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Sweet and Smoky Pineapple Chipotle Chili in a bowl with chips, lime wedges, sour cream and cheese on a table
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5 from 26 votes

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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main, Side
Cuisine: American, Asian, Tex Mex
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 449kcal
Author: Joyce Lee

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

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

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!

Notes

  • 1 full can of chiptole with adobo sauce (187ml) is quite spicy. If you don't like heat or spicy foods, use ⅓ 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

Nutrition

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