Slow Cooker Peanut Stew {Gluten-Free + Vegan}

This Slow Cooker Peanut Stew is a hearty dish made with chickpeas, sweet potatoes and peanut butter. It’s also gluten-free and vegan!

This Slow Cooker African-Inspired Peanut Stew is a hearty, savoury chickpea and sweet potato curry, served with basmati rice and topped with cilantro. It's also gluten-free and vegan!

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado, grapeseed or canola oil.
Garlic – I like using fresh minced garlic, but the jarred variety works as well.
Yellow onions – white onions would work in a pinch.
Sweet potatoes – butternut or acorn squash are great alternatives.
Curry powder – make your own blend using cumin, coriander, chili, turmeric and pepper.
Cumin – chili powder, paprika or more curry powder are good substitutes here.
Chili powder – use a combination of paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cayenne.
Vegetable broth – chicken broth is a good non-vegan substitute.
Peanut butter – try another kind of nut or seed butter like almond butter or tahini.
Crushed tomatoes – you could try passata (jarred strained tomatoes).
Chickpeas – lentils or kidney beans would work in a pinch.
Red pepper – or any other bell pepper of your choice like orange or yellow.
Spinach – use any type of leafy green like chard or kale.
Cilantro – parsley would be the next best option but has a different taste.
Crushed peanuts – leave these out altogether if you don’t like or are allergic to peanuts.
Basmati rice – use any rice variety of your choice like jasmine or brown rice.
Salt – to taste.

How to make slow cooker peanut stew

Add everything but the spinach, cilantro, peanuts and rice to the slow cooker.
Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
Stir in the spinach.
Top with peanuts and cilantro.
Serve over basmati rice and enjoy!

Stovetop and Instant Pot instructions

Don’t have time to make this vegan African-inspired peanut stew in the slow cooker? You can easily make it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot! Just follow the instructions below.

Stovetop instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat, then sauté onions, garlic and spices for 2-3 minutes until softened.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot except for spinach, cilantro, peanuts and rice.
Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When ready to serve, stir in spinach. Top each bowl with peanuts and cilantro and serve with basmati rice.

Instant Pot instructions:

Dump everything into the Instant Pot in order that it appears listed above except for red pepper, spinach, cilantro, peanuts and rice.
Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and then do a quick release of the pressure.
Remove lid, then stir in red pepper and spinach. Top each bowl with peanuts and serve with basmati rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called African peanut stew?

This slow cooker peanut stew is inspired by the peanut stews that originated from western African countries like Mali, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Gambia and more.

What do you serve on the side?

I like to serve this peanut stew with basmati or jasmine rice, but you could also serve it with quinoa, wild rice, crusty bread, a side salad, soba noodles or rice noodles.

How do you thicken stew in the slow cooker?

This slow cooker peanut stew is super thick and delicious – but if you accidentally add in too much vegetable broth, you can add a little potato starch, cornstarch or chickpea flour to thicken it up.

Storing and reheating

This peanut stew will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store any leftovers in a large container or in individual portion sizes in glass meal prep bowls. To reheat, just stick it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. It’s super easy and the leftovers taste just as good as a fresh serving!

Freezing this recipe

This vegan stew is also freezer-friendly! Freeze individual serving sizes for up to 3 months, then reheat right from frozen in the microwave for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Garnish with fresh cilantro and peanuts and dig in.

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Meal Prep Tools

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I also love these glass meal prep bowls for reheating this peanut stew in individual portions.

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