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A delicious, hearty, and healthy sweet potato stew made in the crockpot (slow cooker). This stew is packed with sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, tomatoes, beef, and plenty of seasoning!
Sweet potato stew
Sweet potato stew tips
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes: fire roasted tomatoes have such a great flavor and add a lot to this sweet potato stew. (My favorite brand is Muir Glen or Cento Marzano)
- Beef bouillon: there are so many different options for beef bouillon; here are the exact cubes (affiliate) I use for this stew. You’ll want the big ones to ensure there is enough flavor!
- Use fire-roasted corn: again, great flavor here! If you don’t have access, use frozen corn instead (no need to thaw).
- Pick good sweet potatoes: more on this below. Also, check out this roasted sweet potatoes post to see how I like to cut sweet potatoes.
How to pick a good sweet potato
- Quick FYI: Red and orange sweet potatoes are often labeled as “yams” at the grocery store which is actually inaccurate. True yams are starchier and drier than sweet potatoes with a thick and fibrous skin.
- I recommend skipping tan or purple skinned sweet potatoes (known as the “dry” varieties) and sticking with orange or red skinned sweet potatoes for this sweet potato stew. This variety (known as “moist” varieties) are sweeter and have a creamier texture. My favorite sweet potatoes are either Red Garnet or Jewel.
- When picking a sweet potato at the grocery store look for firm potatoes without growths or discolorations on their skins. Avoid soft or wet potatoes.
- For questions on freshness/how long a sweet potato lasts, check out this article.
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A delicious, hearty, and healthy sweet potato stew made in the crockpot (slow cooker). This stew is packed with sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, tomatoes, beef, and plenty of seasoning!
- 3 cups (~2 potatoes) medium-sized sweet potatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 small yellow onion
- 8 ounce bag mini carrots
- 1 can (15 ounces) corn, I use fire-roasted (or use frozen sweet corn or cut it off the cob!)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, I use fire-roasted
- 1 pound beef chuck roast, cut into cut into 1/2-inch chunks (can use pre-cut stew meat for super quick prep)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon each seasoned salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 beef boullion cubes
- 1 cup water
- Optional: fresh flat leaf parsley
- Grease a slow cooker with non-stick spray. I use a 6-quart crockpot.
- Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into large chunks. Measure to get a heaping 3 cups and place in the prepared slow cooker.
Add in the chopped celery, chopped onion, the bag of carrots, drained can of corn (I buy corn that is fire-roasted and it adds so much flavor! It's right by regular canned corn in the grocery store) and undrained can of diced tomatoes.
Toss together the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. Toss the cut meat (cut in 1 inch cubes if not pre-cut) in the flour mixture until well coated.
- Place the coated meat in the slow cooker on top of all the vegetables. You do not need to pre-cook the meat at all.
Add in the bay leaf, minced garlic, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and fresh parsley. (I coarsely chop parsley and pack it in a tablespoon to get that measurement.)
Crumble in the boullion cubes and the water.
Stir everything together and try to submerge the meat below the veggies to keep it as tender as possible. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 5-7 hours or until the sweet potatoes and vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked through and tender. All slow cookers cook at different temperatures. Mine takes about 8 hours on low and I don't typically cook stews on high because I find them to be more flavorful (meat more tender) after slow cooking all day! If you are home, occasionally stir the stew throughout the day.
- When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf.
- Stir the ingredients together and slightly mash the tender sweet potatoes in the crockpot. This gives it a chunkier and thicker stew consistency and it's delicious!
If desired top with some fresh parsley and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
This stew looks so heart and healthy!
Susan says
Wow! I never would have thought about sweet potatoes in stew, but I love that idea! I adore stew and I can hardly wait to add corn (fire-roasted of course) and sweet potatoes next time! Thanks Chelsea.
Stephanie | The Foodie and The Fix says
Might this be my new favorite thing? I LOVE sweet potatoes AND corn in stews, though I don’t think I’ve ever had them together in the same pot. Can’t wait to try it this way… plus, dump it all in the crockpot and forget about it? It really doesn’t get any better than that ๐ Pinned!
Kim says
I made this yesterday and it turned out fantastic. Thanks for the recipe!
chelseamessyapron says
So glad to hear it!! ๐ Thank you Kim!!
Laura says
Has anyone tried this without the meat in it? This looks AMAZINGLY yummy, I just don’t do meat ๐ just wondering if it changes anything
chelseamessyapron says
I would just add in extra sweet potatoes! ๐
Jess says
Can I make this with beef broth or bone broth instead of boullion cubes?
Chelsea Lords says
You can, it will lack a bit of flavor though
Antonia R. says
Made it tonight. So yummy! It even appeased the picky 4 year old. But I have to ask, what bread is also in the picture? Recipe, perhaps?
Jennifer says
I am SO EXCITED to try this recipe tomorrow! A few questions – can I sub the boullion cubes and water for beef broth? And how essential is the bay leaf (I’ve never used them) thanks!!!
chelseamessyapron says
Well I hope you love it! ๐ Yes you absolutely can do boullion cubes instead of beef broth! And I love the flavor the bay leaf adds, but it will be okay without it ๐ If you are looking to try them out they are just with spices in the store, enjoy! ๐
Sarah Bright says
I just put this is the crock pot for dinner! But, I am out of diced tomatoes. Would it be ok without or should I add in some tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes?
chelseamessyapron says
I’d put in some crushed tomatoes ๐
MamaLlama says
I put this together this morning because we had an INCREDIBLY busy day ahead. When everybody got home, a fabulous hearty stew awaited. Great recipe! Thanks!
chelseamessyapron says
So glad to hear it!! Thanks so much for the comment! ๐
Sara says
This looks great! I have never used bullion before. I have always used broth, but I would like to try to make this as you have instructed. Can you tell me if I need to dissolve the bullion in the water before adding it to the crock pot or if I just toss in the cubes and the water to let it dissolve during the slow cooking process? If I were to use beef broth instead of the two cubes and water, would I just use one cup (the same amount of water that is used)?
