As descriptive a title as Minecraft is, it does leave out one activity in the game just as robust as both mining and crafting, if not more so. That is, of course, farming. The game allows you to flex your green thumb as much as any other farming game, perhaps excluding the hardcore simulators.
But while Minecraft may air on the more simple side when it comes to raising crops, there are a few items, such as cocoa beans, that take a bit more planning than just throwing them in the dirt and waiting. Here's a full breakdown of how to grow cocoa beans so you can have a nice supply for cooking, crafting, and more.
Updated May 11, 2023, by Sean Murray: Just like in real life, cocoa is one of Minecraft's most desirable crops. Learning how to grow cocoa beans is essential, so we've updated this guide with better formatting for mobile.
How To Grow Cocoa Beans
Before you roll up your sleeves to start planting, there are a few items you need to gather. First, and this should come as no surprise, is cocoa beans themselves. You will have to find some in the wild first to kickstart your production.
These beans are found inside cocoa pods that only grow on jungle tree trunks. So your first order of business is to find a jungle biome and harvest some pods.
Each pod you break open will drop either two or three beans.
While you're in the jungle biome harvesting beans, make sure you also take your axe to the jungle trees as well. The second item required for farming these little brown beans is jungle logs, so make sure you stock up on these as well before returning to your home base.
Finally, and this is an optional item, but any farmer knows that having bone meal handy will speed up the farming process for any crop.
Now, on to your farm. Lay down your jungle blocks on the ground wherever you like. They can be in a straight line, or even stacked vertically. Next, whip out your cocoa beans and place them on an open side of the jungle log. They will appear as little green sacks hanging off the sides.
No need to have the logs adjacent to a water source or anything, so long as they are outside and above ground.
At this point, you're all set. The new pods will start to grow over time, going through three stages before you can harvest them. They start out as little greenish pods, evolve into a medium brown or tan color, and then mature as the cocoa pods you found out in the wild.
This is where you can use your bone meal to quicken the growing process if you like.
Once they are fully grown, break them open just like you did in the first step and collect the two or three beans that fall out. You can ramp up your production from here, replanting and expanding, or just replacing what you harvested for a steady supply.
Use those yummy beans to make cookies, create brown dye, and dozens of other items.