fully tender, and the soup is then traditionally served hot with fufu, because the soup’s slimy consistency helps the lumps of fufu slide down. Ogbono has many versions, so it can also be made without vegetables or with Okro.

8. Efo-riro

Efo riro is a type of vegetable soup from South-West, Nigeria. The soup is made from Kale leaves, stock cubes, pumpkin leaves, onions, tomatoes, and assorted meat and fish. Efo riro is a widely popular dish among the Yoruba ethnic group and is very rich in proteins and vitamins. The name efo-riro means vegetable soup, and it is recommended to serve it with fufu, pounded yam or eba on the side.

9. Edikaikong Soup

Edikaikong is a Nigerian soup that is especially beloved because it is a valuable source of nutrition and vitamins. It is prepared with a combination of the following ingredients: crayfish, fish head stock, palm oil, ugwu leaves, waterleaf, Maggi cube, periwinkles, ofor, and onions. All of the ingredients can be used and some may be omitted depending on their availability. The name edikaikong means vegetable soup, and it is often served with eba, pounded yam, fufu, or wheat.

10. Oha Soup (Ora Soup)

Oha or Ora soup is a traditional soup from the Igbo people of Eastern Nigeria. The basic vegetable is Oha leaves, which are seasonal. These leaves are shredded by hand rather than using a knife or other sharp tool because it is said that chopping the leaves with a knife will make the soup bitter. In addition, cocoyam paste is mostly used to thicken the soup. However, you can use other thickeners such as achi or ofor. Assorted beef, dry fish, stockfish, ogiri, crayfish, and palm oil are other essential ingredients for the soup.

11. Gbegiri Soup

Gbegiri soup is another popular dish that originated from the Yoruba people of the South-West. The soup is primarily made with beans which are soaked, peeled, and mashed to a smooth paste. Then you can add other ingredients like smoked or fresh fish, ground crayfish, palm oil, stock, irú (locust beans), salt, and pepper. Ewedu is majorly served with ewedu soup, stewed meat (usually from a beef and chicken stew), and amala, fufu, tuwo shinkafa among other swallows.

12. Miyan Kuka

Miyan kukah is a traditional soup from Northern Nigeria. The soup is made with a combination of dried and ground baobab leaves as the main ingredient. Other common ingredients for the soup include dried okra, onions, oil, ginger, dried fish, locust beans, hot chili peppers, palm oil, and seasoning cubes. You can serve miyan kuka with tuwo shinkafa.

13. Okro Soup

There are a variety of ways of preparing this yummy dish, depending on the ethnic group you come from. The main ingredients are assorted meat, red palm oil, onions, stock, seasoning cubes, dry fish, stockfish, crayfish, and vegetables. You can also choose to cook okro with ogbono but that is optional. Adding other vegetables in your okro soup is also optional as you can choose to forgo them and the soup will still taste super yummy.

14. Fisher Man Soup

This is the Native soup of the Ikwerres of Rivers State. It is one of the currently trending dishes. The soup is primarily cooked with fresh fish and other seafood. Rivers people live in riverine areas so these ingredients are accessible. Their native soup is delightful to the eyes and the tongue. Try it and thank me later.

15. Black Soup

Black soup is the traditional soup of the Edo people. The soup is black in colour and so not so pleasing to the eyes. However, if you can look past the colour, believe me, you will want to eat it every day. Black soup is made with ground leafy vegetables, which gives it a black colour. Other ingredients of the soup are assorted meat, crayfish, dry fish, palm oil, salt and seasoning cubes.

Which of these Nigerian soups have you tried and which one is your favourite?