How to Get Cocoa Beans in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Break cocoa pods that grow on jungle logs in jungle and sparse jungle biomes. A fully grown pod drops 3 cocoa beans. Plant them on the side of any jungle log to farm more. In Bedrock Edition you can also fish in jungle biomes or find them in bonus chests.

What you need

Axe (optional, fastest)
Jungle logs for a farm
Jungle biome access

Step by step

Travel to a jungle or sparse jungle biome and look for orange or green pods on the sides of jungle tree trunks. Pods only generate on naturally generated jungle logs, not on trees grown from saplings.
Break a fully grown (orange) pod. Any item works, but an axe is fastest. It drops 3 cocoa beans. Fortune does not increase the drop. Breaking a pod in its first two stages gives only 1 bean.
Plant a bean by placing it on the side of a jungle log, jungle wood, stripped jungle log or stripped jungle wood. The log does not need to be part of a tree.
Wait for it to grow. A pod has three stages (small green, bigger tan, large orange), and each random tick has a 20% chance to advance it, about 5 minutes 41 seconds per stage on average.
Harvest the orange pods and replant. This makes a steady farm from a few jungle logs.
Use the beans: brown dye, cookies, and as a dye for wool, collars, leather armor, beds, glass, terracotta, shulker boxes and candles.

Java vs Bedrock

In Java Edition cocoa beans only come from naturally generated cocoa pods. In Bedrock Edition they also drop from fishing in jungle, bamboo jungle and sparse jungle biomes, and 40% of bonus chests contain 1-2 beans. In Bedrock, cocoa beans can stand in for brown dye in many recipes.

Versions: Cocoa beans work the same in current Java and Bedrock versions apart from the Bedrock sources above.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you find cocoa beans?

On cocoa pods on jungle tree trunks in jungle and sparse jungle biomes. In Bedrock you can also fish for them in jungle biomes.

How many cocoa beans does a pod drop?

A fully grown pod drops 3 beans. Breaking it before it is fully grown gives 1. Fortune does not add more.

Can I grow cocoa beans anywhere?

Only on the side of a jungle log, jungle wood or their stripped versions. Put the log anywhere you like.

How long do cocoa beans take to grow?

Each of the three stages takes about 5 minutes 41 seconds on average (a 20% chance per random tick).

What are cocoa beans used for?

Brown dye and cookies, plus dyeing wool, collars, leather armor and more.