This Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew is so delicious, comforting and easy to make. Enjoy this tomato-based broth with sweet potato, black beans, pinto beans, onion, garlic, bell peppers, and serrano pepper. It's perfect for warming you up when the weather is chilly!

This delicious and inviting soup is perfect for those chilly days when you want something warm and comforting. I'm excited to share my Sweet Potato and Bean Stew recipe, an easy-to-make dish that can be enjoyed on its own or as part of a larger meal.
This unique combination of ingredients makes the stew truly delectable while adding a hint of warmth from spices like smoked paprika and chipotle powder. The inclusion of sweet potato cubes gives it texture, while the beans add extra flavor and fiber.
For more cozy and warming recipes, try my Vegan Pumpkin Chili, Vegan Butternut Squash Chili, Pumpkin Veggie Stew, Butternut Squash Curry Soup, and Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Stew.
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I was inspired to make this tasty stew after visiting beautiful Costa Rica in 2018. After visiting a grocery store, I returned with an affordable bag of cubaces beans. I originally made this stew with those beans, but since then, I've updated the recipe with black beans and pinto beans and also updated the photos.
Equipment
Here is what you're going to need to make this veggie stew recipe:
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- wooden spoon
- large stockpot or this cast-iron enameled Dutch oven
- can opener if you're using canned beans
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this vegan sweet potato stew:
- Sweet potatoes - you don't need to peel them first.
- Onion - yellow onion
- Bell peppers - both red and green bell peppers
- Beans - I used black beans and pinto beans. Drain and rinse canned beans or cook them from scratch if you prefer, unless you happen to have some in the freezer.
- Serrano chile pepper - for heat - you may use jalapeño instead or roasted Hatch chile
- Spices - chipotle pepper powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
- Vegetable broth - use a prepared broth you like, or make your own. The broth makes a huge difference! Taste it by itself and adjust the salt if needed. Or use a low-salt broth if you prefer.
How to cook beans
If you are not in a hurry, you can cook the beans on the stovetop after soaking them. I usually soak a pound of beans the same morning I plan to cook them for dinner. In a large stock
After soaking the beans for 6 to 8 hours, drain them. In a large pot, cover them with a couple of inches of water, and cook on a low-medium simmer for approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally, add one tablespoon of sea salt. Add water if it is boiling off. Taste the beans at 45 minutes for doneness. Cook longer if needed.
Add a couple of dried Arbol chiles to your beans while they are cooking. Drain the beans and rinse them. Chop up the chiles and add them to the beans for flavor.
How to make vegan sweet potato and bean stew
It's easy to make this delicious stew, even if it is your first time.
After 3 minutes of preheating a large stockpot on medium heat, add the avocado oil and heat until it is shimmering.
Place the chopped onion, red and green bell peppers, garlic, serrano pepper, and salt in the pot and sauté for several minutes. Stir occasionally for several minutes until the onions start turning golden. Reduce heat to medium-low if needed to prevent burning.
Stir in the chili powder, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika, and constantly stir for one minute.
Add sweet potato and stir for another minute or so until everything is combined.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, black beans, pinto beans, and bay leaves. Simmer on medium to medium-low heat for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add remaining salt if desired.
- Tip: Check if the sweet potato is done by placing the sharp tip of a knife into a piece of sweet potato or by tasting it. If resistance is met, the sweet potato needs more cooking. The blade tip should be able to pierce the middle of the sweet potato piece easily.
Remove the bay leaves before serving into bowls. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- If you are cooking your beans from scratch, add a couple of dried Arbol chilies to your beans while cooking. Drain the beans when they're done, and rinse them. Chop up the chilies and add them to the beans for flavor.
- Use canned beans to save time when making this vegan and gluten-free stew. I always have some on hand for convenience.
- Add any extra vegetables you have on hand to boost the nutritional value of this stew while reducing waste.
Substitutions
- Serrano pepper - you can try a jalapeño instead or canned green chiles
- Sweet potato - try garnet yams (my favorite)
- Beans- try white beans, butter beans, or kidney beans.
- Avocado oil - use olive oil or grapeseed oil.
Variations
Add extra vegetables to the stew, whatever you have on hand, or add frozen corn or peas.
- Spicy - Add more chili powder or add 2 chipotle peppers in adobo from a can, and dice them. Or add 3 to 4 ounces of canned or frozen roasted Hatch chiles if you have them.
- Deluxe - Top with chopped avocado and serve with my cornbread! The link is below.
- Kid-friendly - Skip the serrano pepper and reduce the chili powder to 1 teaspoon.
How to serve
- Top the stew with chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, or avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Serve this stew with my Vegan Southwest Skillet Cornbread!
- Serve with fresh bread or sourdough if you don't have cornbread handy.
Storage
- Refrigerate the stew promptly within two hours of cooking. Let it cool on the counter first, then place it in airtight glass containers.
