Is White Chocolate Vegan? Here’s Your Answer From Nutrition Experts In 2024

Chocolate is delicious, but usually, it is not vegan. So what about its counterpart? Is white chocolate vegan? Unfortunately, no. In most commercial varieties, the main ingredients^[1] are cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar, and lecithin. 

Cacao butter is often substituted with less expensive tropical oils like palm oil and combined with dairy-based ingredients. The non-vegan ingredients in this chocolate may include lecithin, whole milk, milk powders or solids, buttermilk, butterfat or butter oil, and lactose. 

Before chocolate lovers become despondent, options are now available that are suitable for the vegan diet, or you can even try your hand at homemade chocolate. 

The taste and texture of these will differ from commercially produced non-vegan white chocolate; whether this is positive or negative comes down to your taste and preference.

What Is White Chocolate?

Made with cacao butter and no other part of the cacao plant, white chocolate does not have the dark color and flavor of regular chocolate. It is sweet and creamy, though it lacks the antioxidant activity^[1] of dark chocolate due to the absence of cocoa solids. 

White chocolate is often used in brownies, cookies, truffles, or bars. It can also be melted to use as a dip or a coating for various sweets and fruits or as a flavor enhancer in drinks such as smoothies. 

Reasons White Chocolate Is Non-Vegan

White chocolate is made from^[2] sugar, milk, cocoa butter, lecithin, and vanilla flavoring. Unlike milk chocolate, it doesn’t contain cocoa products besides cocoa butter.

While the exact ingredients will vary between different brands, the five listed here are a base for all chocolate.

The non-vegan ingredients are usually:

• Refined sugar cane or powdered sugar, often processed using bone char, an animal product. Bone char removes any color impurities from sugar and makes it appear whiter.
• Milk solids derived from cows’ milk are used to add sweetness and texture.
• Lecithin, which is often sourced from eggs, is used to improve consistency. Some brands will use soy-based lecithin, which is a vegan alternative.  

White Chocolate Ingredients

The ingredients list of this will vary depending on whether it is vegan or non-vegan. If you are seeking vegan white chocolate, check the label for certification, such as the Certified Vegan logo, to be on the safe side with your vegan meals. 

Non-Vegan White Chocolate

A typical, non-vegan brand of chocolate may include ingredients such as:

• Milk powder: The most prevalent non-vegan components found in white chocolate are powders such as skim or whole milk powder, whey, and lactose.
• Emulsifiers: Chocolate often contains lecithin as an emulsifier, typically derived from soy due to its cost-effectiveness. However, it can also be sourced from eggs or phospholipids found in animal tissues.
• Cocoa butter: The fat component from the cacao beans is what gives chocolate its characteristic texture and flavor. 
• Sugar: Depending on the brand, you can find white sugar or other sweeteners such as corn syrup, dextrose, or glucose on the label.
• Vanilla extract: White chocolate may contain a few drops of vanilla extract for added flavor.
• Fat: Most white chocolate contains vegetable fat or palm oil, which is another ethical concern for many vegans.
• Preservatives: Preservatives are sometimes added to white chocolate to prolong its shelf life. Some preservatives may be animal-derived. 
• Flavorings: Natural or artificial flavorings are sometimes added to white chocolate for a richer, creamier taste.

Vegan White Chocolate

To make vegan chocolate, you will need: 

• Cocoa butter: The plant-based fat of the cocoa bean, this ingredient is vegan despite butter being in the name.
• Sugar: Vegan sugar or sweeteners, such as coconut sugar or maple syrup, are used in vegan chocolate.
• Plant-based milk: Dairy-free alternatives are frequently employed in place of dairy-based milk powder to impart a creamy and milky flavor. Some common ones used are coconut, almond, soy, and rice milk. Sometimes even cashew butter is used. 
• Emulsifiers: The lecithin is from soy or sunflower in vegan chocolate. 
• Natural flavorings: Vegan-friendly flavorings, such as pure vanilla extract, may be added. 

How To Made It?

In commercial chocolate manufacturing, fermented and roasted cocoa beans undergo pressing to extract cocoa butter from the cocoa mass. Only cocoa butter is used when producing this chocolate, excluding the brown-colored cocoa mass, also referred to as cocoa liquor.

There are several steps in the chocolate-making process that may vary slightly depending on which kind of chocolate is being made, but most include^[3] mixing, refining, and tempering. 

Making vegan white chocolate yourself at home allows complete control over the ingredients you use to ensure it does not contain any animal products. There are several methods for making vegan chocolate. 

Utilizing plant-based milk or cashew butter in the recipe can provide a creamy consistency, and dairy-free milk powder can be added for a traditional chocolate flavor. 

Vegan White Chocolate Recipe

To make vegan white chocolate at home, you will need food-grade cacao butter, also known as cocoa butter, vegan powdered sugar, plant-based butter such as cashew or coconut, vanilla extract, and salt. 

Powdered plant-based milk is an optional extra if you want it to taste a little milkier.

1. Melt 100 grams of cacao butter gradually over low heat in a double boiler. Try not to get any drops of water into the cacao butter, as this can cause the chocolate to seize. 
2. While stirring the cacao butter, mix the 60 grams of cashew or coconut butter. 
3. Add the 60 grams of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and mix until no lumps are present. 
4. Carefully pour the mixture into your chocolate molds once it looks silky and smooth. Silicone works best to easily remove the chocolate once it has been set. 
5. Refrigerate the chocolate in the molds for a couple of hours until it has completely set.
6. Remove the chocolate from the molds and serve! It melts easily at room temperature and is best stored in the fridge for two weeks. 

As this chocolate has not been tempered, it will not snap like commercial white chocolate and is prone to melting. When making the chocolate, it may seize. This means it will look grainy rather than smooth. 

This may be rectified by adding a little solid cooking fat, such as Crisco, a teaspoon at a time until it emulsifies.

Summary

Most commercial white chocolate varieties are unsuitable for those on a vegan diet. Milk solid is added as a base ingredient to chocolate, and other ingredients such as sugar processed with bone char and animal-based lecithin may also be found. 

There are vegan white chocolate varieties available. Look for those that are certified vegan by a recognized vegan association. On a last note, vegan chocolate is not necessarily healthy, and there are more nutritious vegan snacks available. 

It is important to include high-quality vitamin and mineral supplements to cover any nutritional gaps that may come with any diet that eliminates whole food groups. 

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