Sweet potato peanut stew is a cozy & hearty soup with chickpeas for a punch of protein.
Make this one-pot meal on Sunday for easy dinners & lunches throughout the week. The flavors only get better with time. Vegan & gluten free.
Sweet potato peanut stew is warming, cozy, and hearty.
It’s one of those meals that feels healthy and satiating all at once.
Filled with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, kale, onions, garlic, and a generous dollop of peanut butter, it's equally pantry-friendly as it is delicious.
Also known as groundnut stew or West African stew, the addition of peanut butter gives the soup velvety, full body.
It is a budget-friendly recipe that's easy to make on the fly, because it's filled with inexpensive staples.
For those reasons, it's also a good one to feed a crowd.
Round it out with some brown rice or bread. Lunch or dinner is served.
(For even more cozy cool weather noshes, check out my list of favorite vegan fall soups.)
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“I just finished making the stew and WOW! It so so flavorful, delicious, and has such a great texture. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.” – Lily
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Sauté onions and garlic with oil in a large soup pot until translucent and fragrant.
Then add the following:
- Sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped
- Paprika
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Salt
Sauté a minute or two.
Then deglaze the pot with the following:
- Water
- Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base
- Diced fire roasted tomatoes with juices
- Crunchy natural peanut butter
Bring the stew to a simmer. Then turn the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Once the sweet potatoes have softened, smash some of the sweet potato pieces with the back of your spoon. It thickens the stew and gives added texture.
Add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas and chopped kale to the soup (with the ribs removed).
Allow the soup to cook for another five minutes, so that the kale can wilt and chickpeas can warm.
Ladle the soup into bowls.
Garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro and roasted peanuts.
Make it your own
Make this soup your own by varying the ingredients and/or amounts.
- Instead of kale, use chopped collard greens. Collards are a little sturdier and take longer to soften. So I recommend adding them at the same time as the diced tomatoes.
- If you're a ginger fan, add freshly zested ginger at the same time as the garlic and onions.
- Not into chickpeas? Omit them or replace with a different bean, lentils, or seitan.
- Use vegetable broth in place of the water and bouillon.
- For a richer soup, add a half cup of coconut milk or replace some of the water with coconut milk.
- This is a thick stew. If you would like it to be soupier, add more water.
- For a hotter soup, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or sauté diced jalapeño pepper with the garlic and onions.
Serving ideas
This hearty stew is a satiating, full meal on its own.
Or you can serve it with any of the following:
- Basmati brown rice
- Crackers
- Croutons
- Warm bread with dukkah for dipping
- Polenta fries
Storage instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for about 5 days.
This is a great make ahead dish, because the flavors intertwine, co-mingle, and deepen. The kale won't be quite as vibrant on subsequent days. But the flavors only improve with time.
This soup also freezes well. Store in glass Pyrex containers. Or you put cooled stew into freezer bags. Let them lay flat in the freezer so that they are stackable once frozen.
When you’re ready to enjoy it, move it to the refrigerator to thaw.
Warm the soup on the stove or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave.
FAQ
Natural peanut butter is best for this recipe.
When you're looking for peanut butter for this soup, opt for brands that have just one or two ingredients - peanuts and salt.
Sweet potatoes are sweet enough on their own without the added sugar you'll find in some jars. And peanuts have enough fat without the added oils that some brands include.
I buy jarred Trader Joe's organic peanut butter. Or you can grind your own at natural grocery stores or by using your high speed blender.
For this stew, I recommend crunchy peanut butter for extra texture. But creamy will work too.
The canned fire roasted tomatoes I buy from Trader Joe's includes chilies, which adds a nice hit of heat.
If your canned tomatoes don't include peppers but you'd like heat too, add a pinch of cayenne or sauté chopped jalapeño with the onions and garlic.
If you prefer to keep things on the mild side, buy canned fire roasted tomatoes that don't include peppers.
