This creamy vegan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew recipe is made even more flavorful with ginger, coconut milk, and kale! It is absolutely delicious, super nutritious, and gluten-free too. It is the perfect lunch or dinner dish done in just 35 minutes using one pot only.

Vegan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew with Kale
If you are looking for a hearty and healthy dish to keep yourself fit and warm these cold winter months, then this Sweet potato and Lentil Stew with Kale is perfect for you! This recipe is made with various warm and earthy spices and protein-rich vegetables simmered in a creamy coconut broth. Each delightful mouthful is sure to bring you comfort and keep your belly satisfied for hours!
This homestyle recipe is also quite adaptable and customizable, as you can use other veggies that you have on hand, so you do not have to go to your local grocery store to grab anything.

Ingredients Used
- Coconut oil: you can use other neutral-tasting oils such as sunflower or canola oil.
- Aromatics: I used the usual trio of onions, garlic, and ginger for the savory base.
- Chili pepper: this will give the stew a mild kick. You can also use chili flakes or chili powder as replacements.
- Spices: This recipe calls for ground cumin, coriander, yellow curry powder, and turmeric. They provide a warm, earthy and zesty flavor to the stew, making it irresistibly appetizing.
- Sweet potatoes: diced and simmered to creamy perfection. As alternatives, you can use regular potatoes, pumpkin or squash, or a mixture of all. You can also replace some with root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, parsley root, and radishes. Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbages will also work.
- Brown lentils: this type of lentil holds its shapes well during cooking, making them ideal for this Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew with Kale recipe. You can also use other varieties but remember that red and yellow lentils are split, so they melt quite easily and can make your stew very thick.
- Vegetable broth: use a low-sodium option to keep this stew as healthy as possible.
- Coconut milk: makes the dish rich and creamy. However, you can also use any other dairy-free cooking cream of your choice instead.
- Kale: stems removed and coarsely chopped. If you do not have this, you can use spinach or chard.
- Salt and pepper: to taste.
- Optional Garnishes: You can top the stew with parsley or cilantro, chili flakes, sesame seeds, and lime.
- Flatbread or naan: served on the side.


How to make Vegan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew
As always, I recommend checking out this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Sauté veggies + spices and cook
Start by sautéing the onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic, ginger and chili, followed by the spices and sauté briefly. Next, add the sweet potatoes, lentils, a little salt and pepper. Add vegetable broth and cook, covered, for about 25 minutes.

Step 2: Add coconut milk and kale
Now stir in the coconut milk and kale. Cover and simmer for further 5 minutes until the kale has collapsed. Then taste and adjust seasonings or add more vegetable broth or water if the stew is too thick.

Step 3: Serve and enjoy!
Serve the stew in bowls and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro, chili flakes, sesame seeds and lime if desired. Enjoy with flatbread or naan or as it is!

Tips When Making Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew with Kale
- Slice your sweet potatoes into equal sizes to make sure they cook evenly.
- Keep in mind that other lentils may have different cooking times. Therefore, please always follow the package instructions if you want to use a different variety.
- Make sure to let the spices bloom by sautéing them in oil for a few minutes. This will make your stew even more delicious!
- Ensure that your can of coconut milk is at room temperature and well shaked before adding it to the pot.
- If the stew is too thick, you can add more vegetable broth or water to thin it to your liking.

How to store leftovers
You can place any leftovers in a lidded container after it has cooled down. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you are making this ahead of time, you can place leftovers in individual freezer bags or containers and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw your portion first. Then heat on the stovetop until warm.

This Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew with Kale is:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Healthy
- Nutritious
- Creamy
- Delicious
- Satisfying
- Easy to make
- Budget-friendly
- Perfect for meal prepping!

More vegan soup or stew recipes to try
- Best Lentil Soup
- White Bean Stew
- Red Lentil Dahl
- Thai Peanut Ramen Noodle Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Thai Carrot Ginger Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Vegan Lasagna Soup
- Mushroom and Rice Soup
If you try this vegan sweet potato and lentil stew recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you share a photo of your delicious soup on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Happy cooking! 🙂

Vegan Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 piece of ginger chopped
- 1 small chili pepper chopped, or chili flakes/chili powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- 1.5 tbsp yellow curry powder e.g. Curry Madras
- ½ tsp turmeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- 550 g sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 150 g brown lentils 3/4 cup
- 600 ml vegetable broth
- 400 ml coconut milk 1 can
- 100 g kale stems removed and coarsely chopped
For garnish (to taste)
- parsley or cilantro chopped
- chili flakes
- sesame seeds
- limes
- flatbread or vegan naan bread
Instructions
*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures in the blog post above!
- Heat the coconut oil in a serving pan or large pot and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic, ginger and chili and sauté for 30 seconds. Then add the cumin, coriander, curry powder and turmeric and sauté briefly.
- Add the sweet potatoes, lentils, a little salt and pepper and stir to coat. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir again. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer the stew for about 25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes and lentils are almost tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Cover and simmer the stew for further 5 minutes until the kale has collapsed. Then taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. (If the stew is too thick, you can add more vegetable broth or water).
- Serve the stew in bowls and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro, chili flakes, sesame seeds and lime if desired.
Notes
- Instead of sweet potatoes, you can use regular potatoes or pumpkin or squash, or a mixture of all. You can also replace some with root vegetables like parsnips, parsley root or cabbage vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts & co.
- Instead of kale, you can also use spinach or chard.
- Keep in mind that other lentils may have different cooking times. Therefore, please always follow the package instructions if you want to use a different variety.
- More information about the recipe, including tips for storing and freezing, are mentioned in the blog post above!
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This stew is so easy to prepare and it’s soooo delicious. The final lime touch makes all the difference☺️. We definitely enjoyed it and will prepare this again soon. Thanks for this recipe ☺️
Glad you like it! Thanks for your feedback! 💖
Soooo f delicious!
I love it.
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. It is easy, quick and so tasty! It became my husband’s favorite meal 🙂
Great! Thank you! 🙂
This recipe looks amazing, I’m going to make this today. I’ve only got cumin seeds & not the powder, I also don’t have a pestle and mortar so I’m just going to add the seeds whole. Hopefully it still turns out okay.
Quick update, I just finished making this, it was so easy to make and it turned out so good even my meat loving boyfriend can’t get enough of it 😁
Awesome! Thank you so much! I’m glad your boyfriend enjoyed it too! 🙂
Have a great weekend! ♥️
Simply delicious!!! Full of flavors and simply couldn’t stop eating it.
I’ve added to mine also a handful of finely chopped kale and 2 sticks of chopped celery. I’ve added roasted cashews into the stew at the end of cooking and let them soak in the stew 🙂
Great! 🙂 I’m glad you liked the recipe. Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! I hope you have a great evening! ♡