26 Best Kwanzaa Recipes – What To Cook For Karamu This Kwanzaa

Southern cooking can sometimes appear intimidating or too involved, but this recipe is anything but. All you need are a couple of hours, a handful of staple ingredients, smoked turkey, and your collard greens (the star of the show) for an easy side (or meal on its own!).

Get the Southern Collard Greens recipe.

Similar to shrimp étouffée, but with a tomato-based sauce, this recipe will transport you to the balcony-lined streets of New Orleans. Aromatic onion, green bell pepper, and celery form the holy trinity of flavor on top of which you’ll build this saucy little number.

Get the Shrimp Creole recipe.

Similar to the soul food classic Hoppin’ John but without the rice component, these black-eyed peas are cooked with a little bit of onion, garlic, spices, and a hunk of fatty salted pork for depth of flavor and a hint of smokiness.

Get the Holiday Black-Eyed Peas recipe.

Brown stew chicken might seem like a snooze of a name for a recipe, but don’t be fooled—Jamaica’s signature marvel of a dish offers a galaxy of flavors that explains its massive fan base on the island and among the country’s expats.

Get the Brown Stew Chicken recipe.

If you’ve never had Jamaican oxtail stew, you’re in for a major treat. It’s rich, SUPER-flavorful, with fall-off-the-bone-tender meat and creamy butter beans. It’s a true special occasion dish and takes some finesse, so check out our top tips before you jump in.

Get the Jamaican Oxtail Stew recipe.

Sweet potato pie might get sidelined to other holiday pies, but with this forever favorite recipe, we’re bringing her into the spotlight and making her shine. Mounds of roasted sweet potato combine with dark brown sugar, vanilla, and spices inside a golden flaky crust for a pie that rivals all other contenders.

Get the Sweet Potato Pie recipe.

Fluffy and moist, this rice and bean (not actual peas!) dish has a savory creaminess that comes from the use of aromatics like garlic and onion, in addition to coconut milk. It’s a perfect match for the classic dishes like curry chicken or oxtail stew you might find on a Jamaican Kwanzaa table.

Get the Rice & Peas recipe.

Your sweet potatoes are tired of being baked. Give them the chance to become something much more exciting and turn them into sweet potato gratin. Just like the OG potatoes au gratin, these sweet potatoes are layered with plenty of cheese and herby cream sauce and baked until golden brown and bubbly. 😍

Get the Sweet Potato Gratin recipe.

Move over, hush puppies! Corn fritters are our new favorite Southern-fried side. Fluffy and crispy with sweet fresh corn, these make the perfect partner for everything you and your family could possibly dream up for your Kwanzaa feast.

Get the Corn Fritters recipe.

Only a few dishes reaaally hit the spot in the dead of winter—chicken curry is for sure one of them! If you’re craving that comforting curry flavor that keeps you coming back for seconds and want to punch up the heat for Kwanzaa, this recipe is for you.

Get the Jamaican Curry Chicken recipe.

There’s a lot of richness going on here. Bacon! Butter! Cheese! To cut all the fat, you need some acid. Enter: freshly squeezed lemon juice. It brightens this shrimp dish up BIG TIME—so don’t skip it.

Get the Cheesy Shrimp & Grits recipe.

Though candied yams might be super sweet on their own, they’re the perfect complement to a plateful of savory dishes (like gumbo and jerk chicken). Our version gets an added kick from bourbon—we think once you try them, you might never want yams without it.

Get the Candied Yams recipe.

Maduros, aka amarillos, are fried sweet plantains. You will often find plantains in Spanish, Caribbean, and African cuisines. When fried, plantains caramelize and get crispy on the outside while maintaining a beautifully soft and sweet texture inside. They’re the perfect accompaniment to heartier Kwanzaa dishes like jerk chicken and rice & beans.

Get the Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains) recipe.

When it comes to biscuits and other bread products, sweet potatoes are magical. Adding them to dough results yields softer and fluffier results. This recipe benefit from minimal handling (perfect for a busy Kwanzaa!) and is just as easy as preparing traditional buttermilk biscuits.

Get the Sweet Potato Biscuits recipe.