Benin | Snack

Kuli-Kuli

Name: Kuli-Kuli
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Benin, West Africa
Ingredients: 3 cups roasted peanuts, skins removed; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Crunchy groundnut crackers made by extracting the oil from peanut paste, then shaping and deep-frying the remaining cake. A beloved protein-rich snack.

Country

Benin

Region

West Africa

Time

45 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Benin recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 8

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Benin

5 steps 30 min prep 15 min cook (check method) 45 min total medium

Grind the peanuts

Blend roasted peanuts in a food processor until they form a thick paste, similar to peanut butter.

Extract the oil

Knead the paste vigorously, squeezing out as much oil as possible. The paste should become crumbly and dry. Reserve the extracted oil.

Kitchen noteThis step is crucial — the drier the paste, the crunchier the kuli-kuli.

Season and shape

Mix salt and cayenne into the paste. Shape into small sticks, rings, or flat rounds about 1cm thick.

Fry

Heat oil to 170C. Fry in batches until deep golden brown and very crunchy, about 4-5 minutes per batch.

Kitchen noteKeep the heat moderate to fry through without burning.

Fry kuli-kuli 05:00

Drain and cool

Drain on paper towels. Let cool completely — they crisp up more as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Snack. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 45 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

On its own or crumbled over salads

Follow the collection

Kuli-Kuli appears in 2 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Vegetarian Africa if you want more dishes in the same mood. Vegetarian Africa

Regional lane

Benin national table. A structured Benin dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Kuli-Kuli recipe from Benin — Kuli-Kuli finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Kuli-Kuli

On its own or crumbled over salads

Best route from here

Benin national table

Collections to keep cooking

West African Street Food Vegetarian African Classics

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