Vegan Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew Recipe
There’s nothing more comforting than the aroma of a hearty stew simmering away in your kitchen. This slow cooker Moroccan chickpea stew is the answer to your dinner dilemmas—packed with bold flavors, wholesome ingredients, literally a hug in a bowl.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our affiliate policy.
Whether you’re looking for a healthy recipe to feed your family or a meal prep solution for the week, this stew checks all the boxes.
Similar to our chicken and sausage gumbo and chicken puttanesca meatballs, this is a dish that is even better the next day. I love to make it on the weekend and then have it for lunches and dinners all week.
This Moroccan-inspired recipe is brimming with warm spices, tender garbanzo beans, red peppers. Just like my short rib pho recipe, it’s the kind of dish that makes you want to grab a bowl, curl up on the couch, and savor every bite. Plus, it’s made in the Crock pot, so you can set it and forget it while the flavors meld together into something truly magical.
What Are Moroccan Flavors?
Moroccan cooking is all about layering spices and flavors to create depth and richness. This stew brings together a blend of ground cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon, and ginger for a spice mixture that’s warm, aromatic, a little sweet, and slightly smoky. These spices are then layered with sweet dried apricots and the brightness of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
If you’ve never cooked a Moroccan recipe before, this is a great place to start. The spices are approachable and easy to find at your local grocery store or Indian market, and they transform everyday ingredients into something extraordinary.
In love with Moroccan cuisine? Try my easy grilled Moroccan eggplant!
Why This Stew Is the Perfect Sunday Dinner
This slow cooker Moroccan chickpea stew is the ultimate Sunday dinner solution. Here’s why:
- Simmer All Day: Toss everything into the slow cooker in the morning, and by dinnertime, you’ll have a delicious stew ready to go. 11 more easy crock pot recipes right here.
- Meal Prep Magic: Make a large pot on Sunday, and store in an airtight container. Enjoy leftovers throughout the week. It tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen.
- Hands-Off Cooking: Let the slow cooker do the work while you focus on other things (or just relax!)
- Healthy Comfort Food: Packed with lots of vegetables, plant-based protein, and warming spices, this stew is as nutritious as it is satisfying. In other words, you can follow them up with a batch of espresso brownies or peanut butter banana fritters and still feel good about it.
The Ingredients That Make This Stew Shine
Here’s what you’ll need to make one of our favorite slow cooker dinner recipes, and why each ingredient is essential:
- Olive oil: Adds richness and helps sauté the aromatics for a flavor-packed base.
- White onion, garlic cloves, and carrots: The classic trio for building depth and sweetness
- Red bell pepper: Adds a pop of color and a mild, sweet flavor.
- Sweet potatoes and golden beet: These root vegetables bring natural sweetness and a hearty texture.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Smoky and tangy, they add a rich tomato base to the stew. This is the secret ingredient in our chicken cacciatore too!
- Dried chickpeas: The star of the show! They soak up all the flavors as they cook. No need to presoak them, just add straight to the slow cooker.
- Vegetable broth: A flavorful liquid base that ties everything together (use chicken broth if you prefer).
- Spices (cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper): The heart of Moroccan food, these spices create a warm, aromatic flavor profile. Several of these also appear in our homemade BBQ spice mix which we use on everything.
- Dried apricots: Add a touch of sweetness to balance the spices. Leftover apricots can be used to make our pistachio and apricot pork loin.
- Fresh cilantro and lemon juice: A bright, fresh finish that lifts the flavors of the stew.
What Does This Stew Taste Like?
This stew touches every single sense. The spices bring warmth and depth and fill the house with comforting aromas, while the vegetables and chickpeas add a hearty, satisfying texture. The sweetness from the apricots pairs beautifully with the smoky paprika and fire-roasted tomatoes. Finishing with the tart lemon juice is a must. It’s a little sweet, a little savory, and full of rich, comforting flavors.
Love full-bodied complex stews like this? Try my German goulash stew next.
What to Serve With Moroccan Chickpea Stew
This stew is a meal on its own, but you can elevate it with a few simple sides:
- Brown rice or couscous for soaking up the flavorful broth.
- No-knead green olive bread or rosemary-fennel focaccia for scooping up every last bite.
- Add a dollop of Greek yogurt or crumble goat cheese on top for creaminess.
- A fresh green salad with a tangy vinaigrette, like this maple mustard dressing, complements the stew beautifully.
- Roasted veggies like my roasted cauliflower with pickled cherry peppers
Whether you’re new to Moroccan cooking or a seasoned pro, this slow cooker Moroccan chickpea stew is a recipe you’ll want to make again and again. Toasting the spices in the oil before adding them to the slow cooker makes all the difference, don’t skip that step.
For more slow cooker inspiration for busy weeks, see my complete list of 13 healthy Crockpot chicken recipes.
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 large golden beet, peeled and diced
- 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 chopped onion, 6 cloves minced garlic, 3 sliced carrots, and 1 diced bell pepper. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (this will seem like a lot of salt but it will go on to season the entire pot of soup). Sauté for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant. (This step adds extra flavor but can be skipped for convenience.)
- Add the 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, the 1 teaspoons ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne. Let toast in the oil, stirring for 1-2 minutes or until really fragrant.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker. Add 1 large diced sweet potato, 1 large diced golden beet, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, 2 cups dried chickpeas, 8 cups vegetable broth, and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chickpeas are tender and the flavors have melded together.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and squeeze the juice of the lemon into the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or spices as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with additional cilantro, and serve.
Notes
- Dried chickpeas: Dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are best here because the slow cooking time allows them to soak up all the flavors as they cook and you don’t need to soak them in advance. If you can only find canned chickpeas, use 2 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed. Add them during the last hour of cooking.
- Vegetables: This is my favorite combo of vegetables but you could swap butternut squash for the sweet potato or use red beet instead of gold beet.
- Spices: Make it spicier by adding more cayenne pepper.
- Make-ahead/Freezing Instructions: Let soup cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week or transfer to the freezer and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then rewarm in the microwave or on the stove.
