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Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Stew (Maafe-Inspired)

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Slow cooker peanut stew is vegan comfort food at it’s finest! With chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and peanut butter, it’s inspired by the West African peanut stew maafe. You can assemble this ahead and freeze as a crockpot freezer meal.

This is the time of year that I just want to curl up by the fire with something warm and cozy…and this slow cooker peanut stew is oh so cozy!

side view of a bowl of African peanut stew

Not only is it warm and cozy, but hearty and delicious! With sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peanut butter and spices…I know, that probably sounds like the most random assortment of ingredients but I promise you it all works together in this soup!

After cooking through, I mashed the sweet potatoes and it ended up thick and almost creamy. So delicious!

Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!

Reasons you’ll love slow cooker peanut stew

  • it is made with wholesome, clean pantry ingredients
  • you can assemble it ahead and freeze
  • it is healthy, hearty and delicious!
  • it also happens to be vegan and gluten-free

freezer bag holding the ingredients for the west african peanut stew

What is Maafe?

Maafe is a popular West African stew that originated in Mali (1), but is also prepared in many other countries including (but not limited to) Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Mauritania (2). With a base consisting of tomatoes and ground nuts, maafe typically also contains meat, and is served with rice, couscous or sweet potatoes. Recipes vary greatly by chef and region, and can also include corn, peppers, paprika, carrots, onions and leafy vegetables.

For a traditional Maafe recipe + story on the cultural significance of this dish, check out this article.

My goal with this recipe was to honor the traditional flavors, while making it meat-free and slow cooker-friendly, making it easy to prepare in North American (US/Canada) kitchens. I hope this recipe can help introduce the story and flavors to new home cooks!

How to make peanut stew

This is a ‘no cook’ slow cooker recipe, which means it’s perfect as a crockpot freezer meal. It also means you don’t need to pre-cook any ingredients, simply dump them all in the slow cooker and press start!

How to assemble ahead and freeze

Crockpot freezer meals are a staple in my freezer and are an absolute lifesaver during busy weeks! Here’s how you can turn this vegan African peanut stew into a freezer pack:

  • assemble all ingredients except for the stock in a good quality gallon-sized freezer bag
  • squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze flat
  • freeze for up to 3 months
  • thaw completely before dumping into the slow cooker, adding the stock, and cooking as directed

vegan african peanut stew ingredients in the slow cooker before cooking

What can I serve with peanut stew? This goes really well with some toasted bread. Alternatively you can serve it with rice, in fact it would be great portioned out into some meal prep containers with rice, then frozen.

Can I add chicken to this recipe? Sure, you can add chicken, I’d recommend sticking to boneless skinless chicken thighs as chicken breast may overcook during the 6 hour cook time.

Can I freeze this soup after cooking? Yes! You can definitely freeze it after cooking, and it should keep for up to 6 months in the freezer.

 

stirring the african peanut soup in a slow cooker

Tips & equipment

overhead view of west african peanut soup in three bowls

bowl of vegan slow cooker peanut stew
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5 from 19 votes

Vegan Slow Cooker Peanut Stew (Maafe-Inspired)

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: African
Keyword: freezer, gluten-free, meal prep, slow cooker, vegan
Calories: 263kcal
Servings: 8
Slow cooker peanut stew is vegan comfort food at it's finest! With chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and peanut butter, it's inspired by the West African peanut stew maafe. You can assemble this ahead and freeze as a crockpot freezer meal.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time6 hrs
Total Time6 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 15 oz can of chickpeas (drained & rinsed)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (including juices)
  • 4-5 cups sweet potatoes (cut into 2 inch cubes; roughly 2 medium sweet potatoes)
  • 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 inch ginger (finely grated)

Just before serving

  • 4 handfulls spinach (chopped)

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  • Stir in the spinach and cook for 15 minutes. 
  • Mash the sweet potato until the stew is thickened. Enjoy!

