Top 10 List Of Light Food For Dinner In Nigeria [Updated List]

Are you looking for the Nigerian dinner meal ideas or the list of light food for dinner in Nigeria and their health benefits?

Then, you’re in the right place. Here on Big Mama Spices, we got you covered. You’ll get to see the list of best food for dinner in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and they’re unique in many ways, starting from the culture, lifestyle, foods etc.

Nigeria arguably has the best delicious meals and dishes that will make your family happy and full both for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Yes! Nigerian foods cannot be underrated. And these foods listed on this article are the best meals for you to live a healthy life.

Many nigerians have been asking series of questions like;

• What food can I eat for dinner in Nigeria?
• What are examples of dinner foods?
• What are healthy food for dinner in nigeria?
• What is the best food for dinner in Nigeria?
• List of light food for dinner in Nigeria?

All these and many more are questions people always ask, today we’ve gathered the best answers of which you’ll get to see them on this page now.

Before we proceed, let’s talk about the modern Nigerian cuisines and see which foods are most popular for dinner. 

The Nigerian Cuisine

Nigerian cuisine is unique and interesting, as it has so many ethnic groups. 

Nigerians enjoy cooking nutritious dishes that include herbs, spices, oils, rice, plantain and vegetables, as well as meat.

Obviously, most Nigerians don’t want meat to be missing in their foods. 

That’s why the best Nigerian dinners include soups with meat, delicious sauces, barbecues, porridges, creamy stews and deep-fried snacks.

What are the top 10 best Nigerian dinner dishes? Read on, you’ll find out.

We will look at some of the most popular, delicious and easy dinners that you can enjoy even if you don’t live in Nigeria.

Our selection of Nigerian dinner foods is not in any particular order. 

This is a list of 10 dishes that many Nigerians enjoy eating during the week or on weekends especially at night.

Top 10 List Of Light Food For Dinner In Nigeria

Below are the best healthy food ideas for dinner you can try out today.

• Fish and Yam Stew
• Beef and Spaghetti Stew
• Rice and Meat with Vegetables
• Semovita with Okra Soup
• Plantain Porridge
• Suya
• Nkwobi
• Jollof Rice
• Beans Porridge
• Balangu Jollof.

1. Fish and Yam Stew

Fish and Yam Stew is one of the best dinner meals on our list here. It is so tasty and delicious.

Unlike some other complicated Nigerian meals, this tasty meal (Yam and Stew made from fish) is easy to cook and you can prepare it quickly.

To prepare it, you will need a better fish preferably (fresh fish), yam and vegetables of your choice, as well as the spices that you like.

The boiled yam is delicious with pepper, tomatoes and onions. Then steam some of your fish and you have made a delicious dinner.

This type of cuisine is sometimes called ‘Fish Sauce’ by some Nigerian families instead of stew.

2. Beef and Spaghetti Stew 

Who doesn’t love spaghetti? Not only Nigerians, but families from around the world make spaghetti and add extras to give it a unique taste. 

Nigerians love to cook spaghetti and eat it with beef stew.

It is easy to prepare this Nigerian dish. It is necessary to boil the spaghetti as you would normally. 

You can make a delicious stew if you steam some beef with other vegetables (onions, pepper, tomatoes, seasoning cube, spices) then mix the cooked meat and spaghetti.

Boom! Your meal is ready and your dish is served.

3. Rice and Meat with Vegetables

Rice and Meat with Vegetables is another special type of meal to have as dinner in Nigeria. 

In Nigerian food, rice is usually the main ingredient. Rice and vegetable soup/stew is a great idea for a healthy, tasty and nutritious dinner. 

Rice can be cooked separately. Prepare your vegetables (pepper, onions, beans), along with a fish or meat, by steaming or frying them together or separately. 

Add a little rice and vegetables to the plate. Then, top it off with a cooked piece of fish or meat. 

Voila! Your unique Nigerian dinner is ready to enjoy now.

4. Semovita with Okra Soup

This is one of the most popular Nigerian dinner dishes. The cooking process may take a while, but it is well worth the effort. 

