Chicory coffee is a beverage made from the roasted and ground root of the chicory plant (Cichorium intybus). Although chicory isn’t actually coffee, roasting the root produces dark, roasted flavors that have made it a longtime coffee substitute and blending ingredient.
Chicory became particularly important during periods when ordinary coffee was expensive or difficult to obtain. Its history is closely connected with Europe, and it later became an enduring part of coffee culture in New Orleans.
Today, roasted chicory may be brewed on its own or combined with ground coffee. The result is a distinctive drink with an earthy, roasted flavor quite different from ordinary coffee.
What Is Chicory Coffee?
The drink is made by roasting, grinding and brewing chicory root.
The chicory plant belongs to the same botanical family as plants such as dandelions and lettuce. Different parts of chicory have culinary uses, but the root is the part traditionally roasted for coffee-style beverages.
Pure roasted chicory doesn’t naturally contain caffeine. However, a drink made from a blend of chicory and regular coffee will contain caffeine from the coffee, so the finished drink isn’t necessarily caffeine-free.
What Does Chicory Coffee Taste Like?
Roasted chicory has a dark, earthy and roasted flavor that can complement coffee.
Its taste isn’t identical to coffee, which is why the proportion of chicory in a blend can noticeably change the finished drink.
Roasting also changes the chemical composition and flavor of chicory root, creating many of the characteristics associated with the brewed beverage.
10 Fascinating Facts About Chicory Coffee
1. Chicory Isn’t Actually Coffee
Despite the name, this beverage doesn’t come from coffee beans.
It’s produced from the root of Cichorium intybus. The roasted root can be brewed independently or mixed with genuine coffee.
That makes chicory a coffee substitute or coffee-blending ingredient, rather than another variety of coffee bean.
2. Chicory Has a Long History as a Coffee Substitute
People have used roasted chicory as an alternative or addition to coffee for generations.
Its popularity has often increased during periods when coffee was scarce or expensive, helping turn a practical substitute into a beverage tradition of its own.
3. Chicory Became Closely Associated With New Orleans
The tradition has a particularly strong connection with New Orleans.
During the American Civil War, coffee shortages led New Orleans Creoles to mix chicory with coffee to stretch the available supply. The combination survived long after the shortage ended and remains part of the city’s food and coffee culture.
4. Civil War Coffee Shortages Encouraged Substitutes
The New Orleans story was part of a broader Civil War coffee shortage.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History notes that Confederate soldiers sometimes added or substituted ingredients such as roasted corn, chicory or peanuts because Union blockades created shortages.
5. New Orleans Still Serves Coffee With Chicory
Coffee blended with chicory isn’t merely a historical curiosity.
It continues to be served in New Orleans, including in the city’s traditional café-au-lait culture. Chicory-blended coffee remains available at coffee stands and cafés today.
6. Pure Chicory Is Naturally Caffeine-Free
Chicory root itself doesn’t naturally contain caffeine.
That makes a beverage brewed entirely from roasted chicory different from regular coffee.
But check what you’re drinking: many products combine coffee and chicory, and those blends still contain caffeine from the coffee beans.
7. Chicory Root Is a Source of Inulin
Raw chicory root is well known as a source of inulin, a type of dietary fiber used in many food products.
However, that doesn’t mean every brewed cup contains the same amount of inulin as raw chicory root. Roasting can partially break down inulin and other compounds.
For that reason, it’s better not to make broad health promises based simply on chicory’s natural inulin content.
8. Roasting Changes Chicory Root
The roasting process does more than darken the root.
Heat changes its carbohydrates and other compounds and contributes to the characteristic color, aroma and roasted flavor associated with chicory beverages.
Roasting also changes the composition of the root, including by partially breaking down inulin and other compounds.
9. Coffee and Chicory Can Be Blended in Different Proportions
There’s no single required ratio of coffee to chicory.
Changing the proportion changes the flavor, color, caffeine content and character of the finished beverage.
More chicory generally makes its distinctive roasted flavor more noticeable, while a coffee-heavy blend tastes more like conventional coffee.
10. Chicory Has Uses Beyond Coffee
Chicory isn’t limited to coffee-style drinks.
Its roots and leaves have various food uses, and chicory root is also an important commercial source of inulin used as an ingredient in a variety of foods.
Does Chicory Coffee Have Caffeine?
It depends on what’s in the cup.
Pure roasted chicory contains no natural caffeine. A beverage made entirely from chicory can therefore provide a roasted drink without coffee’s caffeine.
A coffee-and-chicory blend, however, contains caffeine because it contains real coffee.
If reducing caffeine is important to you, check the product label rather than assuming every chicory-based drink is caffeine-free.
Is Chicory Coffee Good for You?
It’s better not to treat this beverage as a medicine or make broad claims about its health effects.
Chicory root contains inulin and other compounds that have attracted scientific interest. However, the roasted beverage isn’t chemically identical to raw chicory root or purified inulin, and roasting can alter those compounds.
For that reason, claims that a cup of the beverage will regulate blood sugar, cause weight loss, reduce inflammation or treat digestive conditions go beyond what we should promise readers.
For most people, its most straightforward appeal is its distinctive flavor, history and ability to provide a roasted beverage with less—or, when made entirely from chicory, no—caffeine.
Chicory Coffee and New Orleans Tradition
Few places are as closely associated with coffee and chicory as New Orleans.
What grew partly from necessity during coffee shortages became an enduring regional tradition. Today, visitors can still find dark-roasted coffee blended with chicory, frequently served as café au lait with hot milk.
That connection between history and modern café culture is particularly interesting: a substitute born partly from scarcity became a flavor people continued drinking by choice.
A Coffee Alternative With a Story
The tradition has survived long beyond the shortages that helped popularize it.
Its earthy roasted flavor, lack of caffeine when brewed without coffee, and strong connection to New Orleans give it an identity quite separate from ordinary coffee.
Whether brewed entirely from roasted chicory or enjoyed as part of a traditional coffee-and-chicory blend, it’s another example of how history and local culture can transform a simple beverage into a lasting tradition.
If you’d like to explore more distinctive coffee styles, see Organic Coffee and Types of Coffee Drinks.