This Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew has been one of my comfort food staples for over a decade. Tender sweet potato, chickpeas, and greens make it ultra hearty and nourishing, and the creamy peanut butter broth offers the perfect spicy kick to warm you up on the coldest of days.
Everything comes together in one pot on the stove, and this stew can even be made in a slow cooker or Instant Pot if you favor a more hands-off approach. It’s one of those dishes that tastes even better on day 2 or 3, so it’s a perfect choice for meal prep or to enjoy leftovers for lunch throughout the week.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Peanut Stew
- Vegetable oil. I’m a big fan of peanut or coconut oil for this recipe.
- Onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeño pepper. The aromatic base for our stew.
- Ground cumin, ground coriander, and paprika. Plus optional red pepper flakes, for an extra kick.
- Crushed tomatoes.
- Peanut butter. This gives the stew its signature flavor and makes it extra creamy. A high-quality natural peanut butter will really shine, but any kind will work in a pinch.
- Sweet potato.
- Chickpeas.
- Red bell pepper. For a bit of sweetness and extra nutrition.
- Vegetable broth or water.
- Collard greens. Remove the tough stalks, wash thoroughly, and thinly slice. Feel free to sub in baby spinach or kale.
Optional Garnishes
- Roasted salted peanuts. An optional garnish, for a satisfying crunch.
- Fresh cilantro and lime. To garnish. Optional but highly recommended for extra freshness.
How to Make Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Bloom red pepper flakes in oil, then add onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and red bell pepper. Sauté until the onion starts to take on a little color.
- Stir in the spices and cook out their raw flavor for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the peanut butter, crushed tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Stir to break up lumps of peanut butter.
- Add in sweet potatoes, red peppers, and chickpeas.
- Add in collard greens.
- Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Equipment Needed
- Large pot. If you have a Dutch oven or another heavy stainless or nonstick pot, that would be ideal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any nut butter will work in this recipe, though of course it will impact the flavor. Roasted almond butter is a great substitute. If you’d like a nut-free option, feel free to sub in sunflower butter or tahini.
If you’re not a fan of collard greens, you can sub in either spinach or kale. Just make sure to add them in closer to the end of the cook time since they’re less robust than collards.
Easy! If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, simply remove the ribs and seeds of the jalapeño and skip the red pepper flakes. If you’re an extra-spicy kinda person, you can sub in a hotter pepper variety, such as serranos, and add a few extra shakes of red pepper flakes when sautĂ©ing your aromatics.
How to Serve Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew
I always finish mine with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice — this helps brighten it up and balance out the richness of the peanut butter broth. A sprinkle of chopped roasted peanuts also adds a really pleasant crunch.
This stew is a balanced meal on its own, with chickpeas and peanut butter for protein, sweet potatoes for complex carbs, and greens for essential nutrients. But it’s also delicious served with steamed basmati rice or some good crusty bread for dipping!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze in a very well-sealed container for up to 3 months.
The stew tends to thicken quite a bit when cooled, so if you’d like to restore the texture, you can stir in a few extra tablespoons of water or broth when reheating.
More Cozy Recipes
- One-Pot Vegan Chili Mac
- Vegan Beef Stew
- Roasted Garlic Noodle Soup
- Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry
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Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew
Video
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil I like peanut or coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 small red or white onion diced
- 2-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced or grated ginger from about 1” thumb of ginger
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers diced; see notes to adjust spice level
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 cup peanut butter natural peanut butter recommended, but regular will work too
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth or water 2 for a thicker stew; 3 for a more soupy texture
- 2 cups sliced collard greens or other greens of choice, such as baby spinach or kale
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Optional Garnishes
- fresh lime juice
- chopped roasted peanuts
- fresh chopped cilantro
- extra red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat oil: In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add in red pepper flakes (if using) and allow to bloom for about 30 seconds.
- Sauté aromatics: Add the diced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger, diced jalapeño. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent, and starting to take on a little color.
- Add spices: Add in the paprika, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Stir to coat the aromatics and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly, to toast out the raw flavor of the spices. Add a splash of water as needed to keep things from sticking.
- Add ingredients: Add in the crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2-3 cups vegetable broth, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to combine everything, doing your best to break up any big lumps of peanut butter into the broth. Then add in the red bell pepper, cubed sweet potato, and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine.
- Simmer: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to establish a simmer. Allow to simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add the greens: Add the sliced collard greens to the pot. Stir them in, then put the lid back on and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.Note: I add the collard greens now because I prefer them to be very tender. If you'd like to keep them a little fresher, feel free to add them later. If you are substituting in a more tender green such as baby spinach or baby kale, you can add them later as they only require about 3-5 minutes of cook time.
- Adjust seasoning: Once the sweet potatoes are tender, taste the stew and adjust the seasoning with more salt as needed. (Exact amount will depend on the salt content of your broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, peanut butter, etc.)
- Serve: Ladle the stew into bowls and enjoy! You can garnish with extra red pepper flakes, fresh chopped cilantro, roasted peanuts, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice to brighten everything up.
Storage & Reheating
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze in a very well-sealed container for up to 3 months.
- The stew tends to thicken quite a bit when cooled, so if you'd like to restore the texture, you can stir in a few extra tablespoons of water or broth when reheating.
Notes
- No peanut butter: You can substitute in another kind of nut butter — roasted almond butter is really nice in this too. For a nut-free option, try tahini or sunflower butter.
- Less spice: Remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeño, as these carry much of the spice. If you can’t tolerate any spice at all, just leave the jalapeño out altogether.
- Extra spice: Leave in the seeds and ribs of the jalapeño. Add in an extra jalapeño or even swap for a spicier pepper variety like serranos. You can also boost the heat by adding more red pepper flakes or cayenne.
- Collard greens: To prepare collard greens, remove the stalks as they are usually quite tough. Give them a good wash, pat or spin them dry, and thinly slice.
- Sub in spinach or baby kale: When substituting in either of these, you can add them closer to the end of the cook time as they tend to be less robust than collard greens.
This looks great. About how many servings does it make?
My husband thinks is one of the best soups I’ve made, and I make a lot of soup. Can’t wait for the left overs.
I’m looking forward to making this soup but would like to make it in my instant pot. Could you give direction on how to do that? Thank you
I will admit that I was hesitant to make this and don’t typically like recipes like this… however, with my wife’s encouragement I made it anyway. It’s now a weekly staple and I will never question the brilliance of these recipes again! Phenomenal flavor and texture!
Excellent and not complicated!
Made this for lunch today and it’s great! Easy recipe, good flavor. I used my immersion blender to give it a very light blend at the end for a creamy-crunchy texture. It does really benefit from the lime juice, so don’t skip out on that.