Suya Spice

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated January 28, 2026

  • Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
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Ready In
5 min
Rating
5(24)
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Nomadic communities across the vast Sahel and Savannah regions of West Africa developed suya spice as a way to preserve ingredients without refrigeration while traveling long distances. Also known as yaji, it starts with kuli-kuli, baked or fried sun-dried peanut cakes, and pulverizes them with a mix of fresh or dried onion, ginger, garlic and chiles. The blend can vary depending on the ratio of spices and the heat level should be based on personal preference. The best modern versions consistently highlight the earthy and robust depth of roasted nuts and spices and evokes the smoky essence of grilled meat — even in meatless applications. In this streamlined version, smoked paprika delivers that note and roasted peanuts capture the richness of kuli-kuli. Typically used to marinate meat and fish, it also serves as a finishing sprinkle for those dishes as well as steamed vegetables, dumplings and breads.

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Ingredients

Yield:¼ cup

  • ¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts

  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 2 teaspoons onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

5 grams carbs; 66 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 32 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the peanuts, ginger, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and salt in a spice grinder or  mini food processor. Pulse to blend into a fine powder. 

  2. Step 2

    Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a month.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
24 user ratings
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Comments

Olli

@Gail M. Why would one even ask? Cooking is freedom. Change what you like :)

a.p.Templet

Needs chili.

Tassy

@Lindi I would used skinned peanuts. The skins have a somewhat bitter flavor.

Jay E

This is terrific stuff. I thought, 1/4 cup of peanuts sounds way too small a batch; plus the recipe only said “makes 4 servings.” Yah but, how *much* is that? I doubled the recipe and, oh boy, 1/4 cup peanuts is plenty. I wound up with about 1.25 cups of the final mix in a doubled recipe. || I also replaced half the paprika with chipotle powder, to keep the smoke but amplify the heat; and kicked in some piquin chile molido at the end. (I likes the spicy.) Love this mix and can’t wait to try it on everything, veggies too. Popcorn!

P Ellen from Chicago

I ordered a jar of Suya Spice from Amazon, JG Foods brand. The ingredients are Peanut(kulikuli), Ginger, Garlic, African Nutmeg, Clove, Black Pepper and Fennel.It was very peppery to taste, so much so that I gifted it to someone else. I don't have the resources to grind and mix my own spice mixes. Although I wanted to try the various NYT recipes using this, I have been dissuaded.

Sabra

@P Ellen from Chicago Those ingredients are different from those listed in pretty dramatic ways. Does anyone know which are more authentic?

OffToMarsForGood

This is a wonderful seasoning. Kudos to the person who mentioned peanut butter powder because preparing this seasoning was so much easier. I used PB2's Organic Pure. I noticed other suya spice recipes included a bouillon cube so I added 1/2 t. of MSG and omitted the salt. I added salt separately when I made the Suya Spice Salmon recipe, which I made with orange roughy because I had that on hand. Delicious!!

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