Chicory Coffee

What is chicory coffee made from?

Chicory coffee starts with the root of Cichorium intybus. The root is dried, roasted and prepared for brewing, or processed into a soluble extract. It is not a coffee bean, and pure chicory contains no coffee.

The word “coffee” describes its role at the breakfast table rather than its botanical identity. Like other coffee substitutes, it offers a roasted hot drink without necessarily reproducing coffee’s flavour or stimulant effect.

Three formats deserve distinguishing:

Read the full ingredients list, especially on products described as a coffee alternative or coffee essence. Those descriptions do not establish that a product is pure chicory.

For a wider comparison of ingredients and drink styles, see alternatives to coffee.

What does chicory coffee taste like?

Roasted chicory is generally nutty and bittersweet, with a roasted sweetness that can suggest caramel. Café Du Monde describes an almost chocolate-like contribution from chicory in its coffee-and-milk drink.

Those descriptions are useful expectations, not guaranteed tasting notes. Roast, concentration and the other ingredients all affect the result. A strong preparation may emphasise bitterness; a lighter one gives you more room to decide whether the root’s distinctive flavour suits you.

The best approach is to treat chicory as its own drink. If you expect an exact copy of your usual coffee, the difference can feel disappointing. If you want a dark, roasted alternative, that difference is part of the appeal.

Milk is a traditional accompaniment, not a requirement. Try the first mouthful black, then add milk or a plant-based alternative if you prefer a softer drink.

From wartime substitute to New Orleans tradition

Chicory has served two related purposes: replacing unavailable coffee and stretching the coffee people already had. Its history connects European trade restrictions, American wartime shortages and drinks that remained popular after the shortages passed.

A short timeline

• 1806: Napoleon’s Berlin Decree established the Continental System against British trade. Chicory producer Leroux links the resulting restrictions on coffee supplies with the expansion of chicory drinking in France. This is a story of increased adoption, not proof that chicory coffee was invented that year.
• American Civil War: Chicory was used when coffee supplies were scarce. The Smithsonian records Confederate soldiers adding or substituting chicory and other roasted ingredients because Union blockades restricted supplies.
• 1862: Café Du Monde opened in New Orleans. Its own history identifies coffee and chicory as its characteristic coffee offering, served black or with hot milk.
• 1876: Camp Coffee’s brand history dates its beginnings to the Paterson Company of Glasgow, Scotland. Camp is a coffee-and-chicory essence, not pure chicory.
• 1942: During American Second World War coffee rationing, contemporary advice recommended adding chicory to stretch supplies. The US National Park Service documents that advice.

These examples should not be collapsed into a single invention story. Chicory drinking in Europe predates the New Orleans café tradition, while wartime shortages help explain why substitutes and blends spread.

Nor should American coffee rationing be presented as a UK rule. The Second World War example above specifically concerns the United States.

What makes the New Orleans version different?

New Orleans-style coffee and chicory is a blend, not a mug of pure root infusion. Café Du Monde describes its café au lait as prepared coffee and chicory mixed half and half with hot milk.

To reproduce that serving style, combine equal volumes of brewed coffee-and-chicory blend and hot milk. The equal-parts instruction concerns the finished brew and milk, not equal weights of dry coffee and chicory. It also does not make the drink caffeine-free.

How to make chicory coffee

First establish whether your product is soluble or needs filtering. Confusing those formats is an easy way to end up with either unnecessary brewing equipment or a gritty mug.

A simple instant method

For plain soluble chicory, Leroux gives a starting dose of 2.5 g per 125 ml of liquid. The method below doubles that manufacturer’s proportion.

Equipment: mug, scales, kettle and spoon.
Ingredients: 5 g pure soluble chicory and 250 ml hot water, or hot milk if the packet permits it.

1. Check that the ingredients specify pure soluble chicory.
2. Weigh 5 g into the mug.
3. Add a little of the 250 ml hot liquid and stir until dissolved.
4. Add the remaining liquid, stir and taste.
5. Use less powder next time if you find the drink too concentrated.

This is a manufacturer-based starting point, not a universal chicory standard or a first-hand tested recipe. Follow your own product’s directions where they differ.

Brewing roasted root pieces

Root pieces need contact with hot water followed by separation from the drink. Leroux’s published infusion guidance uses 250 ml hot water and a five-minute steep, with its specified packet dose.

Put the measured root into an infuser or heatproof brewing vessel, add the water, leave it to infuse, then strain. Because pieces vary in size and density, use the product’s stated dose rather than converting a spoon measure into an invented gram weight.

The manufacturer specifies hot water rather than a precise temperature in degrees Celsius. There is no reason to give that instruction a false laboratory precision.

Preparing coffee-and-chicory blends

Use the brewing method and dose stated on the blend. Do not automatically substitute chicory for coffee gram for gram and assume the same result.

If you want to experiment with your own mixture, make a small batch and record the weights of each ingredient. Change one thing at a time so that you can distinguish the effect of the blend from the effect of brewing strength.

For workplace use, the simplest trial is a separately prepared drink. Do not assume a commercial bean-to-cup machine accepts chicory merely because another brewing device does; check its manufacturer’s instructions before introducing a substitute.

Troubleshooting your first mug

These are practical adjustments rather than claims from comparative brewing trials.

Inulin, roasting and digestive tolerance

Chicory root is rich in inulin, a soluble fibre made from linked sugar units. It is described as prebiotic because gut microorganisms can use it, with potential benefits to the host.

However, raw root, extracted inulin and roasted chicory drink are not nutritionally interchangeable.

Roasting changes the fibre

Saying that inulin simply “caramelises” is an oversimplification. Laboratory research on chicory roasting found substantial breakdown of inulin, alongside changes in sugars and amino acids. Sugar degradation and browning reactions help explain how a root develops roasted flavours.

That chemistry also explains why a raw-root fibre figure cannot be copied onto a finished mug. The roast, processing and amount used matter. Unless the product provides relevant analytical information, do not promise a particular inulin intake.

What the health evidence actually supports

EFSA’s 2015 assessment supported increased stool frequency from 12 g daily of a specified native chicory inulin ingredient. That finding concerns a characterised fibre ingredient and dose, not ordinary chicory coffee as a category.

Digestive effects can also be unwelcome. Controlled trials of chicory inulin products have reported wind and bloating, with tolerance depending on the ingredient and dose. A controlled study of an inulin-rich roasted chicory extract found slight increased abdominal discomfort at its higher tested intake.

These results are not contradictory: an ingredient can affect bowel function and still cause symptoms in some people. They do not establish a universal number of mugs that everyone will tolerate.

Start with a modest serving if chicory is new to you. If it repeatedly causes discomfort, reduce it or stop rather than assuming the symptoms prove it is helping. Persistent bloating warrants advice from a GP.