What is waakye?
The rice-and-beans bowl Ghanaians happily queue for before work, and the one dish first-time visitors always come back for. Here is what it is and how to order it well.
The short answer
- Waakye is rice and beans cooked together with dried sorghum leaves, which give it that deep reddish-brown colour.
- It is eaten mostly at breakfast and lunch, dished onto a leaf or into a bowl from a big basin at the roadside.
- The toppings make the meal: shito, gari, spaghetti, boiled egg, fried fish or beef, and a spoon of stew.
- Ask for it 'with everything' and you get the full plate; you can point at what you want as it is assembled.
- Prices are modest and vary by portion and toppings, so confirm at the stall rather than assuming a set figure.
- The best waakye often sells out by mid-morning, so go early if you want the popular sellers.
At a glance
| What it is | Rice and beans cooked together with sorghum leaves |
|---|---|
| When eaten | Mainly breakfast and lunch |
| Signature colour | Reddish-brown, from dried sorghum (waakye) leaves |
| Key toppings | Shito, gari, spaghetti, egg, fish or meat, stew |
| Where to find it | Roadside stalls, markets and chop bars nationwide |
| Best time to buy | Early morning, before popular sellers run out |
What waakye actually is
Waakye (say it 'waa-chey') is Ghana's beloved rice-and-beans dish, cooked in one pot so the grains and the black-eyed or cowpea beans take on each other's flavour. The colour is the giveaway: a warm reddish-brown that comes from dried sorghum leaves, sometimes with a pinch of food-grade potash, simmered with the rice. It is filling, gently savoury on its own, and built to carry a crowd of toppings.
As a team based in Kasoa who arrange these trips every week, we can tell you waakye is less a recipe than a ritual. It is scooped from a huge basin, wrapped in a leaf or spooned into a bowl, and eaten standing at the roadside or taken back to the office. If you only try one thing from our Ghana street food guide, make it this.
You will find it everywhere, from Kasoa junction to the lanes of Accra, and every region has sellers people swear by. It sits at the heart of our wider Ghanaian food guide for good reason: nothing else quite captures the everyday rhythm of eating in Ghana. Office workers, taxi drivers and market traders all start their day the same way, and the seller often knows the regulars by name and by order.
What goes in the bowl
The rice and beans are only the base. What turns waakye into a proper meal is the layering on top, and this is where you get to build your perfect plate. A classic loaded bowl includes gari (dried cassava granules that soak up the sauce), a coil of soft spaghetti, a boiled egg, and either fried fish, wele (cow skin) or a piece of beef or chicken.
The non-negotiable is shito, the dark, smoky chilli-and-fish pepper sauce that gives waakye its punch. A ladle of light tomato stew ties everything together. Some sellers add a little salad or a slice of avocado when in season. Go gently on the shito your first time; it is deceptively hot.
If you like this style of loaded, generous eating, you will enjoy the sit-down versions too. Several places in our best restaurants in Accra round-up serve a tidy plated waakye if you would rather sit than stand.
How to order like a local
Ordering is simple once you know the rhythm. Approach the stall, and the seller will usually ask how much rice you want and whether you want 'everything'. Saying yes gets you the full spread; otherwise you point at each topping as the bowl is built. It is completely normal to specify: no egg, extra shito, more stew, plenty of gari.
Pay in cash or, very often, by mobile money. Portions and prices vary by seller and by how loaded your bowl is, so ask as you order rather than assuming a fixed price. If you are new to paying this way, our guide to money in Ghana and mobile money makes it painless.
A quick word on trust: eat where there is a steady queue and quick turnover, which usually means fresh food. If you have a sensitive stomach, our notes on water and what to drink in Ghana are worth a read before you dig in.
Where to find the best waakye
Great waakye is about the seller, not the postcode. Every neighbourhood has a favourite, and reputations are earned bowl by bowl. In Accra you will hear names traded around Osu, Labone and the market lanes; in Kumasi and the coastal towns, the pattern is the same, with early risers getting first pick.
The one rule that holds everywhere: the best waakye sells out. Popular sellers often open early and are packed away by mid-morning, so treat it as a breakfast mission. When we build food-focused days into a trip, we time the morning around it. It pairs neatly with our top things to do in Accra and a wander through the markets. Weekends bring bigger crowds, so a weekday morning is often the calmest time to try a new stall.
Plan a food-first trip to Ghana
Waakye is the perfect introduction to how Ghanaians really eat: unfussy, generous and full of character. Once you have had a proper loaded bowl, you will understand why locals plan their mornings around it. The best way to find the good sellers is with someone who already knows them.
If you are still shaping your plans, our advice on the best time to visit Ghana and getting around Ghana will help you fit the food in comfortably around everything else.
Tell us what you love to eat and we will point you at the real thing. Start by browsing our tours, or ask us to arrange an airport car and a first-morning waakye stop.
Questions people ask
What is waakye made of?
Waakye is rice and beans (usually cowpeas or black-eyed beans) cooked together with dried sorghum leaves, which give the dish its distinctive reddish-brown colour. It is served with toppings such as shito, gari, spaghetti, egg, stew and fried fish or meat.
How do you pronounce waakye?
It is pronounced roughly 'waa-chey'. The name comes from a Hausa word for beans, and Ghanaians use it for the whole rice-and-beans dish, not just the beans.
Is waakye a breakfast or lunch food?
Both. It is most popular as a hearty breakfast eaten on the way to work, but many sellers keep serving into lunchtime. The best-known stalls often sell out by mid-morning.
What is shito and is it very spicy?
Shito is a dark, smoky pepper sauce made with chillies, dried fish or prawns, ginger and spices. It is flavourful and can be quite hot, so add a little at a time if you are trying it for the first time.
Is waakye safe for tourists to eat?
Generally yes, especially at busy stalls with quick turnover where the food is fresh. Choose sellers with a steady queue, and if you have a sensitive stomach, be mindful of raw salads and follow sensible advice on water and drinks.
How much does a plate of waakye cost?
It is inexpensive, but the price depends on your portion size and how many toppings you add. Ask the seller as you order rather than assuming a set price, and confirm whether you are paying by cash or mobile money.
What I know about Ghanaian travel comes from doing it: filing passport and visa applications, booking flights and hotels, collecting people from arrivals at two in the morning, and driving the Accra, Tema, Cape Coast and Kumasi runs week after week. Where this guide describes how something works, it is because we have done it.
Rules, fees and timetables in Ghana change. I have deliberately not quoted figures that go stale — where a number matters I name the office to confirm it with. If you spot something out of date, tell me and we will fix it.
Related guides.
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Food & cultureGhana's street food, explained
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