This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
Kale and chickpeas make for a hearty sweet potato stew, while the coconut milk adds just the right amount of smoothness to this cozy and delicious recipe.
As the weather gets chillier, I start turning to soups as the perfect weeknight meal. Not only are they filling and delicious, but they also can usually be whipped up fairly easily and are budget-friendly. And when they are full of ingredients that are amazingly good for you, what’s not to love? This sweet potato stew just might be the epitome of health in a bowl. I mean, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, AND those infamously good-for-you leafy greens?
After a bowl of this, I felt like I had some kind of nutrition chi going on. Plus, it tastes incredibly good. The kale and sweet potatoes make a hearty combination, and the coconut milk adds just the right amount of smoothness. If you’re not a sweet potato fan, you might become a believer with this one — remember, they aren’t sickly sweet unless you douse them with syrup and sugar. The sweet potatoes in this recipe are made even healthier if you leave the skins on (yes, sweet potato skins are edible!). Sweet potato skins are packed with fiber, beta carotene, and vitamins C and E, just to name a few of their many health benefits. So save yourself the effort of peeling the sweet potatoes and reap all the benefits of eating them.
How to make sweet potato stew
When buying the ingredients for this hearty sweet potato stew, make sure you’re getting unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk. The coconut flavor won’t dominate this stew, and is the key to making it super rich and creamy. I’d also recommend purchasing salt-free vegetable broth so you can control the amount of salt you use. Just remember to season every layer of this sweet potato stew to balance out all the flavors! Finally, you can use any type of kale you find at the store; the tough leaves hold up well in this stew and add a delightfully earthy flavor to the final product.
If you have leftover sweet potato stew, make sure to store the rice and the stew separately. This will prevent the rice from soaking up all the yummy broth and going mushy. If you’re not a fan of rice, this stew would also be great plain or with a thick slice of bread.
Looking for more sweet potato recipes?
Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients, and we always have a few on hand for easy meals. Outside of this kale, chickpea and sweet potato stew, here are a few of our favorite vegan sweet potato recipes:
- Moroccan Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew
- All-Star Sweet Potato Chili
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa and Greens
This recipe is…
This sweet potato stew is vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Related: Try using our Homemade Vegetable Broth for this recipe!
Kale, Chickpea, and Sweet Potato Stew
Kale and chickpeas make for a hearty sweet potato stew, while the coconut milk adds just the right amount of smoothness to this cozy and delicious recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry brown rice, for serving
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 3/4 pound kale
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas
- 6 cups (1 ½ quarts) vegetable broth
- 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package instructions (or use our Instant Pot rice method).
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Mince the ginger. Wash and roughly chop the kale. Dice the sweet potato into bite-sized cubes.
- Prepare the soup: In a large pot, heat at about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, turmeric and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the sweet potatoes. Then add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.
- Once the stew is simmering, add the kale and chickpeas. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve over brown rice.
Notes
Inspired by Joy the Baker
This was fantastic. Just the right amount of spice. The only change i made was I added the entire can of coconut milk. Otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. My husband and I my loved it. I will definitely be making this one again.
I just realized this recipe is 10 years old…but it’s still so good! I actually like the simple spices here. Paired with the Better Than Bouillion vegetable stock, it has great flavor! Cozy and warm…thanks you guys!
This has been one of my go-to recipes for years now. I love the high health vibe mixed with simple delicious flavor. Thank you for creating and sharing such a yummy recipe! :)
So glad you love it!
I have a rheumatoid condition and was looking for a recipe that had foods that were anti-inflammatory. I skipped the brown rice and put in the whole can of coconut milk and all the vegetable broth to make it more like a soup. It was delicious! I ate it morning noon and night as sort of an experiment for myself and I got wonderful results! More energy and a major decrease in arthritic pain. Thank you! I will be sharing this recipe and will make it again and again for myself.
This is wonderful! I’m so glad this recipe worked out for you, especially with your health condition. Good luck, and I hope you continue to find other recipes that help your condition as well!
Both me and my boyfriend loved this recipe; easily one of the best vegetarian recipes I’ve made in a while! I made the following alterations:
– substituted nonfat yogurt for coconut milk
– used a ton more spices – lots of coriander, ginger, a bit of cayenne and red pepper flakes, a bit of curry, and of course lots of freshly ground pepper
– skipped the rice. even on the first night, this was nice and thick and didn’t need an extra starch imho.
this is definitely going in my regular rotation! thanks for sharing :)
Oh great – so glad you enjoyed it! We haven’t made this one in quite a while, so thanks for the reminder! We just did a similar recipe that you might enjoy if you liked this one: https://www.acouplecooks.com/2013/01/moroccan-chickpea-and-sweet-potato-stew/
Thanks for writing! :)
Very nutritious but needs more spices. I doubled the turmeric and added a couple of tsp of cumin and coriander. Left out the coconut milk since the one I bought was no good. We didn’t miss it.
I made this and it came out just ok. A bit bland, something was missing. I also think a cup of coconut milk is a bit too much – very fatty.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
I tried this one tonight and it was fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it.
This recipe is amazing. I’ve made it twice now. Something interesting to note about it is that it contains 4 of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods known (Tumeric, Kale, Sweet Potato and Ginger). My whole body takes a deep breath after eating this one.
Thanks guys!
Greg