Suya is an iconic Nigerian street food perfected by roadside vendors. Use my authentic recipe to make beef suya at home with flame-broiled flavor in your oven or on the grill! Let me show you just how easy it is with only five ingredients.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my suya shrimp recipe, too!
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What is suya?
Suya is a grilled meat skewers dish, similar to shish kebabs, that originated with the Hausa people, and has become popular throughout West Africa, especially Nigeria. The meat is traditionally marinated all day in suya seasoning mix (also called yaji), then cooked over an open flame and served as a street snack at night.
What meat is used for suya? In Nigerian cuisine, suya is typically made with red meat, either ram, goat, or beef.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - You only need five ingredients and no special tools for this suya skewers recipe. This is a beginner-friendly recipe that comes together with a quick cooking time.
Nigerian Street Food Flavor - My easy beef suya technique gives you similar results to Naija suya with an oven broiler or backyard grill. You'll taste savory, fiery, nutty, and smoky flavors with a nice lil char.
I like to say that you can suya anything because the spice spice flavor goes so well with so many different proteins and vegetables. Peep my other suya recipes: suya lamb chops, suya baby back ribs, roasted suya brussels sprouts, and suya tacos recipe next!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Beef Sirloin is a fairly lean meat with strong beefy flavor, and it strikes a good balance between tenderness and bite without needing to be cooked for a long time.
Yaji Spice, aka suya spice or suya pepper, is absolutely integral here--that's where the flavor comes from. I highly recommend making suya pepper at home with my recipe, but if you don't have time for that, use a store-bought suya mix sourced from Nigeria, if possible.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Make Ahead - You can marinate the beef for suya a day or two in advance and cook it up when you're ready to enjoy.
Indoors or Outdoors - This recipe can be roasted and broiled in the oven or grilled in a gas grill, charcoal grill, or smoker.
Skewers - Preparing suya on skewers is the more authentic way, and it makes for easier cleanup after cooking; however, you can instead roast the beef pieces individually on a pan.
How to Make Nigerian Suya at Home
- Step 1: Use a knife or kitchen shears to cut the beef into chunks.
- Step 2: Toss the meat with yaji spice and oil, then cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Pro Tip #1
The longer you marinate the meat, the better the flavor. So, if you have the time, let it sit in the fridge overnight!
- Step 3: Cut the tomato and onion into thin slices.
- Step 4: Thread the beef onto skewers, then place onto a sheet pan and drizzle with remaining oil.
Pro Tip #2
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before use so that they don't burn up in the oven or on the grill.
- Step 5: Transfer sheet pan to preheated oven or place skewers directly onto preheated grill to cook. Serve.
Pro Tip #3
When roasting suya in the oven, increase the heat to the broil setting for the final few minutes of cooking to mimic grilled texture and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store cooked suya beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to four days.
You can freeze suya. I recommend removing it from the skewers and placing the meat in an airtight, freezer-safe container before freezing. Keeps for up to three months.
How to Serve
Traditional Presentation: Serve with tomato and onion slices with more yaji sprinkled over top. A sheet of newspaper is an optional nod to the original roadside service.
Main Protein: Suya meat is a great main dish option served over jollof rice or yellow rice, and roasted or stewed vegetables--try it with okra and tomatoes!
Appetizer: Enjoy suya beef kebabs with other Nigerian appetizers, aka small chops, like meat pies, puff puff, scotch eggs, and dodo.
More Favorite Nigerian Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this authentic beef suya recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Authentic Nigerian Beef Suya
Equipment
- 1 knife or kitchen shears
- 4 skewers
- 1 sheet pan optional
- 1 food thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef sirloin
- 2-3 tablespoons suya spice plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point
- 1 Roma tomato for garnish
- ½ onion for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Meat: Cut the sirloin into 1 ½-inch chunks. Add to a large mixing bowl or zipper seal bag with the suya spice and one tablespoon of the oil. Toss and mix to evenly coat beef in spice and oil then cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.1 pound beef sirloin, 2-3 tablespoons suya spice, 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Make the Skewers: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit OR preheat grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Thread marinated meat onto skewers then place onto sheet pan and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil.
- In the Oven: Place sheet pan into oven to bake for 10 minutes, then increase oven heat to broil setting (about 550 degrees with an overhead flame) and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes to mimic grilled texture and flavor.On the Grill: Place skewers directly onto grill grates, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Finish and Serve: While suya cooks, thinly slice tomato and onion and set aside. Serve with suya, along with an extra sprinkle of suya spice.1 Roma tomato, ½ onion
Karinne says
I have had suya from a lot of different restaurants around Houston and wanted to try it at home. We used your recipe on the grill and the flavor was perfect. Thank you!!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Karinne! Glad you enjoyed this suya.
Elle says
I loved the recipe but hubby wasn't a fan of the peanuts 🙁 I'll have to try making the recipe without it next time
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Elle! Peanuts are a key part of suya, but you could try other nuts instead.