Unfortunately, a lot of companies that deal with cocoa (i.e: Nestlé, Mars, and Hershey) don’t necessarily make their products (including cocoa powder) in an ethical fashion. While they’ve promised to halt child labor, they still can’t say with certainty that their products are free of child labor-sourced cocoa. Whilst you can find vegan-friendly hot chocolate mixes online, it might be slightly more difficult in a convenience store near you. With these recipes, you don’t need a hot chocolate mix. Summary: Cocoa Powder Is Vegan If you want to stay more in tune with the nature, I would recommend using various spices, which blend beautifully into chocolate and create a great flavour. I often use cinnamon, sweet chilli, mixed spice or pepper to compliment my chocolate. Always make sure it’s finely ground and add only a bit at the time. It’s easy to get carried away and your chocolate would be easily spoiled. What about dried fruit – can I add it to my vegan chocolate? Many brands of cocoa powder appear the same, but they can be very different. Some key words to watch for include organic, plant-based and (of course) vegan.

Is cocoa powder vegan? If we’re purely talking about cocoa powder, then yes, it’s vegan. In fact, cocoa powder is obtained through a process in which cocoa nibs are converted into a chocolate liquor that is mechanically pressed to extract cocoa butter. This process leaves a cake-like mass that is grounded into unsweetened cocoa powder. Throughout this entire process, no animal products are used. Have you ever been confused by the one-vowel difference between cacao vs. cocoa powder? Turns out, they are two very…

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It’s possible to make vegan milk chocolate, but you would need one crutial ingredient – a milk powder. You can of course use a coconut milk instead of cow’s milk, but it does need to be in a powdered form. Why not stay in touch… You can replace the cocoa butter with almond, coconut or similar plant based butter. Bear in mind that the flavour of chocolate will slightly change, depending on what type of butter you use. This might not be a bad thing, especially if you are thinking of adding other flavours in to compliment the chocolate, for instance whole almonds or other nuts or dried fruits. Where do I buy vegan chocolate chips or buttons to make my chocolate?

Viva Naturals Organic Cocoa Powder. USDA-certified organic, Non-GMO Project verified and contains just one ingredient: organic cocoa powder.Like cacao butter’s healthier cousin, cacao powder has been celebrated for centuries for its various nutritional benefits. This raw cacao powder is naturally rich in copper, magnesium, zinc and protein, which nourish your body in multiple ways. Naturya cacao powder is 100% Fairtrade, organic, gluten-free, kosher and vegan, so you can trust it is high quality. While the ingredients in cocoa powder are vegan, there are some ethical challenges when it comes to the production of cocoa powder and chocolate. If you are concerned about human rights, in the same way you are concerned about animal rights, where your chocolate is coming from should be something for you to consider. Fair Farming Practices White chocolate doesn’t contain any cocoa powder or cocoa solids. Instead it contains only cocoa butter combined with sugar and an emulsifier to help all the ingredients hold together. Naturya cacao powder comes from a Fairtrade supplier in Africa who sources the finest quality cacao beans from the very best farming cooperatives around. These cacao beans go through a stringent fermentation process and are left out in the sun to dry out and lose some of their original bitterness.

A discussion about cocoa just wouldn’t be complete without some delicious recipe inspiration. Not many things beat homemade hot chocolate, but you may be swayed by vegan truffles, or chocolate zucchini bread (yes, it is a thing). However, from a pure consumer standpoint, purchasing ethical products is, quite possibly, the only way to prevent these issues from reoccurring. How To Find Ethical Cocoa Powder While you may have some reservations due to the potential for cross-contamination, at its core, cocoa powder is an ingredient derived from a plant-based source. It’s a common mistake to confound cocoa powder and chocolate powder together, but they’re very different. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, contains primarily cocoa solids and a very small percentage of cocoa butter with no additional ingredients. In conclusion, pure cocoa powder is always vegan. Dutch Process VS Broma Process

Yes, you can add a small amount of coconut oil to your melted chocolate. This will slightly thin it, so either add more cocoa powder or less cocoa butter. Coconut oil is much lighter than cocoa butter or coconut butter, which means that it melts at lower temperature. Arguably the most pure, concentrated form of chocolate, cocoa powder is the final stage of conventional processing, after cacao beans have been fermented, roasted, and the cocoa butter (fat) removed. This incredibly fine powder is intensely flavorful, slightly bitter, and high in antioxidants and fiber while being low in calories. Is Cocoa Powder Vegan and Dairy-Free? Otherwise labeled as unsweetened or baking cocoa, these terms are used interchangeably to describe the same thing. Visually, it’s light brown color and comparatively pale to other options. It’s more acidic, bitter, and emphasizes more fruity notes. Because it has a slightly lower PH, that can affect the way that some baked goods rise, particularly if they’re leavened with baking soda alone. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder The communities in which they work often don’t have clean drinking water, access to eduction, or nutritionally sufficient food. Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry

Dairy-free white chocolate chips seem to be the hardest to come by so if you can’t get a hold of them, I recommend just cutting up your favourite vegan white chocolate bar into small pieces instead. Here are some of my favourites: The main difference between cacao and cocoa is the temperature of the heat that is used to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter from the bean itself. With cacao powder the beans are processed at a low heat. Since it is processed at a low heat it retains more of the vitamins and nutrients from the cocoa bean. As a result it is considered “raw.” Cacao powder has numerous health benefits including lowering blood pressure, reduced risk of diabetes, reduced risk of heart disease, and reduced risk of inflammation. It is also easy to get cocoa powder confused with cacao, which is derived from cocoa beans as well. Cacao tends to come in the form of raw powder, as it is roasted on low heat and doesn’t contain additional ingredients. It can be a bit more bitter but retains greater nutritional value. In a more dangerous scenario, if you’re someone with an allergy, you need to be double careful since a lot of the cocoa is harvested in mixed plantations where fruits like avocados and nuts also grow.

How to make vegan cocoa powder brownies

The non-profit organization Make Chocolate Fair is a European campaign that helps bring awareness to chocolate farming practices. The Fair World Project is another non-profit organization that advocates for fair trade practices and fair working conditions. How to Buy Ethically Sourced Cocoa In a large bowl, mix together 250g of caster sugar, 80g of cocoa powder, 160g of plain/all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Step 4: In short, cocoa powder is vegan if the ingredient list includes only cocoa powder. However, not all cocoa powders are created equal, and that’s where it gets a bit more complicated. To ensure that you are purchasing a vegan cocoa powder, read on to learn more about this ingredient. What is cocoa powder? A product that is Fairtrade certified usually comes with the words “FAIRTRADE” and it looks similar to the “ying-yang” symbol, but with the colors blue and green (see image above for clarity).