Homemade Suya Spice

4.91 from 10 votes
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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.

Suya spice on a wooden spoon.

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.

soya spice ingredients (1 of 1)

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:

  1. Roasted peanut powder: Peanuts are also known as groundnuts in Central and West Africa.
  2. Ginger powder: Ginger powder adds a unique flavor
  3. 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
Nigerian suya spice recipe

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.

A wooden spoon filled with West African Suya spice.

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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Suya spice on a wooden spoon.

Homemade Suya Spice

4.91 from 10 votes
How to make the spice blend for a popular West African street food – roadside grilled meat.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 10 tablespoons

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

Store in an airtight jar and shake before each use.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: African
Calories: 57
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!
suya/soya spice blend

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.


About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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52 Comments

  1. AMAZING! Took me down memory lane to my childhood in Ghana… the best time of my life! Thnx so much for sharing. Love it ooooo xxx

    1. Hi Erica, you could just leave out the peanut powder and use the other seasonings. It will still taste great! Reduce the amount of salt the recipe calls for so it isn’t too salty.