The rest of the ingredients are all very mild.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Sweet potato peanut stew
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ to 1 inch pieces (about 2 heaping cups)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base*
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes**
- ¼ cup crunchy natural peanut butter***
- 2 leaves curly kale roughly chopped with ribs removed (about 2 cups)
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 6 Tablespoons roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Bring a large soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Add onions and garlic. Sauté a few minutes, until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Add sweet potatoes, paprika, coriander, cumin, and salt. Sauté a minute or two more to fully combine the spices.
- Add vegetable broth and two cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes, including the juices, and crunchy natural peanut butter. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Bring the soup to a simmer. Then turn the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes, stopping occasionally to stir.
- Once the sweet potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, smash some of the sweet potato pieces with a spoon to break them up and add texture to the soup.
- Stir in the chopped kale and drained can of chickpeas. Cook for 5 minutes more, allowing the kale to wilt and chickpeas to warm.
- Ladle soup into 6 bowls. Then garnish with chopped cilantro and peanuts.
Kathy
Another winner! I made it almost exactly as written but instead of two 15 oz cans of the TJ’s fire roasted tomatoes, I used three Rotel 10 oz fire roasted cans. I don’t know if that is the same spice level as TJ’s but they are pretty spicy! I also added a 1/2 cup of (full fat, unsweetened) coconut milk. This really takes it to the next level, and feels like it tames the spiciness of the stew (in a good way). And now I know what I will be taking to a pot luck in February.
Cadry Nelson
Yum! Those sound like delicious variations, Kathy! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, and thanks for the great feedback!
Patricia Matzke
Yum! Perfect warming food for a snowy day! I used plain fire roasted tomatoes, vegan chicken flavored broth, omitted the kale and coriander, because I didn’t have them and we were snowed in. I loved it like this… I’ve got some mouth issues that prevent any spiciness, so the sweet rich warmth was delicious and soothing. I’ll definitely be making this again! My second recipe attempt from Cadry’s kitchen… I’m hooked! I am looking forward to trying several others from her collection.
Warren
Absolutely love it! I didn’t read through all of your notes, and by chance bought the fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies from Trader Joe’s, and as you said it added a nice kick. Such a tasty recipe.
Cadry
Thank you, Warren! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. Also, it’s nice to hear from you! I hope you’re well!
Mandy
Oh, my goodness this sounds incredible!!! And it’s loaded with some of my very favorite things!!!! Soup is my go-to during the colder months (like many people), but the one thing missing from a lot of soups is protein – so I’m really happy to see not only peanut butter, but also chickpeas! I love that you used crunchy peanut butter, too. I’m printing this recipe off and hope to make it very soon! Hope you’ve had a great weekend, Cadry!
Cadry
Thank you, Mandy! I have a feeling this soup will be right up your alley. I totally agree on the protein element of soup. Adding something protein-dense makes it more satiating, filling, and meal-worthy. I hope you had a great weekend too! <3
Veggivet
This sounds like a perfect soup for those raw winter days ahead. Thanks for the recipe!
Cadry
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy it, and best of luck staying warm!
Lily
I happened across a your blog looking for a vegan orca bean recipe and happened upon this recipe. Realizing I had a few sweet potatoes I didn’t know what to do with, I decided to try this. I just finished making the stew and WOW! It so so flavorful, delicious, and has such a great texture. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Cadry
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it so much, Lily! Thank you for letting me know!
Shell
Cad, great soup for these cold days we are having! How do you thaw the soup that you have stored in the freezer when you are ready to enjoy it again?
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! It depends on how quickly I want to eat it. If I’m in no hurry, I’ll move the frozen soup to the refrigerator to thaw. Then I can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. If I’m in a hurry, I use the defrost function on my microwave to thaw the soup. Then I reheat in the microwave as well.
Having soup in the freezer is so handy for busy days! I like knowing it’s there for an almost instant meal, and I can pop it into David’s packed lunch if I’m low on energy or options.
Mary Dmyterko
Sounds perfect for a week of snowy days! Thanks!
Cadry
You’re welcome, Mary! Good luck staying warm!
Laura VZ
This is one of my favorite soups, probably because of the peanut butter. 🙂 I’ll have to try out your recipe soon!
Cadry
Yes, the peanut butter adds so much. I hope you enjoy it!