Slow Cooker Three Bean Stew

ByShashi CharlesPublished on October 21, 2025

Made with a tomato broth flavored with garam masala and cocoa, this Slow Cooker Three Bean Stew is a hearty and delicious recipe.

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Three Bean Stew in a white bowl with a spoon in it.

What makes this stew so good, for me…

This vegetarian three bean stew is delicious, hearty, and so flavorful. It is made with a unique blend of spices such as garam masala, cocoa, and caramelized onion. It is packed with plant protein and fiber, which keeps us full and satisfied.

And, other than sauteing the onions and roasting the garam masala, all the ingredients are tossed into a slow cooker and left alone for 3 hours.

This stew is also great for meal prepping. We are a family of two, and this stew lasted us almost the whole week.

A little history…

Twenty years ago, if you had told me I could have chocolate for dinner, I would have rushed to the store to get myself a chocolate bar! But today, my idea of chocolate for dinner is a bit different.

I love the depth of flavor dark chocolate or unsweetened cocoa lends to a savory dish, like this dip. So, I figured I would make my bean stew with it.

I was on the cusp of what was going to be a busy week. So I made a big batch of this cocoa-flavored slow-cooker bean stew, so my daughter and I would have leftovers for the entire week.

As I also needed to clean out my pantry, I figured I would toss all the stuff that was close to expiry into this stew. I rummaged around and ended up with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a can of diced tomatoes and chilies, a can of chickpeas, a can of black beans, a canister of vegetable stock, some mung beans, and a can of tomato paste. All these got tossed into this slow cooker recipe.

I love a flavor-packed stew. So, I roasted garam masala and added it to this slow-cooking stew. I also caramelized some onions (in the same pan that I dry roasted the garam masala in) and threw them into the slow cooker as well. I also added in a teaspoon or two of cocoa. The resulting stew is always smooth, rich, creamy, and delightfully delicious, with an intoxicating aroma.

What you need to make this

Ingredients

Can of fire-roasted tomatoes
Can of Rotel (tomatoes and chilies)
Can of tomato paste
Vegetable stock
Uncooked mung beans
Garlic cloves
Garam masala
Fresh yellow or red onion
Olive Oil
Can of black beans
Can of garbanzo beans
Unsweetened cocoa
salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment

Instructions

Step 1: Peel and chop the garlic.

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Step 2: Then, add the can of fire-roasted tomatoes, can of tomatoes with chilies, can of tomato paste, the vegetable stock, dry mung beans, and garlic to the slow cooker. Stir these ingredients together well. Turn the slow cooker on high and set it to cook for 2 hours.

Step 3: Meanwhile, add garam masala to a small frying pan and roast over a low flame, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. When it begins to smell a bit more pungent, take it off the stove and set it aside on a plate.

Step 4: Then, peel and chop the onions. Add some olive oil to the same frying pan and add the onions to it. Let the onions saute over a low flame, stirring often. When they caramelize (about 20-25 minutes), turn the stove off and set the onions aside.

Step 5: Drain and rinse the canned black beans and canned chickpeas.

Step 6: When the 2 hours of cooking time are up, uncover the slow cooker and add the roasted garam masala, the caramelized onions, the cocoa, the drained and rinsed chickpeas, and the black beans. Place the lid on and let it cook on low for another hour and fifteen minutes.

Step 7: Turn off the slow cooker, season this stew with salt and black pepper to taste, garnish it with some fresh herbs, such as parsley or cilantro, and enjoy!

a bowl of Slow Cooker Three Bean Stew with parsley.

Serving suggestions

We love this hearty bean stew sprinkled with some red pepper flakes and served with some crusty bread.

This vegetarian stew is also delicious served on top of some yellow rice or a baked potato.

This stew can also be enjoyed with toppings such as cheese and chopped green onions. On some nights, my daughter and I would add a thick layer of this stew to oven-safe individual dishes, top these with cheddar cheese, and bake them for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees (or until the cheese melted. Then, we would use nachos to scoop up this cheesy stew and enjoy it as a dip!

Easy Vegetarian Three Bean Stew with cheese and nachos.

Tips

The consistency of this stew can be adjusted to your preference. If you prefer a bit more broth, add in more vegetable stock. If you like it thick, then make it with the ingredients listed.

This recipe is another one of those recipes that are meant to be experimented with. I used ingredients in my pantry. If you have other ingredients or vegetables you want to add in, go ahead. The taste might be different, but experiment and have fun with the making of this stew!

Variations

This stew can be loaded with even more vegetables, such as chopped carrots, celery, and kale, or spinach.

The canned black beans and chickpeas can be replaced with canned kidney beans, canned navy beans, or canned pinto beans.

The dry mung beans can be replaced with dry lentils.

The garam masala can be replaced with 3 teaspoons of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.

How to store this stew?

Store this stew in a large air-tight container in the fridge. Or, if meal prepping, portion this stew out and store it in individual containers in the fridge. This stew gets better with age and tastes better on day 2!

Can this stew be frozen?

Yes, this slow cooker three bean stew can be frozen. Cool it down and store it in an airtight freezer-safe container. To thaw it out, either leave it on the kitchen counter until it reaches room temperature and then heat it in the microwave for a minute or two. Or, defrost it using the defrost setting on the microwave and then microwave it until it is the temperature you prefer.

Can I make this stew without a slow cooker?

Yes, this recipe can be cooked in a deep, large pan on a stove and doesn’t need a slow cooker. If making it in a pan, start by sauteing the onions with the oil over a low to medium flame/heat, for 20 minutes or so. Then, add all the other ingredients and cover the pan. Let this simmer on low-medium for about 45 minutes. Remove the cover, season with salt and black pepper, and enjoy with your favorite garnishes and toppings.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin.
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