Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal

My Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal is the ultimate, plant-based comfort food. Gluten free, vegan and filled with gentle, warming spices.

This slow cooker dhal recipe is so simple to make. I’ve topped mine with a tasty coriander and garlic butter, served with gluten free naan breads.

If you love a sweet potato curry prepare to love this even more! With red split lentils, spinach and the flavours of garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric and cumin.

This spinach, sweet potato and lentil dhal recipe is miles better thanks to the sweet potato and baby spinach leaves.

You can serve it on it’s own or as part of a curry spread.

It’s great for batch cooking and meal prep (it freezes really well) and I love to enjoy a bowl of this for lunch on a cold day.

This Sweet Potato Dhal is definitely one to try if you’re already a fan of my other vegetarian curries, such as my Chickpea and Potato Curry.

Plus cooked in the slow cooker it’s a great budget meal. It will leave your house smelling incredible all day long.

Ingredients and Substitutions

There’s a recipe card below with the full method and quantities for this recipe.

But for the shopping list, the main ingredients you’ll need for this slow cooker sweet potato and spinach dhal are:

• Red Lentils – I use dried split red lentils for this recipe, but you can use whichever kind of lentil you prefer. Just ensure the lentils are gluten free with no ‘may contain’ warnings. There’s a section on this in the FAQs below with some suggested brands which are gluten free.
• Sweet Potato – This recipe calls for using sweet potatoes. But you can use pre-chopped or frozen sweet potatoes if this is easier than buying them whole and prepping them yourself.
• Spinach – I use fresh spinach leaves but you can use frozen spinach if you prefer.
• Onion – I use a standard brown onion for this dhal recipe but you can use a red onion instead for a slightly more mellow flavour.
• Garlic, Ginger and Chilli – I tend to use the pre-chopped, frozen garlic, ginger and chilli as I use so much of it. I just find this a lot easier! You can use your own fresh ingredients or pastes if you prefer. If using fresh, you’ll need 3 cloves of garlic, a thumb-sized piece of ginger and half a fresh red chilli.
• Vegetable Stock – Always ensure the vegetable stock you’re using is gluten free. I tend to use Knorr but I have a full list of options in the UK here.
• Coconut Milk – It’s up to you if you want to use full-fat or lighter coconut milk. Both work equally as well though the full-fat version will create a creamier curry. Make sure you used tinned coconut milk – not the cartoned stuff for coffees!
• Spices – The dried spices I use in this recipe are ground cumin, turmeric, curry powder and garam masala. I use a medium curry powder but you can use mild/hot if you prefer.

For the topping you will also need:

• Butter – If you need this recipe to be vegan or dairy-free then ensure you use a vegan butter substitute instead.
• Garlic – I use chopped frozen garlic but you can use fresh garlic (finely chopped or crushed) or a garlic paste instead.
• Coriander – Fresh coriander is the perfect way to finish off this curry. Omit this if you don’t like it!

I also love to squeeze a wedge of lime over my finished dhal before eating it.

Slow Cooker Dhal FAQs

To help troubleshoot, I’ve tried to answer as many frequently asked questions as possible about this slow cooker sweet potato and spinach dhal.

But if you have any others please do add them to the comments at the end of this post and I’ll do my best to answer them!

Is slow cooker spinach and sweet potato dhal gluten free?

Yes, this recipe is 100% gluten free and safe for people with coeliac disease, as are all of the recipes on my website.

This crockpot spinach and sweet potato dhal doesn’t use any wheat flour or gluten-containing ingredients so it is naturally free from gluten.

Just make sure you double check some of the ingredients to ensure they are gluten free, such as the vegetable stock.

You also need to be careful to ensure you use gluten free lentils which don’t have any may contain warnings.

Which lentils are gluten free in the UK?

Lentils are naturally gluten free but there is always a risk they are contaminated during the manufacturing process.

Unfortunately most packs of dried lentils in the UK have ‘may contain’ warnings, meaning there is a risk they contain wheat.

There has even been an interesting study into this, showing errant grains found in a visual inspection of lentil brands – you can read it here.

With that in mind, there are some gluten free brands of lentil in the UK:

• NatCo Lentils can be found in the Tesco World Food Aisle and have no warnings.
• Smart Organic Foods Lentils state they are gluten free.
• Just Natural Gluten Free Brown Lentils
• Bioprasad Gluten Free Red Lentils

This list is probably by no means exclusive so if you do find any other brands of coeliac-safe lentils let me know in the comments below!

Is this slow cooker dhal dairy free / vegan?

The good news is as well as being gluten free, this slow cooker spinach and sweet potato dhal is dairy free and vegan.

The topping does use butter. But you can easily swap this for a vegan butter to make the whole thing completely vegan.

And using lentils it’s also a great source of protein and fibre for a plant-based diet.

WHICH SLOW COOKER DO YOU USE?

I absolutely love my Morphy Richard’s Sear and Stew Slow Cooker. It’s perfect because the pan can be used on the hob too!

I’m addicted to making things in the slow cooker at the moment, including my slow cooker chicken stroganoff and my slow cooker pulled pork.

I know a lot of people are worried about the cost of living and looking for cheaper alternative.

The good news is slow cookers are actually pretty efficient to run!

It looks like a slow cooker costs roughly 16p a day to run, compared to 87p a day for an electric cooker.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A SLOW COOKER?

If you don’t have a slow cooker you can still make this sweet potato and spinach dhal.

First fry off the onion as per the recipe. But then add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and bring to the boil.

Turn down to a low simmer and leave, partially covered, for 30-45 minutes until the lentils have become soup-y, and the sweet potato is cooked through.

What to serve with slow cooker sweet potato and spinach dhal?

This recipe is so versatile and often I have it on it’s own – it’s like a hug in a bowl.

However, if you like you can serve this dahl recipe:

• As a side dish to your favourite meat-based curry, such as my Classic Chicken Curry from my book or this easy Coconut and Chicken Curry.
• As part of a vegan curry spread alongside dishes like my Slow Cooker Chickpea and Potato Curry or my easy Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry.
• With your favourite gluten free Indian side dishes – find recipes for the best gluten free naan bread, onion bahjis and samosas in my book, Delicious Gluten Free Meal.
• Simply enjoy with a bowl of steamed basmati rice for a simple and tasty meal.

Can I freeze this slow cooker dhal recipe?

I love making this spinach and sweet potato dhal. It’s super easy to cook up a big batch and it freezes really well.

Any leftovers can either be kept in the fridge for 3-5 days. Alternatively, portion them up and freeze for up to 6 months.

Then you can simply reheat it in the microwave until piping hot when you need an easy meal.

Slow cooker Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal recipe

This easy, Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal recipe makes enough for 6 people so it’s perfect for batch cooking and meal prep.

You can easily change the portion sizes to suit you – I cooked this in a 3.5L slow cooker.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!

And if you loved it, please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me. 

NEED MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPE INSPIRATION?

Here are some more gluten free slow cooker recipes you can try out once you’ve made this Gluten Free Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal.

• Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
• Gammon in Ginger Beer
• Slow Cooker Paprika Chicken
• Chickpea and Potato Curry

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

If you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

LIKE THIS SLOW COOKER Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhal RECIPE?

Make sure you follow me on Pinterest and pin this recipe card below for later!