What is Vegan Chocolate?

According to Vantage Market Research, the global vegan chocolate market is valued at over $950 million and that figure is expected to triple by 2030. As more consumers seek products that cater to their dietary lifestyles, major chocolate brands and small-batch makers now offer vegan options to serve the growing market.

This article educates you about what vegan chocolate is. It also answers some burning questions new vegans and non-vegans might have about chocolate.

Let’s start right at the beginning.

What is Vegan Chocolate?

Simply put, vegan chocolate is chocolate with ingredients that are free from any animal products. Otherwise, vegan chocolate has all the basic ingredients of traditional chocolate: cocoa solids (cocoa powder or chocolate liquour), cocoa butter, and a vegan sweetener. Some brands may add other ingredients that vegans find no issues with. For example, vanilla and soy lecithin.

Difference Between Vegan and Dairy-free Chocolate?

‘Vegan’ and ‘dairy-free’ are not interchangeable terms. All vegan chocolate is dairy free, but not all dairy-free chocolate is vegan. For example, a chocolate recipe that omits animal milk but includes sugar refined with bone char is dairy-free, not vegan.

People choose veganism or dairy-free diets for different reasons. Vegans avoid all animal products for animal welfare, environmental, and health reasons. People usually adopt dairy-free diets for health reasons, which may permit them to still consume other animal products.

If a chocolate packaging says it’s dairy-free, don’t stop there. Ensure it’s also stated to be vegan.

Does Vegan Chocolate Have Sugar? Sweeteners Used in Vegan Chocolate

Let’s get real honest. The only reason most people find chocolate so deliciously good is that the bitterness of the cacao seed is reduced during the process of transforming the bean into the cocoa mass.

Probably, you didn’t even know the unprocessed cacao bean is VERY bitter.  When you get your final chocolate product, a lot has happened to the bean along the way, including the addition of a sweetener. Of course, there are 100% dark chocolate bars with zero sweeteners, but they’re not the norm. Most chocolates, including vegan varieties, have some form of sweetener.

Now to answer the question. Does vegan chocolate have sugar? Yes, vegan chocolate MAY have sugar. But it’s vegan-friendly sugar, like raw organic cane sugar. Sugars refined with bone char are not used in vegan chocolates.

Some brands use plant-based sugar-free alternatives like coconut sugar, dates or monk fruit extract and stevia. Or artificial sweeteners like xylitol.

You should read labels before purchase. But there’s absolutely no reason for alarm. Chocolate that is labeled vegan has no sugars that someone with a vegan lifestyle can’t eat. Manufacturers are that conscious.

Vegan chocolate bars sweetened with raw organic cane sugar. No lecithin.

How is Vegan Chocolate Made?

Not different from how traditional chocolate is made. The difference between normal chocolate and vegan chocolate is in the ingredients used (or not used). Every bean-to-bar chocolate goes through the same procedure, whether the final label will be vegan or whatever.

I chose bean-to-bar as an example because you can make chocolate starting with ready-made cocoa powder or cocoa mass (liquour)

This image below shows you the steps cacao goes through from the farm in the tropics to your tongue.

image

 What makes vegan chocolate different?

 For those who oppose animal cruelty, products like vegan chocolate are a welcome relief for them to enjoy a treat without qualms. But in terms of health benefits, there’s not much difference between vegan chocolate and traditional chocolate. One has animal products like milk and refined sugars, the other uses plant-based alternatives. The final outcome doesn’t look different. And there’s no ‘vegan chocolate taste’.

Related: Is Dark Chocolate Vegan? (Guide to Types of Vegan Chocolate Products)

Is vegan chocolate healthier?

Not necessarily. While vegan chocolate fulfills the requirements of those with the vegan lifestyle, it is neither healthier nor inferior to traditional chocolate. The health benefits of any chocolate depend on the quality of ingredients used.

In fact, the nutrient and flavour profile of any chocolate product depends on a variety of factors. Origin of beans, farming methods, manufacturing processes, additional ingredients.

Is vegan chocolate less fattening?

What can make you gain weight from eating EXCESS of any type of chocolate? Mostly high calories from added sugar and saturated fats in cocoa butter. The emphasis is on excess because you should eat chocolate in moderation. As you will do for everything else you eat!

Just like in traditional chocolate, the amount of fat in vegan chocolate can vary depending on the proportions and types of ingredients used. Vegan chocolates are dairy free, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the amount of fat is less. Recipes that avoid lecithin usually use more cocoa butter to increase the flowability of the cocoa mass. Meaning more saturated fats, more calories.

The nutritional information on the packaging will help you determine how much calories you can expect from your vegan chocolate.

Does vegan chocolate have caffeine?

Definitely, yes. The caffeine in chocolate comes from cocoa solids, an ever-present ingredient in any type of true chocolate.

Wondering how high that can be? Not too much. The caffeine in cocoa products is generally negligible compared to coffee or tea.

RELATED: Caffeine in Coffee, Tea & Hot Chocolate

Does vegan chocolate melt?

ALL chocolate melts given the right temperature. How fast a chocolate melts, though, depends on the manufacturing process, specifically the tempering stage.

Untempered chocolate, whether vegan or not, looks dull, rough, and can melt quickly on your hands. But you see that glossy chocolate bar that snaps when you break it? That’s tempered chocolate which doesn’t easily melt. In your mouth, it melts slowly, so you can enjoy the gradual release of deliciousness.

Delicious Vegan Bars

All our chocolate products, and I mean ALL, are vegan-friendly. Dark bars, milk chocolate (contains coconut milk), chocolate spread, and even our cacao-based drink, Boocha, can be enjoyed by vegans too. For sweetener, we use raw organic cane sugar.

SHOP VEGAN CHOCOLATES

References

https://barandcocoa.com/pages/what-is-100-percent-chocolate

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/chocolate-myths

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/milk

https://readcacao.com/tempering-chocolate/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-vegan-dairy-free

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