'Naronut 1R' (Reg. no. CV‐150, PI 693985) is a high‐yielding, Spanish‐type groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. fastigiata var. vulgaris) cultivar with a red seed coat and two seeds per pod. The cultivar was selected from a cross between International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐arid Tropics advanced lines 'ICGV‐SM 90704' and 'ICGV‐SM 86715'. Naronut 1R was developed for groundnut rosette disease resistance, late leafspot resistance, yield, red seed coat, and early maturity. Naronut 1R matures in 75–80 d after planting, compared with 90 d for the widely grown and popular landrace Erudu red (Spanish‐type groundnut). Naronut 1R has much higher yields (1,473 kg ha−1) than Erudu red (554 kg ha−1). The overall groundnut rosette disease rating was 44% lower in Naronut 1R (2.8 disease rating) compared with Erudu red (5.0 disease rating). Similarly, the overall late leafspot disease rating was 28% lower in Naronut 1R (3.6 disease rating) compared with Erudu red (5.0 disease rating). Similar to Erudu red, Naronut 1R seed testa is red, but the seed is larger. The sound mature kernel weight was 9.42% higher for Naronut 1R than for Erudu red. The shelling percentage for Naronut 1 was 49.3%, whereas Erudu red was 60%. Naronut 1R has lower protein (18.1 vs. 21.3%) and oil content (36.0 vs. 44.3%) than Erudu red. Naronut 1R will allow for broad adoption of a high yielding, early maturing, red seed coat cultivar that carries resistance to groundnut rosette disease and late leaf spot disease. Core Ideas: Naronut 1R is a high‐yielding, very early‐maturing peanut cultivar.Naronut 1R is resistant to groundnut rosette disease and late leaf spot disease.Naronut 1R is broadly adaptable across sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]