Thank you!
chelseamessyapron says
Hey Sara, thanks for the comments and questions! If you use the boullion just throw in the cubes and it will dissolve ๐ And you’ll still want just 1 cup of broth, but you won’t have a very strong flavor with just 1 cup like the boullion cubes will bring so I would try to stick to those for this recipe.
Jroux says
Hello, I made this stew for this week’s lunch and it turned out great. The sweet potato and corn adds much needed sweetness to this kind of stew, which I’ve made in the past and always turned out a bit too acidic. I threw in some red wine and leek rather than onion as I had some lying around. This recipe will be a keeper!
chelseamessyapron says
I’m so thrilled this was a hit! Thanks so much for the review Jroux! ๐
Brittany says
Hi! I’m making this meal for my family this week (quite excited), but I was also wondering if this is a good freezer meal? I am hoping to put together a few meals for an expecting friend, and thought this might be a good one if it freezes well!
chelseamessyapron says
I have done this as a freezer meal and its awesome! ๐ Thanks for the comment Brittany!
Abbey says
I can’t wait to try this! One question though–I’m not a big red meat fan. Do you think this recipe would still work with ground turkey or chicken? Thanks!
chelseamessyapron says
Thank you Abbey! I’ve never tried a stew with either, but I’m sure they would work okay. I’d do chicken though and probably add some poultry seasoning to the chicken. Enjoy!
Debbie says
Has anyone tried putting this into the oven instead of the crockpot?
Dane says
Having the grandkids over for a visit tึ mark your wedding?
Tabitha says
HI Cheslea, I went to the grocery store today to get all the ingredients to make it tomorrow but I have one question: is it two or three cups of sweet potatoes because on the recipe list it says two but then in the directions it says three ….
chelseamessyapron says
Hi Tabitha! Sorry for the confusion; it is supposed to read 3 cups (or 2 potatoes)! Enjoy ๐
Taylor says
I accidentally added 1.5 cups of water.. will it still turn out ok?
Chelsea Lords says
It will be fine ๐ A little less thick, but should taste fine. Be sure to adjust salt and pepper as needed at the end (you might want a little extra)
Linda says
Just wondering if you used yams (orange and very sweet) or actual sweet potatoes which are pale yellow in color and less sweet
chelseamessyapron says
You can use either one ๐
Brock says
I wanted to try a new recipe and something I haven’t made in awhile. I made this recipe exactly as above except I used beef broth instead of bullion cubes (couldn’t find at store). It was delicious, and I also have picky eater that not only ate it but asked if there were leftovers a couple days later. I’m looking forward to making it again.
chelseamessyapron says
So happy to hear that!! Thank you for the comment and review Brock ๐
Angรฉlica says
If I could give this more than 4 stars, I would. It’s THAT good! I have made this a few times and it’s never enough for hubby and I to have as much left over as we’d like. Can the recipe be doubled?
chelseamessyapron says
So happy to hear that! ๐ Thank you for your kind words! It definitely can be doubled, you’ll just need a very large crockpot (or two separate ones!)
June says
This was so good! Just made it tonight, and I’m licking the bowl clean. I added an extra cup of sweet potato (so 4 total) and frozen peas for some extra veggies. I also served it with corn bread. I already pinned it and will definitely be making again.
chelseamessyapron says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this stew June! ๐
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 ?
Victoria says
Oops sorry! I meant Sweet yellow onion ?
Jolene Cornford says
Do you think this would work on a gas hob on low? I donโt have a slow cooker but really like the sound of this recipe.
Cat Larkin says
Could you substitute butternut squash for the sweet potatoes?
chelseamessyapron says
Sure! The stew will be a little less sweet/flavorful, but still good!
Vanessa says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I wanted to make something different than chili and this was the perfect dish!
Chelsea Lords says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment Vanessa ๐
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!!
Chelsea Lords says
Yay!! So, so happy to hear that ๐ Thanks for the comment Kim!
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?
Chelsea Lords says
Yes ๐ It goes in last or on top, but then press it under other ingredients/liquid as much as possible.
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!
Chelsea Lords says
Glad you liked it! And totally fine to add salt at the end ๐ Thanks for the comment!
Paula Hall says
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!
Chelsea Lords says
I’m soo happy to hear this!! Thanks for your kind comment! ๐
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!!
Jasper says
What a Great recipe. I made as a soup without the beef, on the stove top. So delicious. I didn’t thicken it and added a cup more water during the last 10 min since I wanted soup and not a stew. A keeper and look forward to making this again.
Chelsea Lords says
Sounds awesome!! Thanks for sharing ๐
Britneay says
If using the meat/stew option with Instant Pot, is it the same cooking time as slow cooker? Thanks!
Chelsea Lords says
I’m not sure I understand your question, sorry! Slow cooker takes 7-9 hours and instant pot is 35 minutes with 10 minute release.
Amber says
What type of seasoned salt do you use? Thank you!
Chelsea Lords says
I like Morton Season – All Seasoned Salt ๐
Kahla says
Perfect meal for a chilly night. Everyone in my house are very picky when it comes to stews but this one had everyone getting seconds. I followed the recipe exactly as instructed & it turned out amazing!
Chelsea Lords says
So happy to hear that! Thanks Kahla!