Sweet Potato Stew: hearty, delicious, and slow-cooked to perfection! Sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, tomatoes, beef, and perfect seasoning!

Sweet Potato Stew in a bowl, ready to enjoy.

The Easiest Sweet Potato Stew

Sweet potatoes are my favorite veggie! They’re super versatile—baked, roasted, or in burrito bowls are just a few ways I love them.

I combined my go-to cold-weather recipe (stew) with sweet potatoes, and that’s how this sweet potato stew was born.

It’s full of flavor, hearty, and so easy to make. Just chop a few things, dump everything into the crockpot, and let it cook!

All the ingredients in this recipe prepped out for easy assembly.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Sweet Potato Stew:

  • Beef chuck roast: Or use pre-cut stew meat for less prep.
  • Flour: Helps thicken the stew nicely.
  • Sweet potatoes: Peel and cut into consistent 1-inch chunks for even cooking.
  • Celery: Adds crunch and flavor.
  • Onion: Yellow onions work best for a mild, sweet taste.
  • Carrots: Petite-cut carrots are ready to go! Just dump them in!
  • Corn: Use frozen corn, no need to thaw.
  • Diced tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes add more flavor.
  • Bay leaf: Adds depth of flavor.
  • Garlic: Minced garlic offers a strong, fresh flavor.
  • Paprika: Adds a hint of smokiness.
  • Worcestershire sauce: Adds umami and depth.
  • Parsley: Fresh parsley brightens up the stew.
  • Beef bouillon powder: Boosts the rich beef flavor of the stew.
Toss the beef with flour, salt, and pepper for this sweet potato stew.

How To Make Sweet Potato Stew

1. Prep the slow cooker: Spray CrockPot with cooking spray.
2. Coat the beef: Toss beef with flour, seasoned salt, and pepper.
3. Add ingredients: Add beef and remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
4. Cook: Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 5-7 hours.
5. Finish and serve: Remove bay leaf, mash some sweet potatoes, and garnish with parsley.

How to Pick a Good Sweet Potato

  • Stick with orange or red-skinned sweet potatoes (like Red Garnet or Jewel) for a sweeter, creamier texture.
  • Choose firm potatoes without growths or discolorations; avoid soft or wet ones.
  • For freshness tips, check out this article.
Tossing all the ingredients in the crockpot to cook.

What To Serve with Sweet Potato Stew:

  • Rice or Quinoa – Serve the stew over rice or quinoa for a heartier meal.
  • Crusty No-Knead Bread – Perfect for dipping into the stew. Or serve with dinner rolls.
  • Garden Salad – A light green salad with a tangy dressing to balance the richness.
The sweet potato stew in the slow cooker, with a big ladle of stew being served.

Storage

How to Store Sweet Potato Stew:

  • Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
  • Reheat: Warm on the stove over low heat or in the microwave until heated through.

More Easy CrockPot Recipes:

4.81 from 71 votes

Sweet Potato Stew

Sweet Potato Stew is a rich, slow-cooked dish packed with tender sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, tomatoes, beef, and flavorful seasonings!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

  • Crock-Pot 6-quart

Ingredients 
 

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 pound beef chuck roast cut into 1/2-inch chunks (or pre-cut stew meat for super quick prep)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups chopped sweet potatoes see note 1
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 (8-ounce) bag petite-cut carrots
  • 1-1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley see note 2
  • 1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder
  • 1 cup water

Instructions 

  • Lightly coat the Crock-Pot with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, toss the beef with flour, seasoned salt, and pepper until well coated.
  • Place the beef in the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. Make sure the meat is submerged under the vegetables.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7–9 hours or on high for 5–7 hours, until the sweet potatoes and beef are very tender. For best results, cook on low.
  • Before serving, remove bay leaf. Stir everything together and gently mash some of the sweet potatoes to thicken the stew.
  • Garnish with additional fresh parsley if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Measure 3 heaping cups.
Note 2: Feel free to add more parsley at the end for extra freshness.
Instant Pot Instructions: Add everything to the Instant Pot and set to “manual” for 35 minutes. Let it release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Storage: Store Sweet Potato Stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 1188mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 33223IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.81 from 71 votes (34 ratings without comment)

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185 Comments

  1. Breeta says:

    This recipe looks so yummy!! I’m adding to our recipe line up for next week. We don’t do beef so I’m going to use chicken but I’m sure it will be AMAZING! Thanks for sharing!!

  2. Paula Hall says:

    5 stars
    Delicious. I did the instapot version and chopped my celery with onion in a food processor as celery isn’t my favorite. I will be making this again! Thank you!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I’m soo happy to hear this!! Thanks for your kind comment! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Kristella says:

    Tried this recipe out for the IP and it came out great! I reduced the bouillon cubes by 1 cube, but it turned out that I did miss that salt. Also increased chopped celery to two stalks and increased Worcestershire to 1 T. I will definitely be making this again!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Glad you liked it! And totally fine to add salt at the end ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for the comment!

  4. Carrol says:

    In the process of making this gorgeous stew. In the directions you first say put the meat on top. Then you say to make sure the beef is covered. 1 cup of water isnt going to cover it?

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Yes ๐Ÿ™‚ It goes in last or on top, but then press it under other ingredients/liquid as much as possible.

  5. Kim says:

    Made this for my husband although he isn’t a fan of beef stew. He loved it!! Told me this is the only way I can make beef stew. Thank you for the great recipe!!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Yay!! So, so happy to hear that ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for the comment Kim!

  6. Vanessa says:

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was delicious! I wanted to make something different than chili and this was the perfect dish!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Vanessa ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Cat Larkin says:

    Could you substitute butternut squash for the sweet potatoes?

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Sure! The stew will be a little less sweet/flavorful, but still good!

  8. Jolene Cornford says:

    Do you think this would work on a gas hob on low? I donโ€™t have a slow cooker but really like the sound of this recipe.

  9. Victoria says:

    Oops sorry! I meant Sweet yellow onion ?

  10. Victoria says:

    Do you prefer to use a regular yellow onion or sweet tellow onion ?
    & Yam (orange)
    or Sweet Potato (yellow) ?
    What did you use in your recipe ?