With protein-rich chickpeas, tender sweet potatoes, and spinach in a savory peanut and tomato sauce, this West African inspired stew makes an amazing dinner (and the leftovers are excellent for lunch!) I love it served over brown rice, with lots of peanuts and cilantro sprinkled over the top.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Peanut, Sweet Potato, & Chickpea Stew
• Ingredients
• Adaptations/Variations
• How to Make This Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew
• Tips for Success
• More Chickpea Stew Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

I already have a stovetop West-African-inspired peanut stew recipe on Kitchen Treaty, but I wanted to create a super hands-off version, plus, I thought I’d amp up the protein with some chickpeas.

I reduced the liquids (you don’t need nearly as much liquid when cooking in a slow cooker) and made a few tweaks to the inspiration recipe, and this Slow Cooker Peanut, Chickpea, and Sweet Potato Stew was born!

Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Peanut, Sweet Potato, & Chickpea Stew

What’s not to love when it comes to slow cooker dinners?! This is a throw it in and forget it until dinnertime kind of meal, one that allows all the flavors to mingle together into a flavorful stew.

All you have to do after it cooks all day is stir in some spinach, cook up some rice, chop up some peanuts and cilantro, and serve!

Ingredients

• Onion, garlic, and fresh ginger – for a backbone of flavor.
• Sweet potatoes – peeled and diced, any color will do.
• Chickpeas – You’ll want two cans, or about 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas.
• Crushed tomatoes – One can.
• Veggie broth – I like to use low-sodium vegetable broth to better control the overall salt levels in my recipes. Buy it from the store or try my slow-cooker veggie broth recipe.
• Peanut butter – I like to use creamy peanut butter for a nice smooth sauce.
• Cumin, coriander, & red cayenne pepper – For flavor and, in the case of the cayenne, a smidge of heat.
• Spinach – I use baby spinach because it’s easy to buy it packaged and pre-washed, so I don’t need to worry about rinsing and chopping spinach leaves.
• Salt & pepper – To taste.

Adaptations/Variations

• Swap the spinach for kale. Use baby kale or another type of kale leaves, stems removed and chopped.
• Add more veggies. Red bell pepper and/or carrots are great additions.
• If you don’t have vegetable broth, water will work. I like the added flavor that veggie broth provides but it’s not a must!

How to Make This Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew

Add all of the ingredients except the spinach, the rice, and the toppings to the slow cooker …

… and cook for a few hours.

Stir in the spinach …

Then cook up some rice, spoon your chickpea stew over the rice, top with chopped peanuts and cilantro, and enjoy!

Tips for Success

• Use a 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Any smaller and the ingredients might not fit.
• Go generous with the peanuts on top. The added crunch is so good!

I hope you love this Slow Cooker Peanut, Sweet Potato, & Chickpea Stew as much as we do! It’s such an easy way to get a hearty, unique, protein-packed, and cozy dish on the table, especially on busy weeknights.

More Chickpea Stew Recipes

• Chickpea & Tomato Curry
• Chana Masala with Spaghetti Squash
• Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew
• Slow Cooker Red Lentil & Chickpea Curry with Potatoes & Peas
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Red Lentil & Chickpea Curry
• 20-Minute Vegetarian White Bean Chili

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Slow Cooker Peanut, Sweet Potato, & Chickpea Stew Recipe

This hearty chickpea stew is a vegan riff on West African peanut stew and cooks up effortlessly in the Crock Pot. A savory peanut-tomato sauce coats tender chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and spinach. Serve over rice and top generously with chopped salted peanuts and cilantro!

Keyword harissa chickpea stew, peanut stew, slow cooker chickpea stew, slow cooker west african stew, west african stew

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 281kcal

Author Kare

Equipment

• 1 3-quart or larger slow cooker

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion diced) (about 2 cups
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
• 1 large sweet potato peeled and diced) (about 2 cups
• 2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed; 15-ounce cans; 3 1/2 cups
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper plus or minus to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
• 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach

For serving:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Garnish:

• Fresh cilantro
• Chopped salted peanuts

Instructions

• To a 3-quart or larger slow cooker, add all ingredients except the spinach. The peanut butter might not incorporate all the way at first, but once it warms it will melt and mix with the other ingredients.
• Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours. Stir in the spinach until wilted. Serve over rice with fresh cilantro and a generous topper of chopped salted peanuts.

Notes

Meat option

Classic West African Peanut Stew often contains chicken. If you like, you could stir some cooked/shredded chicken into the meat-eaters’ bowls. 

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7416IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Slow Cooker Peanut, Sweet Potato, & Chickpea Stew Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Peanut butter, spinach, and sweet potato, you say? YES. It’s the MOST glorious combo – trust me.

For us, This Vegetarian African Peanut Stew has been a definite dinner-on-repeat over the course of the winter. It has a relatively simple list of ingredients, so it’s an easy throw-together meal for weeknights.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew Ingredients

What do we have? Well, these ingredients, for one:

• Olive oil – For sautéing the onion and garlic.
• Onion – A standard yellow onion works well here, but if you only have a white onion or sweet onion, those will work fine too.
• Garlic – Three cloves, minced. But if you prefer to measure garlic with your heart and add way more, go for it!
• Ginger – You’ll want one tablespoon of minced fresh ginger, which is roughly a thumb-sized piece. Peel the skin off easily with a spoon before mincing – one of my favorite tricks!
• Vegetable broth – Grab a box veggie broth from the store, or make your own slow cooker vegetable broth or veggie broth from scraps.
• Crushed tomatoes – One 15-ounce can.
• Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter works best for this recipe as it melts right into the stew. If all you have is crunchy, though, go for it!
• Sweet potatoes – Any kind of sweet potato or yam will work for this sweet potato stew.
• Cumin & ground coriander – For earthy, smoky flavor.
• Cayenne pepper – for a touch of heat.
• Spinach – I like to use baby spinach because it just requires a quick rinse and is already pretty small. Give it a few chops if you don’t like larger pieces of spinach.
• Rice – for serving. I like brown rice with African Peanut Stew because the hearty texture and nutty flavor pairs perfectly with the stew.
• Cilantro & salted peanuts for garnish – A must, in my book!

