Rich Stout and Coffee Beef Chili
I’ll admit it — of all the fast food menus out there, Wendy’s has influenced my cooking more than any other. Their baked potatoes and chili with cheese have always been two of my favorite orders, and years ago I set out to recreate that chili at home, packing it with vegetables just like the original — celery, bell peppers, onions, and more.
My husband was not a fan. He couldn’t get past the blended vegetable flavor and wanted something simpler, cleaner, with fewer competing textures. That pushback is actually how this version came to be. I stripped the vegetable list down to just tomatoes and kidney beans, and instead of building complexity through more produce, I leaned into something a little unconventional: stout beer, brewed coffee, and a touch of cocoa powder.
It sounds like an odd combination for chili, I know. But the beer adds depth, the coffee brings out a rich, almost smoky undertone, and the cocoa rounds everything into something warm and layered without ever tasting like dessert. It’s simpler than my original version, but it doesn’t lack for flavor — if anything, it’s better for it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by prepping your vegetables — seed and dice the chili peppers, then dice the beefsteak tomatoes, and set both aside for later.
In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef until fully cooked, then stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, coriander, and pink salt, letting the spices coat the meat evenly.
Pour in the stout beer and brewed coffee, then add the tomato paste, beef broth, maple syrup, monk fruit extract, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the kidney beans along with the diced chili peppers and tomatoes you set aside earlier.
Let everything simmer together, giving the beer and coffee time to mellow and the flavors time to fully develop into something rich and deeply savory. Serve it on its own, ladled over a baked potato, or use it to build a batch of chili nachos.
Rich Stout and Coffee Beef Chili
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Seed and dice 2 red chili peppers; set aside.2 red chili peppers
- Dice 3 beefsteak tomatoes; set aside.3 beefsteak tomatoes
- In a large soup pot, brown 2 lbs 90% lean ground beef until fully cooked.2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
- Add 2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3½ tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp ground coriander, and 1 tsp pink salt; stir to combine with the beef.2 tbsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 3½ tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp pink salt, 2 tsp ground cumin
- Pour in 1 can (12 oz) stout beer and 1 cup strong medium roast coffee. Add 14 oz tomato paste, 14.5 oz beef broth, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/16 tsp monk fruit extract, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, the diced chili peppers, and the diced tomatoes; stir to combine.1 can (12 oz) stout beer, 1 cup strong medium roast coffee, 14 oz tomato paste, 14.5 oz beef broth, 1/16 tsp monk fruit extract, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 cans (15oz each) kidney beans, 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Let the chili simmer for 45 minutes, or until the flavor is fully developed.
Notes
- This chili works great as a main dish on its own and freezes well for leftovers.
- Perfect for topping chili nachos.
