Simple ingredients and texture rich with mouth-watering flavors; Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew comes together in about 45 minutes. Like my Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew, this chickpea stew is a community favorite! With a dollop of coconut cream or yogurt, a sprinkle of cilantro and flatbread, dinner is ready.
A Simple Moroccan Lentil Stew
As cooler temperatures set in, cozy soups and stews are on the agenda. If they’re simple to pull together, even better for busy weeknights.
Like this Simple French Lentil Soup, including lentils in soup and stew recipes is a no brainer and an essential ingredient in the vegetarian pantry. They’re quick cooking, have a nutty-earthy flavor and toothsome texture which makes them a perfect ingredient in stews.
In this Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew, warming spices bring out the best flavors. A hint of cinnamon gives it a little sweet and savory edge that’s such a nice surprise and the texture of toothsome lentils and creamy chickpeas is pure synergy! This soup is cooked on the stovetop and in one pot making cleanup a snap!
If you love homemade soup recipes, you’re going to love this cozy stew.
Look for French lentils in the bulk bins for best value.
At a Glance: How to Make Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew
Moroccan lentil chickpea stew is texture rich with warm, earthy flavors. It’s simple to pull together, and in one pot to help make cleanup a breeze. Pair this Moroccan stew with a simple salad and flatbread, but it’s hearty enough all on its own.
- First, in a large Dutch oven, saute the onions until softened.
- Second, stir in the aromatic spices, then the garlic. Take a deep inhale of deliciousness.
- Next, pour in the broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas. You can use home cooked chickpeas or canned.
- Last, remove from heat and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the stew.
The flavors are even better the next day for lunch, or leftovers and chickpea stew can just as easily be frozen if meal prep is on your agenda.
Stew is a most comforting meal during the coldest days. There’s nothing quite like preparing a simple meal, then sharing with family at the end of the day.
Traci’s Tips
- While there seems to be a lot of cinnamon in this Moroccan stew, 1 3/4 teaspoons, it balances out the warming spices and heat of the pepper flakes. It adds just a touch of sweet and savory and a bit interest.
- Make it Creamy: Serve with a dollop of full fat coconut milk, either from an unshaken can with fat skimmed off the top or simply a few tablespoons of coconut milk, or whole milk Greek yogurt.
- Share With: Flatbread or homemade Sourdough Pita Bread makes a sumptuous vehicle for scooping up this rich chickpea stew. Share with couscous to stretch this recipe further.
Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil, or Olive Oil
- 1 cup Yellow Onion, medium dice
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Cinnamon, ground
- 3/4 teaspoon Cumin, ground
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Coriander, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes , bump it up to 3/4 tsp for extra heat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Cloves, microplaned (about 3 medium cloves)
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth, + more for a soupier stew
- 2 cups Water
- 28 ounces Crushed Tomatoes, from one large can
- 2 cups Carrots, Sliced in thin coins
- 1 cup Dry, Uncooked French Lentils
- 1 1/2 cups Cooked Chickpeas, drained (one 15oz can) or home cooked chickpeas
- 1 Lemon
- Full Fat Coconut Milk (the canned variety) or Whole Milk Yogurt for Serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and saute for 10 minutes on medium-low. A little charring is okay.
- Stir in the cinnamon, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and sea salt. Add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, and lentils. Stir. Bring to a boil, then turn to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes. The stew will thicken as it cooks. Add the chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender and chickpeas are cooked through. If a thinner stew is desired add more vegetable broth 1/2 C at a time. Remove from heat and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the stew. Stir. Taste for salt adjustment.
- Ladle into soup bowls then garnish with coconut cream, or yogurt and cilantro. For the coconut cream, open and scoop out the soft layer of fat on the top to dollop on the stew. Otherwise, a few scoops of rich coconut milk can be spooned over top. Share With: Flatbread or homemade Sourdough Pita Bread makes a sumptuous vehicle for scooping up this rich chickpea stew. Share with couscous to stretch this recipe further.Â
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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Delicious! I’m trying to find more vegetariam recipes so that I can slowly transition away from a meat heavy diet, and this recipe definitely did not make me miss meat. It’s got everything you need:).
I personally think I could use more cumin, but I just really love cumin so that’s just a personal preference.