What to Serve with It

Rice is a must! I prefer brown rice as its earthy flavors and texture hold up well to the hearty Sweet Potato Peanut Stew.

A green salad served alongside is always welcome, and I think kale salad is the perfect companion. How about this Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad or colorful Rainbow Kale Salad?

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Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew

Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, spinach, cumin … the comforting west-African-inspired combo results in the heartiest, most flavorful vegan stew around.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 470kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced) (about 2 cups
• 3 medium cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced) (about 2 cups
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper plus or minus to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach

For serving:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Garnish:

• Fresh cilantro
• Chopped salted peanuts

Instructions

• Cook the rice according to package instructions.
• While the rice cooks, make the stew. Set a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Add the broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the stew comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the peanut butter and the spinach. Stew is done when the peanut butter has distributed and the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
• Serve with a scoop of brown rice and garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Notes

Meat option

Classic West African Peanut Stew often contains chicken, so you could totally stir some cooked/shredded chicken into the carnivores’ portions.

Nutrition

Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 902mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 18857IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Want a slow cooker version of this stew with chickpeas added for more protein? I love this version! Head on over to the Crock Pot Sweet Potato Peanut Stew recipe!
• Grilled Sweet Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
• Whipped Sweet Potatoes
• Moroccan Sweet Potato & Chickpea Stew
• Three Bean Sweet Potato Salad
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

The post Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Now, to be fair, I may have  seen this delicious-looking recipe over at Iowa Girl Eats and then subconsciously “come up with the idea myself” later on. Because I’m sure that happens with food bloggers all the time, so I’m linking her recipe here just in case. But … I think I thought of this myself? (Cooking Light has a great-looking take on something similar too.)

So here’s what’s happening in this version.

First, you stir together your peanut sauce and prepare your garnishes. Please do both things before you start cooking the sweet potato noodles! Because they cook fast and you’ll be stressed. We don’t need stress. We need mise en place.

First, spiralize your sweet potatoes.

Then, you saute your spiralized sweet potatoes – about 5 minutes.

Add the spinach, stir in the sauce, scoop onto plates, top with garnishes, devour.

Oh, but another super cool thing about this recipe is that it’s perfect for vegetarians/vegans and meat-eaters living together! You have a couple options here. Grilled and sliced or diced chicken atop one serving. Plain for the other. Or if the resident vegan/vegetarian would like some additional protein, how about a bit of baked tofu? (I’ve been loving this stuff lately – delicious and super convenient).

Here’s some with tofu, right before it became my lunch. My carnivorous guy wolfed his chicken-enhanced version down before I could photograph it.

Oh, and taste-wise?! UM, DELICIOUS. Sweet potatoes + peanuts just work together gloriously. The peanut sauce – the same I use in my veggie-loaded peanut butter noodles – is creamy and dreamy and tasty and, just sort of everything.

The crunchy peanuts on top seal the deal, though I prefer a generous hand with the cilantro, too.

So there you have it.

Oh, and let me just reiterate – this recipe is SO EASY to make! Once you’ve got the spiralizing out of the way and the sauce and garnishes made, it’s just 10 minutes (if that) over the stove and dinner’s served.

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20-Minute Peanut Sweet Potato Noodles with Spinach

Spiralized sweet potatoes tossed with spinach, drenched in peanut sauce, and topped with crunchy peanuts. Increase the protein factor by topping with baked tofu or – if any carnivores are at your table – some grilled chicken.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 614kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the peanut sauce:

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce choose tamari if gluten-free
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
• 1 medium garlic clove grated [I use a microplane zester]
• 1/2 cup warm water

For the noodles:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato peeled and spiralized with 1/8-inch julienne blade
• 4 cups about 3 ounces baby spinach

Toppings:

• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• Small bunch fresh cilantro
• 2-3 scallions finely sliced

Protein add-ons (optional):

• Baked tofu chopped
• Cooked chopped chicken

Equipment:

• Spiralizer I have the Paderno spiralizer

Instructions

• Make the sauce. Add all peanut sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• Spiralize your sweet potato using the 1/8″ julienne/spaghetti blade on your spiralizer.
• Set a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the sweet potato noodles. Cook until beginning to get tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. If the noodles to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water to help keep the sweet potatoes moving. If they begin to burn, reduce heat. Watch them closely because they can burn quickly – trust me, I know first hand!
• Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until spinach is wilted, another minute or two.
• Add the peanut sauce and cook, stirring and tossing, until the peanut sauce is bubbling and thickened slightly and the veggies are coated, about 1 minute more.
• Transfer to plates and add toppings. Add additional protein if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Sodium: 1260mg | Potassium: 1115mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 21777IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 4mg

The post 20-Minute Peanut Sweet Potato Noodles with Spinach appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.