What exactly is "vegan" chocolate?
I get many questions from people who are looking for vegan dark chocolate. In a perfect world, that would be redundant to say.
By definition, dark chocolate is vegan. Dark chocolate is made from a ratio of cacao beans and sugar, both of which are plant based. But those searching for 100% plant-based or vegan chocolate are in a way, right to question it.
Cheap chocolate Isn’t Always Vegan
I have seen more inexpensive commercial brands of dark chocolate containing milk products (such as whey powder). However, a good quality dark chocolate should not contain such ingredients. Good quality dark chocolate should contain cocoa beans and sugar. Maybe cocoa butter, but is such a butter vegan?
Is Cocoa Butter Vegan?
Yes, Cocoa butter is just what we call the fat from the cocoa bean. It is 100% plant-based. The cocoa bean is a little seed (think peanut) that contains about 50% fat. That fat is what we call cocoa butter. Sometimes when a chocolate maker grinds up the cocoa beans and sugar together, it gets really thick. This is why they add a little bit extra cocoa butter, to make it less viscous when liquid, and easier for them to mould into bars. A little extra cocoa butter also can give a dark chocolate a creamier and more luxurious feel.
Is the Sugar Vegan?
That’s a good question. Some vegans are concerned with the sugar being vegan as well. You may ask yourself, but sugar that comes from cane sugar or sugar beets is a vegetable, of course it’s vegan! Ah, but how about how refined sugar is processed. Some refined sugar uses charred animal bones for the purification process. So depending on how vegan you are, some may find using sugar processed in this way is unacceptable. Individual preferences. Keep in mind that many high end chocolate makers often opt for unrefined sugars that don’t go through this process. When in doubt, ask your maker.
But my chocolate isn’t certified vegan or 100% plant-based!
Simply read the ingredients. If your dark chocolate says cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, then it’s 100% plant based (aside from what we mentioned about refined sugar above). There are chocolates that boast vegan certification, and some consumers may find this helpful. However, reading the ingredients is your best assurance. And if you really love that brand, you can always ask the manufacturer yourself. Certification often costs a great deal of money for small businesses, and so there are many (most) fine chocolate entrepreneurs who produce an array of plant-based dark chocolate without the certification. Don’t pass those up! They are often some of the best chocolate brands in the world. Much of the vegan certified chocolate you see in grocery stores may taste fine to you, but in the great world of chocolate, usually fall at the level of mediocre at best. Higher quality brands of dark chocolate are almost always 100% plant-based without the labelling.
What about milk or white chocolate?
Standard milk chocolate is made by essentially adding milk powder to a dark chocolate recipe. So not plant-based. White chocolate is a combination of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder. So, also not plant-based.
Then there is “Milk” Chocolate
Many craft chocolate makers are producing milk chocolate, but replacing the milk powder with something such as:
Oats (for an oat “mylk” bar)
Coconut (for a coconut milk chocolate)
Almonds… you get it
These chocolates are often creamier and less intense than dark chocolate. They often include cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, and then whatever plant-based “milk” ingredient they are using.
Oh and “Dark Milk”… Oh boy!
Chocolate get’s complicated, eh? Yes, many craft chocolate makers are producing dark milk chocolate, which does contain milk powder. But you will see this easily in the ingredients list. They are not trying to trick you.
Dark milk bars are a milk chocolate with a higher than normal amount of cocoa bean. Often milk chocolate is made with around 30% cocoa beans, and the other 70% a mixture of sugar and milk, hence why it’s so light in colour. Dark milk chocolate bars can be as high as 65% cocoa bean, and only 35% sugar and milk powder. A great chocolate, but no, not vegan.
Read The Ingredients
This dark chocolate only has 2 ingredients: cocoa beans and sugar!
When in doubt, just read the ingredients. I always do regardless of what I’m looking for. Dark chocolate should contain:
Cocoa beans (also sometimes labeled as cacao, cacao beans, cocoa nibs, cocoa liquor, cocoa mass)
Sugar
Cocoa butter (sometimes, which is just the fat from the cocoa seed)
And if you’re not too picky on the kind of sugar, you can rest assure these are all 100% plant-based and vegan friendly.
You may also see ingredients such as lecithin. This is a contentious topic in the world of fine chocolate. Most often is refined from soy, most of which is GMO, which is why most people are against it. Lecithin itself is a natural ingredient found in things such as egg yolks. Lecithin in chocolate may also come from other sources such as sunflower. If it comes from a plant, it would be considered plant-based. But more on lecithin another time.