Wholesome One-Pot Sweet Potato Stew - a cozy blend of sweet potatoes, coconut milk, spices, kale, and lentils. Perfect comfort food in a bowl!

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Yummy Bowl.

Sweet Potato Stew

This recipe is Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, and Gluten Free.

Just like my quick mushroom stroganoff, pumpkin curry, and chickpea cauliflower curry, this vegan stew is a winner dinner because it's easy to make and doesn't require many ingredients.

Ingredients

Dried brown lentils - Unlike green lentils, they're tastier and cook faster. Save red lentils for soups.
Vegetable broth - Or whatever broth you want to use.
Aromatics - Garlic, onion and ginger are the best base for this kind of soup.
Coconut milk - Shake the can before adding to the soup. You need all of it - the crema and the milk for a hearty stew.
Spices - Coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili flakes, black pepper add complexity.
Sweet potatoes - Thanks to their sweetness and tender texture, they are by far the best for creamy coconut milk-based stews or soups.

📋 You can find the full ingredient list in the Recipe Card below the article.

How To Make Vegetarian Sweet Potato Stew

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté onions until translucent.
Then add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, and 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 it with the lid, and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils become tender but the potatoes are 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.

Squeeze 1-2 lime wedges into the soup.

Pour into individual bowls and garnish with fresh sliced jalapenos, chili flakes, lime wedges, cilantro. Serve with freshly baked sourdough bread or cornbread.

Tips

Soak the lentils for a couple of hours or overnight to reduce cooking time and make digestion easy.
Use more flavorful vegetables. In addition to kale, garlic, onion and sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery, butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, peas, and fresh or canned tomatoes are tasty options to fill up this soup with even more fiber and nutritional benefits!
Let the soup simmer enough to thicken and become even more aromatic once the ingredients have enough time to blend.
This stew thickness can be easily adjusted by using more or less broth or coconut milk.

How To Serve Vegetarian Stew

Crusty bread + roasted pepper hummus
Biscuits
Cornbread
Green salad
Tomatoes
Lime
Fresh Herbs
kale salad

Variations

You can add vegan sausage or ground meat to your soup. Before adding these, brown the meat in a skillet with a little cooking oil.
Swap sweet potato for 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 for barley, chickpeas, and red lentils (should be added on the very last step when simmering)
Swap kale for spinach, green beans, mushrooms, parsnips, and celery.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

To Store. Let the lentil stew cool completely, and transfer it to airtight containers, refrigerate, and consume within 2-3 days.
To Freeze. The best time to freeze it is right after making it. Let the stew cool down first, then transfer to airtight containers. Freeze for 2-3 months. You may need to add more liquid when reheating it after thawing.

Hearty Stew & Soup Recipes

Before You Head Out

If you gave this recipe a try, I'd be so thankful if you could leave a ★★★★★ rating and review below. It helps other readers, supports my work, and means the world to me. Thank you for being part of The Yummy Bowl family. Happy cooking! ❤️

Recipe Card

Julia

Vegetarian Stew With Sweet Potato

4.92 from 23 votes

Warm and hearty One-Pot Vegetarian Lentil Stew with sweet potatoes is packed with good-for-you ingredients: delicious tender sweet potatoes, creamy coconut milk, aromatic spices, kale, and lentils! This lentil stew is incredibly fulfilling and true comfort food in one bowl. This recipe is Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, and Gluten Free.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings: 5 portions

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Indian

Calories: 349

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled, cubed
½ cup brown lentils properly rinsed
4 cup kale stems removed and leaves chopped
3 ¾ cup vegetable broth
13.5 ounces (1 can) coconut milk
1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil
1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
½ teaspoons chili flakes you can always increase later
½ teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoons ginger minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion
salt to taste
cilantro chili flakes, fresh jalapeno, lime wedges for garnish

Method

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and saute onions until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, turmeric.
1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil, ½ teaspoons chili flakes, ½ teaspoons ground coriander, ½ teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoons ground turmeric, 1 teaspoons ginger minced, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 small onion
Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices. Follow with lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
½ cup brown lentils properly rinsed, 2 medium sweet potatoes
Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
3 ¾ cup vegetable broth
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. if needed, squeeze more lime juice, it enhances the soup flavor A LOT!
4 cup kale stems removed and leaves chopped, 13.5 ounces (1 can) coconut milk, salt to taste, 1 tablespoon lime juice
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.
cilantro

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 9gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 780mgPotassium: 774mgFiber: 10gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 14950IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 5mg