Hearty, healthy, and filled with delicious southwestern flavor, this slow cooker black bean, quinoa and sweet potato stew is so easy to prep! Works great as a weeknight dinner, and can be meal prepped in multiple ways.
The slow cooker is such a great appliance for cooking soups and stews. From slow cooker Tuscan chicken stew to roasted red pepper chili, letting it simmer while you go about your day makes dinner hands off and easy to serve up.
When cooking soups and stews in the slow cooker, I love looking for ones that do not require a sauté step. This means that it is so easy to measure your ingredients into the slow cooker, stir it up, and set it to cook!
With the perfect blend of chili powder and cumin, subtle sweetness from the sweet potatoes and corn, acid from the tomatoes, and bulk from the corn and black beans, it is hearty, healthy, and full of delicious Southwestern flavor.
Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- no sautéing means it's easy to prep
- you can cook it in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot
- you can meal prep it in 2 different ways
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel!
Ingredient notes
- sweet potatoes- for this recipe, you'll need 4 cups of sweet potato cubes. This is approximately 1 medium sweet potato or two small sweet potatoes. You are welcome to peel them, or to leave the skin on.
- black beans- use cooked, canned black beans, or cook your own in the Instant Pot!
- quinoa- we've used white quinoa in this recipe, but any type should work fine
- stock- use vegetable or chicken stock; the stew can end up thicker for some people than others, and this may depend on the type of quinoa. Feel free to add extra stock to thin out the stew as you'd like.
Step by step directions
Assemble- In the base of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, stir together the sweet potato cubes, corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, salt, cumin, chili powder, stock and quinoa.
Cook on low- Place the lid on the slow cooker, then program it on low heat for 6 hours.
Add lime juice- Just before serving your stew, stir in 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and taste to determine if added salt should be added. Adding an acidic ingredient at the end of a long slow cooker cook time is one of my favorite tricks; in this case, the lime juice helps wake up and brighten all the flavors in the stew.
FAQ
When using the slow cooker, I like to use the low setting whenever possible. The reason for this is that some slow cookers cook quite hot, and on high, they can vigorously boil and overcook the ingredients.
With that being said, you can try cooking on high heat for 4-5 hours; check to ensure the sweet potatoes and onions are softened and quinoa is cooked through.
Yes, this recipe works well cooked in the Instant Pot. Here are a few tips for Instant Pot success:
-reduce the quinoa to ½ cup
-cook for 8 minutes at high pressure
-allow for a 10 minute natural pressure release
-a 6 quart Instant Pot was quite full; it might be better cooked in an 8 quart
Yes, you can freeze it before or after cooking. See "meal prep + storage" for specific directions.
Some ideas include: shredded cheese, yogurt or coconut yogurt, tortilla chips or strips, cilantro or green onions, avocado, bread or crackers.
Serving size + equipment
This recipe should be cooked in a larger slow cooker- 5 or 6 quarts. If you are looking to cut the recipe in half, you'll need to cook in a 2.5 or smaller slow cooker.
- my favorite 6 quart slow cooker
- cook a half batch in this 2.5 quart slow cooker
- here are the 6 quart Instant Pot and 8 quart Instant Pot models that I own
Meal prep + storage
This is a great recipe for meal prep. Here are tips for safely storing and heating this stew:
Cook ahead
After cooking the stew through according to the recipe card directions, allow it to cool completely.
- fridge- portion out into meal prep containers or store in one larger container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer- portion out into glass or plastic freezer jars. Leave ¼ of the jar empty to account for expansion, and leave lids off until fully frozen. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- thaw- overnight in the fridge, or immerse the jar in cold water for a few hours.
- reheat- heat individual portions in the microwave; heat larger portions over medium heat in a pot on the stove until steaming hot.
Crockpot freezer meal
A crock pot freezer meal is assembled ahead and frozen before cooking. This way, when it’s time to cook, you simply dump the ingredients into the slow cooker and skip any measuring. This is a great recipe to prepare for someone who is expecting a baby.
Here’s how you can turn this recipe into a freezer meal:
- Assemble all ingredients (except for the quinoa) in a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely, dump into the slow cooker, stir in the quinoa, and cook.
Find my favorite freezer containers here!
More healthy crock pot meals
- Slow Cooker Smoky Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Slow Cooker Spanish Chicken Stew
- Thai Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Spicy Slow Cooker Chickpea Chili
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Quinoa Stew
Ingredients
- 4 cups sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes; see note 1
- 11 oz can of corn 341 mL; drained
- 19 oz can black beans 540 mL; drained and rinsed
- 19 oz can diced tomatoes 540mL; including juices
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 4-5 cups stock vegetable or chicken
- ⅔ cup quinoa uncooked
After Cooking
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- additional salt start with ¼ teaspoon
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the insert of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. This makes a big batch and your slow cooker will be quite full.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Add the lime juice and additional salt if necessary. Serve with bread, cheese or yogurt.
Tips:
- fridge- portion out into meal prep containers or store in one larger container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- freezer- portion out into glass or plastic freezer jars. Leave ¼ of the jar empty to account for expansion, and leave lids off until fully frozen. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Heat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot.
- Heat larger portions on the stove over medium heat. Stir occasionally for 15-20 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Assemble all ingredients (except for the quinoa) in a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container.
- Squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely, dump into the slow cooker, stir in the quinoa, and cook.
- shredded cheese
- yogurt or coconut yogurt
- tortilla chips or strips
- cilantro or green onions
- avocado
- bread or crackers
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Christopher says
I followed this recipe precisely except for adding three minced garlic cloves. I am pleased to say that this stew turned out excellent. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to leftovers. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
CC says
Really enjoyed this recipe. I will list the things I did differently just incase others may be curious: I cut my potatoes into smaller pieces and cooked at 2.5 hours on high. I use only 2 cups broth so that it's not soupy. I add extra cumin and the addition of: Chipotle, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little Mexican oregano as it needed more flavor. I add more salt as well. I serve with lime tortilla chips.
*I have a question, have you considered making a printable option that shortens it down to one page and without pictures? This make it so much easier to add my recipe files where I use plastic page protectors and like one page recipes, and it's so nice to save on paper and ink by only printing on one page without pictures.
Thanks.
Darla says
I love this recipe! It’s a Regular go to in my house. I love it with fresh chopped Cilantro and sour cream. I store them in in 1 jars in my fridge and reheat them in the jar, so easy!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Darla, so glad to hear that this one is a regular in your recipe rotation! Thanks for sharing your feedback, rating and review!
Charo T says
Loved it. I served it with a squeeze of
Lemon, diced avocado and a sprig of cilantro. Delish.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Charo, so happy that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back to leave a rating and review! 🙂
Shannon says
I’m trying this with stew meat added bc I needed to use - will report back on how it turns out!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Shannon, we hope that you enjoy! Can't wait to hear how it turns out. Cheers!
Heather says
Hi, I would like to try this recipe. Do you think I could add maybe 2 o3 chicken breasts to the crock pot to cook with everything? I would cook it on low for about 8 hours. I would then take the chicken out and shred it and then put it back in the stew. Thoughts?
Thanks so much!
Heather
Denise Bustard says
Hi Heather! I would personally avoid cooking chicken breasts for so long, they will disintegrate and get a really unappetizing texture. I recommend cooking chicken breasts no longer than 5 hours on low. I hope this helps!
Becky says
Delicious, hearty recipe. Love the simplicity and abundance provided. I’ll look forward to eating this all week. Thanks!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Becky! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Shana says
Do the sweet potatoes need to be boiled first if doing a freezer prep to be cooked later? Or is it safe to peel dice and freeze?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Shana! Through experimentation, I've found that when cut sweet potatoes are covered with liquid, they freeze/thaw ok. But I would't freeze them without cooking first otherwise. Hope this helps!
BiGG Scott says
Google had your post for this stew in my suggested reads. It said, "slow cooker black bean quinoa stew," over the top of a photo of somebody lifting a slice of some type of quiche out of a baking tray. I found the mismatched photo / headline to be quite comical, indeed. I took a screenshot of it, cropped it down, and sent the photo to my girlfriend and my mom, with my text, "a stew so hearty that you'll want to cut yourself a large slice fresh out of the oven!" Because that's how I roll!
Denise Bustard says
Oh my goodness, that's so funny! What must have happened is that I put the wrong featured image in the Web Stories. I just started making them this week and there is a learning curve for sure. Thanks for letting me know, and I'm glad you got a laugh out of it 🙂
Cheryl says
Making it now. Can you freeze leftovers?
Denise says
Hi Cheryl! Apologies for my late reply. Yes, you can freeze this! Hope you enjoyed 🙂
Shana says
Made it tonight. Super yummy.
Sam says
Damn, too much quinoa.. it didn't turn out a soup at all
Denise says
Hi Sam! When I personally have cooked this recipe, it comes out more soupy, but it seems that it comes out thick for some people (including the girl who shot my video). Not sure if some slow cookers allow liquid to release more than others or if other types of quinoa will absorb more liquid. Anyway, sorry it ended up too thick for you 🙁
Sheryl Travis says
Should I drain the can of corn? The recipe doesn't say...
Denise Bustard says
Hi Sheryl! Yes, drain the corn.
Gemma says
Is it 6 hours or 8 hours? At the top it says 6 hours cooking time but in the instructions says Cook for 8?
Denise says
Sorry for the confusion, Gemma! It should be fine after 6 hours but also OK if you need to cook for a full 8. I will update the recipe card to be more clear.
Christopher says
Do you peel the sweet potato before dicing? Thank you so much!
Pam says
I have a kid who is allergic to peppers so I can't use chili (or paprika). Do you have any suggestions for other spices that might work?
Thanks
Denise says
Hi Pam! Unfortunately I have not tested this recipe without the chili powder. It may be OK, but it also could be lacking flavor. I just really can't think of any spice alternatives that don't have paprika (was thinking taco seasoning but that also has paprika). If you try without the chili powder I'd love to hear how it turns out for you.
Abby says
Hi Denise! Would it be possible to add the IP instructions to the recipe card? It would be super handy for printing purposes.
Thank you!
Denise says
Hi Abby! Yes, I will do that right now. Thanks for the heads up 🙂
Kayla says
This stew was nice and hearty but it tasted a bit bland at first (all I could taste was cumin). We adjusted with other spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce etc) and also added some corn starch to thicken.
Denise says
Sorry you didn't enjoy.