To assemble ahead and freeze

  • Combine all ingredients except for the stock and spinach in a large freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and freeze flat. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw completely and cook according to the directions above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of batch | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 613mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 9835IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg

 

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About Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

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Comments

  1. Tammy

    5 stars
    First timer here! I did a Google search for vegan stews and soups and found your website! We’re a plant-based family always looking to try new things. The hardest part of this recipe was digging out the crockpot from the very back bottom cabinet. Lol. This recipe came together beautifully and smells delightful. We can’t wait to sit down for dinner. I’ll probably make some basmati rice to put it on top of. I doubled the recipe so we’ll have plenty of leftovers.

    Reply

  2. Mari

    5 stars
    Outstanding. Even my traditional meat-eating boyfriend loved it. Actually, he couldn’t stop talking about it! I served it with naan bread but next time I think I’ll so quinoa as the protein content of this dish isn’t that high. I loved how it even smelled good before it started cooking! Winner winner, Maara dinner.

    Reply

  3. Michelle

    5 stars
    This was so delicious! My almost 3yo exclaimed “this is the best in the world” and ate his whole bowl (I mixed his with rice and Greek yoghurt, the yoghurt to take the heat/spice away for him. Hubby also loved it and went back for 2nds and he is a meat eater! Will definitely make this again.

    Reply

    • Denise Bustard

      Hi Kaila, thank you for your patience with my late reply (holidays!). Do you mean before or after cooking it?

      Before- you can add the stock if you have enough room in your bag, but I think it will be too full to seal and you may risk it leaking in the freezer. The spinach will basically dissolve into the stew if you put it in the freezer bag, and I don’t think it will look very nice.

      After cooking- yes, freezes great.

      Reply

  5. Lindsey

    5 stars
    Just made this for my husband and I and it was fantastic! Topped with cilantro, sriracha and crushed peanuts. So hearty and filling. We have tons left! Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Reply

  6. Chel

    Hi there! This recipe looks delicious and healthy- just wondering if you know exactly how many cups this will yield? I notice the calorie count is per 1/8 of the dish, but that’s a little hard for me to quantify- curious if know how many cups is an 1/8 of this dish? Sorry if that’s an odd question, I just count my calories very strictly. Thank you in advance! (:

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Autumn! I have zero experience using powdered PB and do worry that it will not be as creamy. If you give it a try, would you let me know how it goes for you?

      Reply

  9. Rebecca Williams

    Hello, I was wondering you say a 15oz can of chickpeas. I have a 15oz can but half of that is liquid did you mean 15oz of chickpeas? Thankyou.

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Rebecca! I believe the 15 oz measurement in the cans includes liquid + chickpeas. So strain off the liquid and just use whatever amount of chickpeas come in that can 🙂

      Reply

  11. Diana

    Hey Denise I am Obsessed with your Amazing Instagram and website!!! I am making this recipe today and this will be the first of your recipes that I try and the 1st time using my crockpot that I purchased 2 years ago 😅 Do I add spinach last 15 minutes ?? Also when should I add cauliflower ??? Thanks soo much 💕

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Diana! Thanks for following along <3 I would add spinach just before you serve (15 min) as it will cook/wilt quickly. Cauliflower will need a bit more time, I would add it 1-2 hours before serving. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  12. Karen

    5 stars
    I really enjoyed this Vegan African Peanut Stew, cooked in the Instant Pot, and so did my meat-munching, peanut-hating husband.
    But. If he asks, it’s just called “Soup” 😬
    Thanks Denise!

    Reply

  13. fiona dudley

    Just made this for my family…my son’s girlfriend loved it…amazing since she passionately hates sweet potato, chick peas, ginger and onions!!!! Brilliant!

    Reply

    • Nancy

      I would like to know that as well. I got rid of my crockpot when I got theinstant pot. Don’t have room for all those appliances

      Reply

      • Denise

        Unfortunately I have not tried this recipe in the Instant Pot, but I would try 5 minute high pressure + 10 minute natural pressure release. Let me know how it goes!

        Reply

        • Kavitha

          5 stars
          Yummo !

          Just made this in the instant pot and added a bunch of cubed eggplant and zucchini and it was delish, Did 5 min high pressure and 10 min natural release and worked perfectly.

