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Slow-Cooker West African Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew

Sweet potatoes and collards meet a gently spiced tomato broth, enriched at the end with smooth peanut butter and served over fluffy rice with lime.

Creamy peanut stew with intact sweet potato cubes and collards covers fluffy rice with cilantro and lime.

Inspired by peanut-based stews found across West Africa, this slow-cooker version balances sweet potato, tomato, greens, and a gentle chile warmth. Adding peanut butter near the end keeps the broth smooth while separate rice gives the thick stew a soft, absorbent base.

Build a fragrant starting point

A short skillet step softens the onion and blooms ginger, garlic, tomato paste, and ground spices before the slow cooker takes over. That concentrated base brings depth to the broth without asking the sweet potatoes to spend longer in the cooker.

Check the sweet potatoes early

Cutting the sweet potatoes into even cubes helps them cook at a similar rate, but slow cookers can vary. Begin checking after the initial cook; stop when a knife enters easily while the cubes still hold their edges.

Sweet potato cubes, tomatoes, broth, and softened aromatics sit together in a slow cooker before cooking. — Sweet potato cubes, tomatoes, broth, and the softened aromatic base are ready for the slow cooker.

Whisk peanut butter smooth

Peanut butter blends more easily when loosened first with hot cooking liquid. Whisking that mixture until smooth before returning it to the pot helps the broth turn creamy without clumps.

Give the collards a short finish

Thinly sliced collards soften in the final stretch but keep more color and definition than greens cooked from the beginning. Lime and cilantro go in at the end, so their fresh notes remain distinct from the warm spices and peanut.

Glossy peanut broth clings to tender sweet potato cubes and collard ribbons over rice. — Creamy peanut broth coats intact sweet potato cubes and tender collards, with rice ready underneath.

Let the rice carry the stew

Cooking rice separately keeps the grains fluffy rather than letting them absorb the stew as it cooks. Spoon the thick broth and vegetables over each bowl, then offer lime wedges so the richness can be adjusted at the table.

Slow-Cooker West African Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew

6 servings

325 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup smooth unsweetened peanut butter
• 6 oz collard greens, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

Prepare the vegetables
Set out a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into even 1-inch cubes, dice the onion, grate the ginger, mince the garlic, and slice the collard greens into thin ribbons.
Look for: The sweet potato cubes are close in size, and the collard ribbons are thin enough to soften quickly near the end.
Soften the onion
Warm the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it turns translucent and begins to take on a little color at the edges.
Look for: The onion is soft and translucent, with no browned or crisp edges.
Bloom the aromatics
Stir the ginger, garlic, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, kosher salt, and black pepper into the onion. Cook until fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly, then scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.
Look for: The garlic smells fragrant without browning, and the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red.
Slow-cook the sweet potatoes
Add the sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, and vegetable broth to the slow cooker; stir in the onion mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, then check a cube and continue in 20-minute increments, up to 4 hours 40 minutes, until just fork-tender with its edges intact.
Look for: A thin knife enters a sweet potato cube with slight resistance, and the cubes hold their corners when stirred.
Stir in peanut butter and greens
Ladle about 3/4 cup hot cooking liquid into a bowl and whisk in the peanut butter until smooth. Stir this mixture back into the stew, add the collard greens, cover, and cook on LOW for 20 minutes, until the broth is creamy and the greens are tender but still green.
Look for: The peanut butter is fully emulsified into the broth, and the collards have softened without turning dull or stringy.
Cook the rice separately
While the stew finishes, rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the runoff is nearly clear. Combine the rice and water in a covered saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer until tender; let it stand covered off the heat until fluffy.
Look for: The water is absorbed, and the rested rice separates into tender grains when fluffed with a fork.
Brighten the stew
Taste the stew and adjust its salt or cayenne if needed. Squeeze juice from one lime wedge into the pot and stir in half of the cilantro, keeping the remaining wedges and cilantro for the bowls.
Look for: A little lime lifts the peanut-rich broth, and the cilantro smells fresh rather than cooked.
Serve over rice
Fluff the rice and divide it among warm bowls. Ladle the peanut and sweet potato stew over the rice, then finish with the remaining cilantro and lime wedges for squeezing at the table.
Look for: Each bowl has distinct sweet potato pieces in creamy broth over fluffy rice, with fresh cilantro and lime ready to finish.