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Kuli Kuli (Groundnut Cake) substitute

Best substitute

Powdered Peanut Butter or Defatted Peanut Flour

Use the same amount by volume as the kuli kuli (groundnut cake) you are replacing

Best for suya spice (yaji)

Close match

For kuli kuli powder in suya spice (yaji), the best swap is unsweetened powdered peanut butter or defatted peanut flour, used 1:1 - both are dry and absorbent the way crushed kuli kuli is. Dry-roasted unsalted peanuts pulsed briefly in a grinder come closest on flavour but carry oil, so the spice mix clumps. For a peanut-free version, toasted sunflower seed meal works. As a snack to eat by the handful, nothing else has the same fried crunch.

Other kuli kuli (groundnut cake) substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Kuli Kuli (Groundnut Cake) with ratios

  1. 2Dry-Roasted Unsalted Peanuts, Pulsed Dry

    Different texture

    Use the same amount by volume

    Plain roasted peanuts broken down in short pulses in a spice grinder or blender.

    What changes
    Best for
    suya spice, peanut soups, sprinkling over roasted plantain or abacha

    Closest on flavour, because it is the same nut roasted hard. The catch is oil: peanuts release fat within seconds of grinding, so pulse in one-second bursts, grind them together with a spoonful of the chilli and ginger from your yaji to keep the mixture dry, and sieve out any paste. A yaji made this way tastes richer but clumps in the jar and does not keep as long.

  2. 3Roasted Peanut Flour

    Different texture

    Use the same amount by volume

    Finely milled roasted peanut meal, sold in African, Asian and specialist baking aisles.

    What changes
    Best for
    yaji, groundnut soup, thickening West African stews

    Sits between the two options above: drier than home-ground peanuts, more toasted than powdered peanut butter. Its texture is finer than crushed kuli kuli, so a suya rub made with it coats the meat in a smooth layer rather than the slightly gritty crust kuli kuli gives.

  3. 4Toasted Sunflower or Pumpkin Seed Meal

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by volume

    Seeds toasted dry in a pan, cooled completely, then pulsed to a coarse meal.

    What changes
    Best for
    peanut-free suya spice, nut-free garnishes, school-safe snacks

    The practical answer for a peanut allergy. Sunflower gives a nutty, faintly bitter savouriness and a greyer, less appetising colour; pumpkin seed is greener and grassier. Neither has the sweet-roasted peanut character, so add a pinch of extra ground ginger and chilli to the yaji to push the flavour forward. Cool the seeds fully before grinding or they turn pasty.

  4. 5Dry-Blitzed Cashews or Almonds

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by volume

    Roasted unsalted cashews or almonds pulsed to a coarse crumb.

    What changes
    Best for
    garnishing salads and abacha, milder spice rubs

    Fine as a crunchy topping, weaker as a suya component. Cashew is sweeter and much milder, almond drier and more papery, and neither has the earthy depth that makes yaji taste like yaji. Use them when you want crunch on a plate rather than flavour in a blend.

  5. 6Nothing Really Replaces It as a Snack

    Different texture

    Kuli kuli eaten on its own, or crumbled over garri and abacha, relies on being deep-fried.

    What changes
    Best for
    knowing when to stop substituting

    Nothing in a Western supermarket has that specific hard, hollow, greaseless crunch that comes from frying a defatted peanut paste. If you just want something to eat, roasted salted peanuts are the least-bad option: same flavour family, completely different bite. If you want the flavour in cooking, use one of the powders above and accept that the crunch is the part you cannot buy.

What is Kuli Kuli (Groundnut Cake)?

Kuli Kuli (Groundnut Cake) is a crunchy West African snack made by grinding roasted peanuts, pressing most of the oil out, then shaping and deep-frying the dry paste into sticks or rings; crushed into suya spice it carries the peanut flavour and, because it is defatted, soaks up meat juices so the rub grips the beef instead of sliding off it.

Cooking tips

  • In suya spice, kuli kuli does two jobs at once: it carries the peanut flavour and, because it is defatted, it absorbs meat juices so the rub grips the beef instead of sliding off. Any swap that brings oil with it changes how the rub behaves, not just how it tastes.
  • Shop-bought kuli kuli is usually already salted and often peppered, so taste your blend before adding salt. Powdered peanut butter and plain peanut flour are unseasoned, which means a straight swap will taste under-salted until you correct it.
  • If you are grinding your own peanuts, freeze them for 20 minutes first and pulse in short bursts. Warm nuts and a running blade give you peanut butter in about ten seconds.
  • For a homemade approximation of kuli kuli powder: roast peanuts until deep brown, rub off the skins, blitz coarsely, then press the ground nuts between sheets of kitchen paper to blot out as much oil as you can before mixing them into your spice blend.
  • Whatever you use, store the finished yaji airtight and away from heat. Ground nuts and seeds carry oil that goes rancid quickly, and a stale, cardboard-tasting suya rub is a common and avoidable problem.
  • Kuli kuli is also crumbled coarsely over abacha, soaked garri and salads. There you want visible chunks, so break it rather than grinding it - and if you are substituting, chopped roasted peanuts read better on the plate than any powder.

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave kuli kuli out of suya spice?

Yes. A yaji of ground chilli, ginger, garlic, onion powder, a little bouillon and salt still makes recognisable suya. What you lose is the peanut body: the rub will be looser, thinner on the meat and sharper on the tongue, because there is nothing rounding out the chilli. Use a slightly lighter hand with the oil on the meat, since kuli kuli normally soaks some of it up.

Is kuli kuli the same as peanut butter?

No, and this is the key difference. Peanut butter keeps its oil, so it is soft and rich. Kuli kuli has most of the oil pressed out before frying, which is why it is dry, hard and crunchy. That is also why powdered or defatted peanut butter, not the regular jar, is the closer substitute in any dry spice mix.

What is the best kuli kuli substitute for a peanut allergy?

Toasted sunflower seed meal is the most practical, with toasted pumpkin seed meal a close second. Both bring nutty savouriness without peanuts. Neither tastes like peanut, so the finished suya is a different, still very good thing rather than an imitation - increase the ginger and chilli a little to compensate.

Can I make kuli kuli powder at home?

You can get most of the way there. Roast raw peanuts until properly brown and fragrant, rub off the skins, grind coarsely in short pulses, then blot the ground nuts firmly between kitchen paper to remove oil. It will not have the fried crunch of real kuli kuli, but as a component in yaji it works well.

Is kuli kuli the same as groundnut cake?

Yes - kuli kuli, kulikuli, groundnut cake and peanut cake all refer to the same thing, with names and shapes varying across Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Cameroon. Some markets sell it as sticks, some as flat rounds, some already crushed as kuli kuli powder for spice blends.

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