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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Sweet & Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili

    Dec 17, 2019 • Author: Joyce • 50 Comments • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 17 votes

    This hearty, sweet and smoky pineapple chipotle chili has a bit of a kick to it and has two ingredients that I love to use to give it a more robust and heartier flavor, gochujang and cocoa powder.

    Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a bowl with chips, lime wedges, sour cream and cheese on a table

    I was recently invited to a chili competition, that I sadly could not attend so this recipe is dedicated to my friend Michael as this was the chipotle chili I was going to enter the competition with! 🙂

    With chili, everyone has a preference. Some like it sweet, some like it meaty, some like it spicy - you get the idea.

    So what does this chili taste like?

    1. Spicy & Smoky - The chipotle in adobo sauce gives this a very nice smoky flavor but also makes it VERY spicy as well. If you're not a fan of spiciness, use half the amount in the recipe to maintain a bit if the spiciness and smokiness.
    2. Slightly Sweet - I prefer my chili slightly sweetened. The pineapple lends its sweetness at just the right amount. If you prefer it even sweeter, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to it at the end after you have adjusted all the flavors (which is what I did).
    3. Hearty & Not Soupy - The balance of meat the beans approximately 1:1. The chili has a medium thick texture - no more runny, soupy chili!

     

    INGREDIENTS FOR PINEAPPLE CHIPOTLE CHILI

    Ingredients laid out for Sweet & Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili on a counter

    • Pineapple - I used fresh pineapple for this recipe but you can use canned pineapples if you want to keep it simple. I personally like to control how big I cut the pineapple chunks which is why I went for the fresh one. I like the pineapples in 1cm cubes so that they don't all melt away during the cooking process. Each bite gives you tiny burst of the sweet pineapple that pairs wonderfully with the smokiness from the chipotle.
    • Ground Meat - I used pork because pineapple and pork are a classically great combination but you can use any type of meat or protein (beef, chicken, sausage or firm tofu) for this chili and it will keep it just as flavorful.
    • Gochujang - The paste gives the chili a slightly sweet and spicy flavor with a very nice touch of earthy nuttiness. Trust me on this. You won't even notice this is in the chili but it definitely gives it that flavor you can't quite put your finger on. 🙂
    • Cocoa Powder - This gives the chili a nice deep nutty flavor, especially after you caramelized and browned it with the meat.
    • Beans - I like using navy beans instead of kidney beans in my chili because I find kidney beans tend to be very large and overpowers the chili. If you can't find navy beans, white kidney beans also work as well. To keep things easy and simple, I use canned beans. Just remember to drain the liquid from the can and rinse out the beans before using it. If you want to use dried beans, make sure the soak them in water the night before.
    • Chipotle - To create the smokiness for this chipotle chili, I used a can of chipotle in adobo sauce. This gave it a lot of heat as well, so if you are not a fan of heat, I would suggest either putting only half a can or a few tablespoons of the sauce.  Pairing up this chipotle chili with a side of sour cream (which by the way is the best thing you can do for chili, seriously) also helps with the spiciness
    • Tomatoes - I used canned crushed tomatoes for simplicity but you can use fresh tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes and it would be equally as delicious.

    Sweet & Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili

    Tip #1: Don't throw away the adobo sauce once you chopped up the chipotle peppers. Add it in the slow cooker! This is where you will get a lot of the smokiness from.

    I used a slow cooker for this recipe, it makes it a whole lot easier and you don't need to watch it! If you don't have a slow cooker, you can use a pot on the stove on low heat but you will need to stir it more often to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom.

     

    BROWNING THE MEAT WITH THE AROMATICS (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!)

    This next step is CRUCIAL and should not be skipped. I am all about keeping things simple and quick except when it compromises flavors (and sometimes texture). So please please please do not skip this step of toasting and browning the spices and meat. Browning the meat gives it an additional layer of flavor by removing excess water from the meat, and when combined with the caramelization of the garlic, onions, gochujang and tomato paste it makes the meat sauce even more intense flavor.

    Pork being precooked for Sweet & Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a cast iron skillet before putting it in the slow cooker

     

    TOPPINGS FOR PINEAPPLE CHIPOTLE CHILI [Optional, but Highly Recommended!]

    One of the most fun (and delicious) ways to enhance the flavors and textures of chili is through toppings!

    Here are a few ideas I occasionally like to mix and match:

    • Green onions
    • Red onions (finely chopped or sliced and soaked in lime juice)
    • Grated cheese
    • Sour cream (this adds a very nice creaminess to the chili and the slight tang gives it a nice finish. If you can handle dairy I would highly recommend it)
    • Sliced fresh or pickled jalapenos (if you like more heat)
    • Tortilla chips (crushed on top or whole for scooping up the chili)
    • Fresh avocado or guacamole
    • Olives
    • Bacon bits
    • Fresh limes - a quick splash of fresh lime juices gives it a nice tartness with a refreshing lime scent.
    • Be creative! 🙂

    Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a bowl with chips, lime wedges, sour cream and cheese on a table being scooped with chips

    LOOKING FOR MORE COZY RECIPES? TRY THESE!

    • Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
    • Spicy Soondubu Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jjigae)
    • Bangers and Mash (Deconstructed) + Stout & Onion Gravy
    • Beer-Braised Pork Belly (Chinese Style)

    Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a bowl with chips, lime wedges, sour cream and cheese on a table

    If you like my recipes and want to be updated on when new ones come out, please consider subscribing to my newsletter (we don't spam) and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all of my latest recipes!

    Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a bowl with chips, lime wedges, sour cream and cheese on a table

    Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili

    An easy sweet and smoky pineapple chipotle chili recipe with 2 secret ingredients (gochujang and cocoa powder) that gives it a full-bodied more rounded and nuttier flavor!
    Print Pin Share Email Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Appetizer, Main, Side
    Cuisine: American, Asian, Tex Mex
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
    6 Servings
    5 from 17 votes

    Recipe Notes

    • 1 full can of chiptole with adobo sauce (187ml) is quite spicy. If you don't like heat or spicy foods, use â…“ to ½ the can but if you handle the heat, I highly recommend using the full can. It will give the chili a smokier flavor.
    • Highly recommend serving with a side of full fat sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and finely chopped green onions.
    • Goes fantastic as a dip with nacho chips
    • Add the salt and sweeteners at the very end when the chili has finished cooking after all the flavours has melded so you can adjust the saltiness and sweetness at the very end

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pineapple (peeled, cored and finely diced)
    • 1 can navy beans (540ml - approximately 2 cups Can also substitute with white kidney beans)
    • 1 can diced tomatoes (796 ml - approximately 3 ½ cups)
    • ½ can chipotle in adobo sauce (95ml - chopped - Using a full can will make the chili very spicy and smoky)
    • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to taste)
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional, to make it sweeter)

    Gochujang/Cocoa Powder Meat Sauce

    • 1 lb ground pork
    • 1 large onion (chopped)
    • 1 bell pepper (green/red/orange/yellow. chopped)
    • 3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)
    • 1 can tomato paste (156ml - approximately ½ cup)
    • 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

    Toppings (Mix and Match)

    • limes (juiced)
    • grated cheese
    • sour cream
    • green onions (finely chopped)
    • nacho chips
    • red onions (finely chopped or lightly pickled in lime juice)
    • jalapeno peppers (fresh or pickled)
    • chopped avocado or guacamole
    • bacon bits
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Preparation

    • Chop the onion, garlic, peppers and put aside for later
    • If you are using fresh pineapples, peel and core it, then dice them into small pieces (around the same size as the beans). If you are using canned pineapples, drain the water out of the can and roughly chop it into smaller pieces. Add the pineapple into the slow cooker.
    • If you are using canned beans, pour out the liquid from the can and rinse the beans out. Add the beans into the slow cooker.
    • Add the tomatoes into slow cooker and set it on low.

    Browning the Meat & Spices (Do not skip this step!)

    • In a frying pan or cast iron skillet, add some oil and set it on medium-high heat
    • When the oil is hot, add in the onions and peppers and cook until brown (approximately 5 minutes)
    • Add in the garlic, cumin, cocoa powder, tomato paste and gochujang paste and toast it for approximately 3 minutes. It should look thick and goopy
    • Add in the meat and mix well with the onions and paste. Break up the meat into tiny bits and cook until it has browned. (approximately 5-8 minutes)

    Setting the Slow Cooker

    • Once the meat is done cooking, add it into the slow cooker and mix everything together until it is combined.
    • The smoked chipotle is very spicy, so start off by mixing 2 tablespoons of the sauce into the chili first and do a taste test. Keep doing this until it is the right amount of spiciness for you. If you want a bit more flavor and heat, finely chop the chiptole and add that into the chili 1 tablespoon at a time and do a taste test to ensure it is not too spicy for you.
    • Set the slow cooker to cook for 3 hours.
    • After 3 hours has passed, the chili is done! Add the maple syrup and fish sauce in to flavor it and do a taste test to ensure it is the right amount of sweet and salty to your liking! 🙂
    • Prep the garnishes and enjoy on its own or with a side of nacho chips!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 1860mg | Sugar: 34g

    *Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

    Did you try this recipe?I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it was and consider giving it a rating! Tag me on Instagram with @pupswithchopsticks to show me!
    Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

    Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, however, I provide these links to make items easier to find if you cannot purchase this locally and I would never recommend anything I don’t own myself or highly recommend. I would prefer you to buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (and chances are they are cheaper locally as well!)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim says

      October 23, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      Yes this is an amazing recipe
      Made it for a crowd and was a crowd pleaser
      Will be making it again
      Unique and flavourful

      Reply
      • Joyce Lee says

        October 27, 2022 at 9:31 am

        Hi Kim!
        I'm so happy you all liked it!

        Reply
    2. Taylor says

      March 07, 2022 at 1:02 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious! Instead of ground pork I used a pork roast and let it cook for about 6 hours then shredded the meat. Definitely going to be making this again! My fiancé said it was the best chili he’s ever had!

      Reply
      • Joyce Lee says

        March 11, 2022 at 8:17 pm

        Hi Taylor!
        I am so happy you both liked it!! and Oh my gosh, WOW that is a brilliant idea! That's almost like a pulled pork within the chili! I am going to do that the next time I make pulled pork! Thank you for sharing this awesome idea!

        Reply
    3. Rob says

      September 11, 2021 at 10:38 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for this recipe. It got a nice win at a work chili cook off. Truly unique!!! The sweet, spicy, Smoky, + pineapple, gochujang, & cocoa. WOW so good. Who would of ever thought these ingredients would make such a truly good chili. I double the recipe(but stick with one Pineapple)so we can eat for lunches throughout the week. Flavors continue to meld and get better & better. Thanks again.

      Reply
      • Joyce Lee says

        September 16, 2021 at 9:02 am

        Hi Rob!
        Oh my gosh! Congrats!! I'm so happy you won at the work chili cookout! This is definitely my favourite way to have chili because of the sweet and savoury element, and I definitely agree with the flavours meld so much the next day! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back to write to me! I'm super happy you enjoyed it and I'd like to give you a virtual high-five!

        Reply
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