Black Bean Chili With Chocolate & Coconut

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of judging my first chili cook-off with my friend Cassie (from Bake Your Day). And while it was a blast, I have one piece of advice for anyone who ever judges:

Take small bites! Oh my goodness.

I don’t know if I have ever been so full in my life. But at least the chili was fantastic! Amongst the many creative recipes that night was a vegetarian chili served with chocolate chips and toasted coconut. (You can also make this vegan with dark chocolate chips.)  I have always loved adding a little cocoa powder into my chili for depth, but the extra cocoa, chocolate chips and sweet coconut on top took this to a whole new level. Brilliant flavor combination, especially with some smoky chipotles mixed into the chili. Slightly sweet, but still oh-so-savory.

So here is my attempt to recreate it homemade! I thought it turned out pretty well. I opted to let mine cook on the stovetop for about 2 hours, but next time I think I will throw it in the slow cooker and save a step. Either way, this is a great one!

Black Bean Chili with Chocolate and Coconut

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Makes: 6 -8 servings

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A smoky black bean vegetarian (or vegan) chili, accented with sweet chocolate and coconut!

Ingredients

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• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup good-quality chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 8 cups water
• 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (use dark chocolate cocoa for vegan version)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-3 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo, to taste
• toppings: chocolate chips and additional toasted coconut flakes

Instructions

• ▢
  Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add in chili powder and cumin cook for an additional 3 minutes until fragrant. Add in the water, black beans, green chiles, coconut flakes, unsweetened cocoa powder, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are mostly tender.
• ▢
  Add in the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce by teaspoons until it reaches your desired taste. Season with salt and pepper, and add an additional 1/2 cup or more of water if needed. Then return to heat for a final 30 minutes or until the beans are fully-cooked. If you would like a smoother soup, feel free to use a potato masher or immersion blender to puree. Otherwise, serve as-is with toppings.

Notes

To make this in the slow cooker, just add all ingredients (minus the toppings) and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.  Serve with toppings.

Additional Info

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!