- Properly stored, the stew will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- The stew might thicken up after being refrigerated. Add some water to thin it out a little when reheating it.
Can this stew be frozen?
- Freeze it in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
- It will maintain the best quality for about 4 to 6 months.
FAQ
You can freeze any leftover beans. Once they are drained and rinsed, place them on a rimmed baking sheet to cool in a single layer to cool. To freeze them, place the beans in a freezable Ziploc bag in a single layer and keep them flat. If you plan on using them within three to five days, place them in the fridge in an airtight container.
Cooked sweet potato and bean stew that has been thawed in the fridge can be kept for 3 to 4 days before cooking; bean stew that was thawed in the microwave or in cold water should be eaten immediately.
Related vegan recipes
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ★★★★★ below. I love to see your creations on Instagram; make sure to tag me @resplendentkitchen and #resplendentkitchenrecipes. To get more ideas, follow me on Facebook and Pinterest!
Recipe
Healthy and Easy Vegan Sweet Potato and Bean Stew
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- can opener
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped, 300 g
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 serrano chile pepper diced and seeded, or jalapeno or Hatch green chiles
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 sweet potatoes, unpeeled chopped into ½ inch pieces, 635 g
- 1 24-oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 4 to 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 green onions chopped for garnish, optional
- Fresh cilantro optional, garnish
- 1 avocado chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional, stir in before serving
Instructions
- After 3 minutes of preheating a large stockpot on medium heat, add the avocado oil and heat until it is shimmering. Place chopped onion, red and green bell peppers, garlic, serrano pepper, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in the pot and sauté for several minutes, stirring frequently. Keep stirring occasionally for approximately 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions start turning golden. Reduce heat to medium-low if needed to prevent burning of the vegetables.2 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 medium red bell pepper, 1 medium green bell pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 1 serrano chile pepper, 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- Stir in chili powder, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika constantly stirring for one minute.1 tablespoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Add sweet potato and continue to stir for another couple of minutes until everything is mixed together.2 sweet potatoes, unpeeled
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, black beans, pinto beans, and bay leaves. Keep cooking on medium until stew is simmering, for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, reduce heat if needed. Taste and add remaining salt if desired. Cook until sweet potato is just done; test the sweet potato with the tip of a paring knife, there should be no resistance.1 24-oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, 4 to 5 cups vegetable broth, 1 15-oz can black beans, 1 15-oz can pinto beans, 2 bay leaves
- Remove bay leaves before serving into bowls. Top the stew with chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, or avocado, and stir in lime juice, if desired.3 green onions, Fresh cilantro, 1 avocado, 1 tablespoon lime juice
Notes
- Serve with chopped green onion and chopped avocado, if desired.
- This stew tastes even better the next day and the flavors absorb and the sweet potato becomes more tender.
- After cooling, refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. Freeze for up to 4 to 6 months.
Nutrition
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Kayla
This sweet potato stew was so delicious! It is super cold and dreary and it was the perfect stew weather!
Emily
Thank you so much for your review of this recipe, Kayla! I'm so glad to hear that it made the perfect comfort food during this chilly weather!
Chris
Cozy, warming and so filling! I love meals like this! Thank you for this recipe, everyone enjoyed it!
Emily
Thank you for your review, Chris! We're so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe.
Shilpa
This sounds perfect for winter nights. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try it
Emily
Thank you, Shilpa, I hope you enjoy it!
Holly
A delicious balance of flavors and just perfect for fall! This one is a keeper!
Emily
Thank you for your review Holly! I'm so glad to hear that this recipe is a keeper for you. It's one of my favorites too - especially now in the fall when it's chilly outside and we're craving warming dishes like this one.
Marinela
This sweet potato and bean stew is absolutely delicious! It's such a hearty and comforting meal to keep you warm on these cold fall days. Thanks for the recipe, Emily.
Emily
Thanks so much for the review, Marinela. I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Ieva
Lovely recipe, very hearty and filling, and bonus that it is vegan! Made it last night, using chipotle paste instead of powder (that's what we had at home) and it was a delicious warming stew! Looking forward to making it again soon! 🙂
Emily
Thank you for trying my vegan stew recipe, Ieva! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. The chipotle paste gives the chili a delicious smoky flavor. We hope you'll make it again soon!
Helen
This looks so good! Great recipe as we head into Autumn and the weather gets chillier.
Emily
Thank you, Helen! We're glad you like it!
Mahy
Definitely the stew I will put on rotation this fall. It looks absolutely delicious!
Emily
Thank you, Mahy! We're excited to put this stew on rotation this fall as well!
Nic
Yum! I'm always looking for good vegan recipes. This sweet potato bean stew was delicious!
Emily
Thank you for trying out my vegan sweet potato and bean stew, Nic! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Helen
A hearty and delicious stew!! Can't wait for colder weather!
Emily
Thank you, Helen! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that you're looking forward to cooking it again when the colder weather arrives. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!