This hearty vegan slow cooker stew is packed with veggies, sweet potatoes, and white beans in a smoky tomato base! Dinner doesn't get much easier!
Meet your new favorite weeknight dinner: this vegan slow cooker stew!
I've had some requests for slow cooker meals lately, and I'm always happy to oblige. I have a few vegan slow cooker recipes on this site already, like my vegan lasagna soup and vegan jambalaya, both of which are reader favorites. But, they both require adding ingredients to the slow cooker in multiple steps.
I got the impression from my requests that you guys were searching for a one-step deal, where you throw everything into the crockpot and dinner is magically ready several hours later.
Well here it is folks! This veggie stew involves some chopping, but other than that it's basically a set it and forget it kind of meal. You can even do all the chopping a day or two in advance, so all you need to do the day of serving is throw everything in the Crockpot.
It's delicious and comforting, but also healthy. A winner all around!
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Ingredients You'll Need
This recipe has lots of room for customization! I've use a mix of veggies that works really well, but you're welcome to make substitutions. I've suggested a few to try below!
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Red bell pepper. You can substitute a green, orange, or yellow bell pepper if preferred.
- Sweet potatoes. Butternut squash, carrots, parsnips or other root veggies can be substituted here. Don't substitute regular white potatoes though, as the tomato paste could potentially prevent the from cooking all the way through.
- Green beans. Feel free to use peas, broccoli, or another green veggie instead.
- Cannellini beans. Most common varieties of canned beans can be substituted. Try kidney beans, chickpeas, or black beans.
- Vegetable broth.
- Tomato paste.
- Soy sauce. Use gluten-free tamari instead if needed.
- Rosemary.
- Smoked paprika.
- Cayenne pepper. You can leave this out if you prefer a milder stew.
- Salt & pepper.
- Hot sauce. This is also optional, but I find a little heat really compliments the sweet and smoky flavors of the stew. I used a few dashes of Tobasco sauce.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by prepping all of your veggies. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, chop the sweet potatoes and green beans. You'll also want to drain and rinse your can of cannellini beans.
Tip: The veggies can be chopped a day or two in advance then stored in airtight containers in the fridge if you'd like to save time on the day of serving.
- Add all of your ingredients except for the salt, pepper and hot sauce to your slow cooker. Give them a stir to mix everything up well.
- Let the stew cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low.
Tip: Slow cookers can vary a bit when it comes to cook time, so keep an eye on the stew the first time you make it, if possible.
- Your stew is finished cooking when the sauce is thick and the veggies are soft.
- Season it with salt and pepper to taste, along with some hot sauce if you'd like.
- Ladle the stew into bowls and dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover vegan slow cooker stew will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is if you use gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.
Nope! I skipped that in order to make things as easy as possible and the stew turned out perfectly delicious. You're totally welcome to sauté them in bit of broth or oil if you'd like though.
Try adding some seitan, pan-fried pan-fried tofu, vegan sausage, or soy curls.
More Vegan Stew Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Smoky Vegan Slow Cooker Stew
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (¾ inch)
- 2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (6 ounce or 170 gram) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for the salt, pepper and hot sauce to a large (4 quart or larger) slow cooker.
- Stir everything well to combine.
- Cook the stew on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 6 hours.
- The stew is finished when the sauce is thick and the veggies are soft. At this point you can turn off the slow cooker, give it a stir, and season it with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
- Ladle the stew into bowls and serve.
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IDK. My slow cooker usually is fine. The potatoes didn't get soft, though. I don't know how true this is but several websites suggested that tomatoes inhibit potatoes from cooking. Maybe it's true. I didn't have sweet potatoes on hand (we're snowed in) so I used Yukon Gold potatoes. After 4 hours on high, they were still hard. I just put the slow cooker back on for 2 more hours.
Yes — the acid in tomatoes can inhibit regular potatoes from softening. This applies to russets, Yukon golds, red potatoes, and most other white (non-sweet) potatoes.
This isn’t the case for sweet potatoes, which cook just fine in acidic ingredients. If you’d like to substitute regular potatoes, simply add the tomato paste and soy sauce after they’ve softened.
Delish! If I choose to cook this in an Instant Pot, how long would you recommend I set the pressure for?
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I haven't made this one in the instant pot, but I would try high pressure for about 10 minutes, then let it naturally release for 10. If you want it thicker, just simmer on sauté for a few minutes after.
This was delicious! I used edamame instead of green beans and garbanzos instead of cannellini . Great to have options to use what you have on hand and still get a fabulous result. The smoked paprika is essential though in my opinion.
This was delicious! I've had a rough week and this was so deeply satisfying.
What size slow cooker is needed for this recipe? I have a smaller than 5-6 qt