Learn how to make your very own vegan chocolate bars from scratch. You only need 6 ingredients and a bit of patience. Perfect for adults and a child friendly recipe too!
One of the most common complaints I've heard people who are vegan or dairy free discuss is how they miss nibbling on some chocolate.
If you think back to 10 years ago, the vegan chocolate industry was very limited. I could count the brands/variety of chocolate on one hand.
Nowadays, people are catering to people with dietary requirements so the availability is endless.
While they maybe better options in the stores, nothing beats a bit of chocolate making from scratch, from the comfort of your own home.
After doing lots and I mean LOTS of trial and error, I have finally came up with the best ratio of ingredients to make a decent tasting chocolate.
I initially wanted to make milk chocolate but, couldn't strike a balance with the coconut milk powder without compromising the texture.
I also wanted to make chilli chocolate too.
It tasted amazing but too gritty in texture and know I couldn't share that formula with you guys.
Now I've finally agreed on 6 ingredients that you need to make my chocolate recipe and they are - cacao butter, cacao paste, vanilla extract, coconut butter (cream), maple syrup and pistachio nuts.
I will go through each ingredient briefly, so I know we are on the same page with the definition and what role they play.
The ingredients
- Cacao paste - Also known as cacao liquor is made by crushing raw cacao beans to form a liquid. The liquid solidifies very quickly at room temperature to make a paste.
- Cacao butter - This is the white-ish/yellow-ish fat that is extracted from the cacao beans. If you smell it, it has a mild aroma just like chocolate and is best used with cacao paste when making chocolate.
- Coconut butter - This is made from the unsweetened coconut pulp that has been dehydrated and ground into a semi solid paste. This is a great ingredient to prevent the chocolate from being too bitter and offers a slight milky-ness to it. This is also known as "coconut cream" "creamed coconut" and/or "coconut manna".
- Maple syrup - This is a liquid sweetener that is used to sweeten the chocolate.
- Vanilla extract - Used as a flavour enhancer.
- Nuts - I LOVE pistachio nuts, so adding chopped pistachio nuts are very complimentary.
The steps
- Place the silicone mould(s) out on trays and then sprinkle some of the chopped pistachio nuts, evenly inside the mould and set aside.
- Combine the cacao paste, coconut butter and cacao butter in a large heat resistant bowl and place on top of a saucepan with simmering water (to make a Bain Marie or water bath).
- Leave the bowl with the cacao etc.. to melt (this should take few minutes).
- Once melted, carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan, make sure absolutely NO water splashes into the oily liquid.
- Whisk in the maple syrup and the vanilla extract.
- Spoon the chocolate into the mould(s), the mixture is enough to fill 2 shallow moulds. Be careful not to overfill.
- Place in the freezer to chill and set for roughly 30 minutes.
- Once set, remove the bars from the moulds and wrap them in parchment paper and saran wrap (cling film)
- Then place in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes and tips
- If you cannot obtain cacao paste then use cacao powder instead.
- If you choose to use cacao powder then you will need to sieve the powder before adding it to the melted liquid.
- For this recipe I am using shallow chocolate moulds and you will need 2 of them for this recipe.
- Feel free to add any additional dried fruit or nuts. i.e peanuts, cashews, raspberries, raisins etc...
- Coconut butter is also known as also known as "coconut cream" "creamed coconut" and/or "coconut manna". It is relatively cheaper to buy it from a Caribbean grocery store if possible. It comes as a solid, rectangular block.
- The coconut cream takes the longest to melt so it is best to chop it up into small pieces so it melts quicker or at the same time as the cacao paste/butter.
More recipes with chocolate
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Vegan Orange Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Avocado Chocolate Crumble
- Chocolate Coconut Porridge
- Raw Cacao Energy Balls
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Vegan Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup cacao butter (90g)
- ½ cup cacao paste (90g)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (107g)
- ⅓ cup coconut butter (58g)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract (7g)
- a handful of chopped pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Place the silicone mould(s) out on trays and then sprinkle some of the chopped pistachio nuts, evenly inside the mould and set aside.
- Combine the cacao paste, coconut butter and cacao butter in a large heat resistant bowl and place on top of a saucepan with simmering water (to make a Bain Marie or water bath).
- Leave the bowl with the cacao etc.. to melt (this should take few minutes).
- Once melted, carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan, make sure absolutely NO water splashes into the oily liquid.
- Whisk in the maple syrup and the vanilla extract.
- Spoon the chocolate into the mould(s), the mixture is enough to fill 2 shallow moulds. Be careful not to overfill.
- Place in the freezer to chill and set for roughly 30 minutes.
- Once set, remove the bars from the moulds and wrap them in parchment paper and saran wrap (cling film)Then place in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- If you cannot obtain cacao paste then use cacao powder instead.
- If you choose to use cacao powder then you will need to sieve the powder before adding it to the melted liquid.
- For this recipe I am using shallow chocolate moulds and you will need 2 of them for this recipe.
- Feel free to add any additional dried fruit or nuts. i.e peanuts, cashews, raspberries, raisins etc...
- Coconut butter is also known as also known as "coconut cream" "creamed coconut" and/or "coconut manna". It is relatively cheaper to buy it from a Caribbean grocery store if possible. It comes as a solid, rectangular block.
- The coconut cream takes the longest to melt so it is best to chop it up into small pieces so it melts quicker or at the same time as the cacao paste/butter.
Nutrition
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Merve
It looks yummy thanks for sharing! I could not find coconut butter in my country, i have coconut oil, tinned coconut milk and tinned coconut cream. Can i use any of them instead? Thank you so much!
Charla
Hi Merve, you can use coconut oil in place but the overall results will be more rich and taste like dark chocolate. If you can get a hold of tahini or cashew butter I would advise putting that in place of coconut butter. Another thing, I would recommend only using 1/4 cup of either option instead of 1/3 cup. I hope that helps!
Qashang
Wow! This recipe is a winner. My kids loved it.
Charla
I'm so glad to hear that.
Mandy Applegate
I've been looking for a vegan chocolate recipe, so this is great!
Charla
Thank you Mandy!
Danielle Wolter
I am very intrigued to try this. We are trying to focus on more plant based eating this year, so this is perfect to start!
Charla
Thanks Danielle, this chocolate will be perfect for your lifestyle.
Beth Sachs
Loving the pistachio nuts in the chocolate. Such a great color contrast.
Charla
Thanks Beth, you can't go wrong with pistachio nuts!
Tavo
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I love chocolate, and finding a vegan version is not always easy. The recipe was terrific!
Charla
Thank you so much Tavo