After preparing this food, the result ends up looking like a traditional national dish.

In Nigeria, Semovita is also used to make extras for dinner. You can make a tasty okra soup with fish, okra, spices and vegetables. 

Then, enjoy your main meal (okra soup) with Semovita.

This is so yummy, and delicious.

5. Plantain Porridge

Plantain porridge is very easy to prepare and it’s among the List of light food for dinner in Nigeria today.

This porridge is full of vitamins and will keep you satisfied in the evening/night. 

Plantains are very popular in Nigeria, thanks to the many tasty recipes that can be used with this product even across the country.

You only need unripe plantains and a few other ingredients like pepper, onions, ugu leaves, seasoning cubes, your favorite spices, and fish to make the best plantain porridge. 

To make a healthy porridge, boil the plantains with other vegetables and add fist in the end. 

Once this dish is prepared, you’ll enjoy it.

6. Suya

SUYA popularly known as (Kebab meal) is often made for dinner in Nigeria and you can easily purchase them from street vendors around the city.

This meal contains vegetables, peanuts and beef steak among other ingredients. 

The beef will need to be marinated and cooked on the grill. 

You can add some dressing to it, like a vegetable salad, or cut up some fresh vegetables, cabbage, cucumber, onions etc.

After that, then start enjoying your dinner meal with family or friends.

7. Nkwobi

The curious dish is also included in our top Nigerian dinner dishes.

The name is a reference to a special cooked cow foot. It is also spicy, just like other local dishes.

This meal can be prepared at home and is a delicacy for various celebrations.

It is easy to prepare, and the cow foot should be cooked in palm oil with your favourite spices, onions and any other ingredients you like.

Now, you can serve the meal alone or with a vegetable salad and enjoy!

8. Jollof Rice

Jollof Rice is a meal that cannot be left out, this is one of the most popular and favourite Nigerian cuisines. 

Nigerians love rice and meat very well, and most person’s do prefer to have it as a dinner. 

This dish is usually made for almost every event, including Birthdays, Christmas, Holidays and other Celebrations. 

This food (Jollof Rice) is popular among all tribes in the country.

To prepare it; You’ll need a chicken mix with seasonal cubes, vegetables, tomato stew and rice.

Then, you cook it and serve your family, friends, or party guests the amazing delicious meal.

Having this as your dinner is not a bad idea.

9. Beans Porridge

Most Yoruba people and other Nigerian tribes enjoy cooking beans as a dinner. 

It is not a meal you would make every day, but if it can be made once or several times in a month, it will be perfect. 

With this, your Nigerian cuisine is now different, balanced and offers you multiple vitamins, useful ingredients and everything necessary for a healthy life.

This porridge is prepared by boiling the beans, adding spices to the beans (onions, pepper, crayfish) etc. 

Cut and add some yam or potatoes to the beans to give it a unique flavor.

Cook properly and then enjoy your meal.

10. Balangu Jollof

The Nigerians who love rice will enjoy this meal. This dish can be made with any meat that you like (goat, beef) etc. 

Balangu Joffof rice is prepared smoky, extra tasty and made with your favorite meat either beef or goat meat.

This is a popular dish among the Fulani and Hausa tribal groups.

You can fry the meat in tomato paste and onions, add popular spices like thyme or yaji to the white rice, mix it well and let it cook.

To add or get the “smoky” flavor, put your meal in a foil and steam it for a while.

That’s it. This balangu tastes great and you’ll enjoy it very well.

Conclusion

So, I have shared with you the top 10 list of Light Food For Dinner in Nigeria today.

These are the best Nigerian dinner ideas and healthy food for dinner in Nigeria currently to eat in the night.

You can always cook or prepare any of these meals listed above at home on weekends or in the evening and serve as dinner. 

Nevertheless, some of these foods above are considered heavy by certain classes of people in our society;

Mostly, those that are on diets and people that have decided to follow doctors’ prescriptions.

The rule is that you are supposed to eat only light foods once it’s past 7:00 pm or try to have your dinner served by 7:00pm.

This way, you’ll live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy good physical fitness.