Thick and hearty Sweet Potato Lentil Stew is packed with good-for-you ingredients: delicious sweet potatoes, coconut milk, kale, and lentils! This lentil stew is incredibly filling and true comfort food in one bowl. Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free.
Today we are going to learn how to make a sweet potato lentil stew in just under 30 minutes if lentils need soaking, what to serve with lentil stew and why coconut milk is good for you.
Why it's yummy
- Comfort food in a bowl. There is nothing better than to enjoy a hearty, cozy, creamy bowl of lentil stew on a cold evening.
- Simplicity. Made with simple ingredients - sweet potatoes, lentils, coconut milk, some basic ingredients that you already have sitting in your pantry. This combination makes a very rich and flavorful lentil stew.
- Versatile. I love how easy it is to customize this one-pot meal, you can sub the sweet potatoes with pumpkin, butternut squash, regular potatoes, chickpeas, green beans. Serve with ciabatta, cornbread, chili flakes, and freshly chopped cilantro. Simply delicious!
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Instructions
- In a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add oil and saute onions until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, turmeric.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices. Follow with lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils become tender but the potatoes almost cooked.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Add the lime juice. Continue to simmer with closed lid until kale is softened slightly about 3 minutes. Season with salt if needed and simmer for a few minutes more.
- Your sweet potato lentil stew is ready! Pour into individual bowls and garnish with fresh sliced jalapenos, chili flakes, lime wedges, cilantro. Serve with fresh bread or cornbread.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan stew is delicious on its own but served with a small side dish or bread becomes an even heartier meal. Here are a few of my suggestions on what to serve with lentil stew:
Something starchy:
- Crusty bread
- Biscuits
Something fresh:
- Green salad
- Tomatoes
- Lime
- Fresh Herbs
Variations
- Swap sweet potato to butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, cauliflower (I have a similar and very delicious Chickpea and Cauliflower Coconut Curry recipe if you want to try next), carrots, turnip, rutabaga, kabocha.
- Swap lentils to barley, chickpeas, red lentils (should be added on very last step when simmering)
- Swap kale for spinach, green beans, mushrooms, parsnips, celery,
FAQ
How long does lentil stew last?
Keep refrigerated for 3 days, it will actually taste so much better on the next day!
Do I need to soak lentils?
Lentils do not require soaking like other pulses. I usually just rinse them multiple times with cold water until all the dust is removed. They will also cook faster this way in a stew.
Why is coconut milk good for you?
Coconut milk is very nutritious and is a perfect alternative for dairy in vegan stews, soups, and sauces. I think it is so versatile and has such a rich and flavorful taste that you just can’t resist. And it is a must-have in a vegan foodie kitchen.
There are also several articles about coconut milk and coconut cream that all prove how nutritious it really is.
Some of the main benefits of coconut milk include:
Easy One-Pot Meals
This Vegan Sweet Potato Lentil Stew recipe is adapted from The First Mess.
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Vegan Sweet Potato Coconut Lentil Stew
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cup brown lentils properly rinsed
- 4 cup kale stems removed and leaves chopped
- 3 ¾ cup vegetable stock
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion
- salt to taste
- cilantro, chili flakes, fresh jalapeno, lime wedges for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and saute onions until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, turmeric.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices. Follow with lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils become tender but the potatoes almost cooked.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Add the lime juice. Continue to simmer with closed lid until kale is softened slightly about 3 minutes. Season with salt if needed and simmer for a few minutes more.
- Your stew is ready! Pour into individual bowls and garnish with fresh sliced jalapenos, chili flakes, lime wedges, cilantro. Serve with fresh bread or cornbread.
NOTES
PRIVATE NOTES
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Need a different visual? This recipe is also available as a story!
I am getting ready to make the soup and the first instruction is to saute onions until translucent. WHAT ONIONS? They are not listed in the list of ingredients. Curses! Now I have to go back to the store!
Hi, I'm so sorry about this. I have now added the onion to the ingredient list, but it is totally fine to make it without. Still will taste good! Sad to hear that because of this you have rated my recipe 3 stars.
Hi Julia,
have you made this in the instant pot?
hi Asia, unfortunately not.
This recipe is so good! We made the stew 2 times this month! I am allergic to garlic so added more onion and it was delicious!
Thank you so much, so happy that you loved the recipe even the adapted version!
Made this stew this week and everyone was raving! Definetly keeping this for my staple recipe collection! Thank you
Thank you so much Rita, I'm so glad you liked it!
I really enjoy curries, so I'm looking forward to trying this out. Sweet potatoes and coconut milk are so delicious together.
thank you! Coconut milk makes everything so delicious, right? Hope you'll enjoy and please report back how it went!
Gorgeous stew, and packed with so many lovely flavours. Thanks for a great recipe!
thank you so much Kate!
we made this the other night and loved it! It was so full of flavor and was perfect on a cold day
thank you so much Michelle, the ultimate comfort food 🙂
I love how the coconut compliments this lentil stew recipe. The jalapenos were a great touch too!
thank you so much!
I love anything with sweet potatoes, and this stew looks incredible! I can't wait to make it for dinner tonight!
me too! the best versatile veggie out there! 🙂
Wonderful flavor!This soup,is absolutely delicious!
Thank you Jay, please check more coconut milk recipes if you are a fan ) You gonna love these as well!!!
You don't specify what to do with the sweet potatoes - small dice? large dice? thin slice? thick slice?????
hi Laura! Medium diced, about 1/2 inch will be great and will cook quickly!