Hello Flor! SO happy to receive your note and that your transitioning to more vegetarian recipes! So happy to hear you enjoyed this flavorful stew. Isn’t cumin fantastic?! I’m a big fan too :D
Followed the recipe exactly, apart from the coconut oil and milk to finish. It was absolutely delicious. Could I use your recipe on my website?
Hi Dawn! Thank you for your note… so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! If you wish to use the recipe on your site, you’ll need to use your own photographs and write the recipe in your own words with credit back to my blog for your adaptation. Thank you so much!
Hi I am would really like to try your recipe, it looks delicious! I’m just wondering if it would be okay to use regular green or brown (instead of French green) lentils and if so, if I would need to alter the recipe in any way.
Thanks!!!
Hi Kate! Thank you for your note and kind words! I think brown lentils would be a better fit for this recipe because they hold their shape well and take less time to cook than green lentils. I’d cook the stew with the brown lentils up to the 20 minute mark, then add the chickpeas to warm through and cook until the brown lentils are tender. Cook until desired lentil tenderness. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Thanks so much! I look forward to making—-and even better, eating it!!!!
I made this tonight and it was delightful. The spices are wonderful. Couple of changes I made:
-left out the salt and used no/low salt tomatoes, garbanzo, and veggie stock. The other spices are so flavorful, you didn’t miss it.
-I had so,e baby potatoes I wanted to use, so I I quartered them and added. Added another great texture.
-finished off with Greek yogurt instead of coconut milk.
Loved it and will make this repeatedly.
Potatoes sound amazing in this August! Thank you for coming back, leaving a note and sharing your tips! So happy to read!
Made it yesterday and absolutely loved it. Right after I’d finished the late lunch, I unexpectedly got invited to some posh work-related party I absolutely had to go to. Lentils are not the food you eat when you’re supposed to go out, right, my stomach was so full, but I enjoyed the meal so much that I never regretted for one second. :) Not only did I survived the party, but I talked about it there (imagine sharing a lentil recipe over a glass of champagne), and today one of the ladies phoned me to thank me for the recipe – she’s already given it a try. So, thanks. I’ll be making this again very soon.
Haha! What a story, Vesna and thank you for coming back and leaving a note! So happy you enjoyed the stew and thank you SO much for sharing the recipe over a glass of champagne! I mean, it must be good, right?
Any suggestions on making this with uncooked chickpeas in an instant pot? I’m afraid if I cook the amount of time chickpeas tend to require, everything else will turn to mush, but fresh cooked chickpeas are delicious! Can’t wait to try this recipe, either way :)
Hi Naomi! I’ve never used an Instant Pot, so unfortunately I’m unable to suggest how to cook them in such a way. I’m sorry I can’t help here.
This was a great Sunday dinner dish for the vegetarian portion of our family, along with homemade flatbread and a salad with pumpkin maple vinaigrette. I used beluga lentils because that’s what I had on hand and cooked it for longer than specified so it was good and thick. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Hello Vivian! Thank you so much for your note. Happy to hear it was well received and with homemade flatbread…. yummmm!!!
This sounds amazing! I just have a few questions, are the lentils cooked or uncooked? If I was using canned lentils how would you accommodate the recipe? Less liquid?
Thank you!
Hi Bethany! Thank you for your note. I updated the recipe about the lentils. They are dry, and uncooked. If you want to use already cooked lentils, less liquid would be appropriate. Perhaps reducing it by two cups … (I’m guessing here). Add the lentils when you add the chickpeas and maybe reduce the cook time prior to adding the lentils and chickpeas by about 10 minutes. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe, Bethany!
I thought this dish was absolutely delicious and so did my husband and daughter. I love incorporating more vegetarian dishes in our weekly meal rotation with ingredients like lentils and chickpeas and this was perfect. I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers. The only changes made was using grapeseed instead of coconut oil, adding less salt then called for since you can always adjust later, and topping with sour cream. Definitely squeeze lemon before serving, it really adds to the flavor.
Hi Diane! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! So happy to read it. Sour cream on top sounds scrumptious and yes to a double batch!
I don’t normally post comments but I had to post one for this recipe. Just made it tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have French lentils so I skipped that. Also didn’t have canned tomatoes so I used fresh roma tomatoes and added tomato paste. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Heyy HB! Thank you so much for your note… fabulous subs, BTW. So happy you enjoyed the recipe. It’s on my cooler days rotation… always!