Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew
Sometimes I really just need a hot bowlful of something that’s truly comforting – and if that comfort food can also contain plenty of goodness, even better! This Caribbean sweet potato stew is packed with fresh vegetables, beans, and a seriously tasty jerk BBQ sauce. Serve it up over some rice for a hearty, veggie-packed meal.
The flavours in this stew are incredible – I love a good sweet / spicy combination. A lot of the flavour comes from the BBQ sauce, so make sure you choose a good one! I used a Jerk BBQ sauce (which you can get from Amazon, or from the supermarket), which added to the Caribbean vibe perfectly – it’s got just the right amount of sweetness and smokiness to flavour the stew without overpowering it.
⭐️ Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew
Caribbean cuisine has been shaped by many factors, including the region’s extensive history with colonisation, and its wonderful warm climate. This sweet potato stew is not necessarily a traditional Caribbean dish, but it’s my own celebration of some of the Caribbean’s most iconic ingredients – sweet potatoes, coconut, beans, tomatoes, and more. A lot of Caribbean food is meat-based, but this is a totally vegan stew.
The recipe makes a nice big batch – easily enough for 6 people – so it’s perfect for cooking up to feed a hungry crowd.
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🥗 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this hearty vegetarian stew. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- sweet potatoes
- cabbage. I used a savoy cabbage, but use whatever you have.
- canned beans. I like to use two different kinds, to add a bit of interest – this time I used cannellini beans and kidney beans, but black eye beans or black beans would also be great.
- canned tomatoes
- onion
- ginger and garlic. I used the pre-minced versions (ginger paste / garlic paste) for convenience, but you can use fresh if you prefer.
- coconut milk
- BBQ sauce (preferably a Jerk BBQ, for Caribbean flavour, but any will do)
As with any similar hearty stew, you can pretty much throw whatever you like into a dish like this. Ideally, choose vegetables that benefit from low, slow cooking (rather than anything that will cook down into mush). For example:
- bell peppers
- frozen peas
- carrots
- parsnips
- potatoes
- celery
- kale
- spring onions
Becca’s Top Tip
If you do want to add a vegetable that needs less cooking, like broccoli, just add it to the pot 15 minutes before serving.
📹 Recipe Video
🔪 Equipment
You’ll need a nice big pot for this recipe. If you don’t have a big casserole dish, you could halve the recipe and make a smaller version – however, there’s something really lovely about heaving the huge pot out of the cupboard and cooking up a big batch of stew.
I love any occasion that calls for my huge Le Creuset casserole dish. It’s wonderfully big and heavy, and it works beautifully to cook up a vegetarian stew or casserole. It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven.
I won’t lie, Le Creuset casserole dishes are expensive – mine was a gift many years ago. As much as I love mine, you can also buy very similar pots that are a much more budget-friendly:
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew
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Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 900 g sweet potatoes (~ 2 lb / ~ 2 large potatoes)
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 250 g (~ 1/2 lb) cabbage (I used a savoy cabbage), roughly chopped
- 1 onion, sliced or diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
- 400 ml tin coconut milk (~ 1 1/2 cups)
- 100 g (~ 1/4 cup) BBQ sauce (ideally jerk BBQ)
- 500 ml (~ 2 cups) water or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- First, prepare the sweet potatoes. Cut out any nasty looking bits, and peel as much of the skin as you like. You can peel all or none of it, or anything in between – I usually peel off about half. Cut the potatoes into chunks.
- Heat a dash of oil in a large casserole dish, and add the sweet potato, along with the chopped cabbage (leave out any tough bits of stalk), and the chopped onion. Stirring regularly, cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for a few more minutes.
- Next, add the two drained tins of beans, the canned tomatoes, the coconut milk, and the BBQ sauce.
- Add about 2 cups of water or stock, and mix well to combine. Cover with a lid, and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve. If the stew needs to thicken up a little, just remove the lid and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot whenever you're ready. I served mine with rice.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Stews reheat really nicely, so there’s no problem with fully cooking the stew in advance, and then reheating later.
Yes – you can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Leftover sweet potato stew can be reheated thoroughly in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
I love to serve this stew with rice, which soaks up the tasty sauce beautifully. It can also be served on its own.
Yes! It is both vegan and gluten free.
Such a pity about the weather at this year’s carnival. But your dish would have brightened things up considerably Becca.
Looks lovely.
Yum, I love sweet potato in spicy foods too! Definitely going to try this out, liking the idea of a “Carribean-style” meal :)
This looks so comforting.
This sounds incredible! I have a huge surplus of sweet potatoes and can’t wait to give this a go!
Stews in summer are tough since it’s so hot, but this one looks great! I love the BBQ in it :)
This looks perfect to celebrate the last of the cold weather we’re having in Oz. I’ve only just discovered Jamacian food so I’ll have to give this a try.
Caribbean cuisine is one are of vegetarian food that I know nearly nothing about, despite having visited the Caribbean a few years ago. If this is what it’s like I should probably spend some more time exploring! Sounds and looks absolutely delicious :)
Thanks Alissa! :)
My mouth is simply watering!! I can almost taste the different flavors coming through. I simply love hot and spicy food and this certainly would fit the bill. I will certainly make this recipe — thank you.
I don’t think that I have ever cooked anything caribbean before, but I do love spicy food so this is definitely going on my to make list, thank you for the recipe. i live ooop north so no chance of going to the Notting Hill Festival – I have seen it on the TV and it looks amazing, the costumes are out of this world.
I’d not made much Caribbean food before but the flavours were amazing, I think it might be a new favourite!
Yum! This stew looks super hearty and filling – and I imagine that repurposing it as enchiladas would be fantastic! I love finding vegetarian stew options :)