          Reply

          • Denise

            Hurray! So happy you enjoyed, Kavitha! Thank you for reporting back with the Instant Pot directions, that’s so helpful 🙂

  15. JT

    5 stars
    I’ve never made/eaten anything like this, and I’m so glad I did–it is delicious! After about 7 hours, I took my sweet potatoes out, put them in a large bowl and mashed them with a fork. Then I added them back in & let everything cook for another hour. I ate this stew at work without adding anything, and then the next day, I added 1/4 cup of rice–both ways turned out great, and it’s nice to have an easy meal that I can prep for work lunches. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  17. Emma

    5 stars
    This was fantastic! I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used ground. Probably would be even better with fresh! Will definitely be making again. Love love love 🙂

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hey Jen! There’s really not much to worry about other than the chickpeas, and the potato masher I use will allow them to slip between the masher. If you are worried, you could scoop out the sweet potato, mash it in a bowl, and return to the slow cooker. Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  21. Crystal Lam

    This looks soooo good but I’m allergic to peanuts. Have you ever made it with a different nut or seed butter? I’m wondering if a cashew or almond butter would be better?

    Reply

    • Lilly

      I haven’t tried this yet, I’m only just cooking it now!
      But I think cashews would be the best alternative to using peanuts. Almonds seem to have quite a different flavour from personal experience.
      You could always try it!

      Reply

    • Denise

      Hi Crystal! I believe I did try it with almond butter but now I can’t remember! In general I do find almond butter to be a good alternative but I also think cashew sounds pretty delish! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂

      Reply

  22. Claire

    5 stars
    DELLICIOUS!!!

    I had to improvise on a couple of ingredients (butternut squash for sweet potato, and fresh tomatoes instead of canned) but my goodness, so so tasty!!!!! I also chucked in some curry powder on top as I love the curry flavours.

    Reply

  23. Stacey

    5 stars
    Hi, I’m making this at the moment. It’s looking great, thanks. I’m wondering if you can freeze the stew when cooked,( with stock), rather than adding stock later. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Denise

      Hey Maria! When this post was published there were not reusable silicone bags or meal prep containers available that big enough to fit a freezer crockpot meal. I have found some large enough ones finally and that’s what I use for my newer posts. Your comment kind of rubs me the wrong way (maybe because I have had a really long hard day, and maybe because I am really environmentally conscious and literally think about how to help this planet all the time?).

      We are all doing our best in this world and it’s not feasible for me to go through all my old posts and update. Check out my category where I write all about ways you can green your kitchen: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/category/eco-friendly/

      Reply

      • Katie

        5 stars
        This was a super tasty and wholesome recipe! I like to use dried rather than canned chickpeas mostly because I feel they taste much better. Do you think they would cook by themselves in the 6- 8 hour time period in the recipe? I would love to save myself the effort of cooking them separately if possible.

        Reply

        • Denise

          Hi Katie! I am not sure if that would work. I haven’t cooked chickpeas from dried in the slow cooker before. I wish I had some better insights for you. If you do try it, would you let me know how it goes for you? PS- so happy you enjoyed the recipe!

          Reply

        • Karen

          Katie-
          For previous slow cooker recipes I have soaked the garbanzos overnight in cold water and then threw them in the slow cooker in the morning with great results. I’m planning to make this recipe this week and do that. Hope that helps.

          Reply

  26. Kim

    By any chance, have you tried cooking this on the stove top? I’m wondering how long it would take at a higher temperature. Either way, this looks delicious and I’m totally going to try it! Thank you!

    Reply

      • Kim

        5 stars
        Thank you!! I tried it last night! I sautéed the onion, garlic and ginger, then added the rest of the ingredients. I cut the sweet potato pieces pretty small, about 1/2 inch cubes, so it only took 15-20 minutes to cook. It was delicious and everyone loved it!

        Reply

  27. Michele Dagenais

    5 stars
    Just made this tonight! It was beyond amazing!!Even my 2 year old loved it. As well as a famiyfruand his 2 year old. we arw new to the vegan train. This can even please heavy meat eaters. Thank you for helping my family start our journey off with a bang!

    Reply

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