Homemade Suya Spice
Published Jun 08, 2017
Updated Aug 10, 2023
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Trust me when I say you need this homemade suya spice recipe in your life! Use it to make Beef Suya, Epic Chicken Wings, or Cameroonian Soya Without Skewers.
What Is Suya?
Suya or soya is the quintessential West African street food that is made up of well-spiced grilled pieces of meat that are mostly placed on a skewer.
In Nigeria, it is called suya, in Cameroon, it is called soya, in Ghana, it is called, “chinchinga”.
In French it is called, “les brochettes”. It is also known as “beef kebab” or “kabob”. It is one of my guilty pleasures – so tasty and a little addicting.
Street Food At Home
The Hausa men who usually sell suya on the streets have had a fair share of my money. I have bought a lot of suya in my lifetime.
When I moved to the United States, I had to find a way of making my eat-suya dreams a reality. So I started experimenting with making soya at home. Sometimes, I would marinate the meat with freshly ground spices and you can see how I do that in this video.
At other times, I would attempt to mimic the signature suya spice (or soya pepper) that the Hausa men who sell the BBQ meat always use.
In the beginning, I was mostly disappointed with my results because the spice was not just suya-ish as I expected.
But I’m not one to give up especially when that concerns trying a new recipe. So I kept testing and tweaking until finally, I have the perfect suya spice recipe. Somebody praise the Lord!
Ingredients For Homemade Suya Spice
The three main ingredients needed for Homemade Suya Spice are:
- Roasted peanut powder: Peanuts are also known as groundnuts in Central and West Africa.
- Ginger powder: Ginger powder adds a unique flavor
- Hot pepper powder: Cayenne pepper powder would work here
Other ingredients for Suya Spice Include:
- Salt
- Maggi (or bouillon powder) will give you a great suya spice
- White or black pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika, for some color. Smoked paprika will add smokiness
Homemade Suya Spice Is Better
And let me tell you, this suya spice is soooo TASTY. When using it, you do not need to add anything to your meat.
I compared it with packaged suya spice I bought from the African store and it is farrrrr better. It is fresh and full of flavour while the store-bought version is so flat and smells a little moldy. So homemade suya spice over store-bought any day!
You could use this suya spice to marinate meat, fish, or chicken. It is a must-have for your kitchen shelf! If you do not want it hot, omit the hot pepper.
I currently have two versions at home – the one with hot pepper and the one without. The one without is for my kids and the one with the heat is for the Mr. N and I.
Watch The Video
I made a video in which I demonstrate how you can make your own homemade suya at home and you know, be your own spice guru!
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Watch how to make homemade suya spice:
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SubscribeMore African Recipes To Try
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- Vitumbua โ East African Coconut Rice Pancakes
- African Chicken Stew
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- How To Make Puff Puff
- Cameroonian Pepper Soup
If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!
Homemade Suya Spice
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup ginger powder
- 1/4 cup peanut powder substitute with ground peanuts (groundnuts). Use a cloth to squeeze out oil from the groundnuts before use
- 2 small cubes Maggi (seasoning cube)
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small blender cup or coffee grinder then blend them until well combined.
- Pass the blend through a fine sieve.
- Put in an airtight container and keep for use. You could also freeze it if you want.
- Use this soya spice to rub on skewered meat before grilling or use as a marinade for chicken or fish.
Notes
Nutrition
I’m so happy that you are interested in making one of my recipes! If you make this, be sure to tag me in a photo on Instagram: @preciouscore or share with me on my Facebook page: Facebook.com/preciouscore.
We are so blessed to have people like you who could make seemingly complicated cooking very simple.
Suya is part of my life and for quite some time I have not been able to enjoy it in the land far away from home.
Now I can spend the rest of my day trying it out.
your family is blessed to have you.
Thank you so much for your kind words. So glad to be able to help!
I made my water fufu thanks to you.
This makes me so happy, Mirabel! Thanks for the feedback.
OMG!! I have died and gone to heaven! This is fabulous!
We are always on the look out for authentic food recipes to make at home in an area where “steak rules”!
This ones a keeper!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
(Oh dear, so many exclamation points! Haha, what can I say?)
Haha, I can feel your excitement, Tracie! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know.
3 and a half years and still using this recipe in regular rotation. My vegetarian daughter loves it on grilled paneer! We personally love it rubbed on boneless but skin-on chicken thighs! So amazing!
So glad you love it Tracie! Thanks for the feedback!
I visited Ghana for the holidays as my husbandโs family is from there. I instantly fell in love with the beef skewers at the beach! I was craving this recipe and I found yours. It turned out pretty flavorful but next time I would omit or reduce the Ginger powder… it overpowered the rest.
Will definitely make this again!
Thanks for the review, Sandra!
Hello!
I would like to make this and freeze some. How long will it keep in the freezer?
Thank you!
Hi Kristina, you can keep it for up to 4 months in the freezer. Be sure to put the suya spice in an airtight bag/container. Hope this helps and so sorry for the late reply.
Andy, I used an organic chicken bouillon in place of the Maggi cubes and it was great! Also if you are concerned at keeping it fresh you can get a lot of these in powdered form from Penzy’s Spices, always fresh with great aroma.
Thanks for these ideas, Tricia!
I like to use natural ingredients if possible, So, if I use fresh ginger, garlic, and onion how do I measure them. Also, is there a good substitute for Maggi cubes? I am dying to try this recipe. Loos fantastic.
Hi Andy, the spice is a powder so not sure how fresh ingredients will work here. Perhaps you could dry them yourself and use the exact quantities mentioned in the recipe. You could substitute Maggi cubes with bouillon powder. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! You are a lifesaver and a God sent. God bless you!
God bless you too, Ama. Thanks for your kind words!
Finally got a chance to make this and it did NOT disappoint! YUMM!! I thinly sliced some beef and it was AMAZING! Thank you so much for posting. I’m going to share my spice mix with a friend who eats goat meat I think he will enjoy it as well.
So glad to hear that you loved the suya spice. Yes, it will be great on goat meat! Thanks for the feedback!
Yes! I use a powdered chicken bullion and I thought it might be a good substitute but wasn’t sure. Thank you! I look forward to making this and trying it out cause it sounds delish!
It is truly delish, Tricia! Please let me know when you try it!