This Vegan White Chocolate is perfect for snacking on or using any vegan recipes calling for white chocolate. Plus, this recipe is easy to make sugar-free and diabetes-friendly.
White chocolate is basically cocoa butter and sugar, but it also contains non-vegan ingredients like butter or milk. So here’s an easy recipe to make your vegan-friendly white chocolate at home.
Is White Chocolate Vegan?
The vast majority of commercial white chocolate brands include dairy products in their products. This is the same reason why many dark chocolates aren’t vegan. In theory, manufacturing white chocolate could be done with only cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and sugar.
But it actually contains milk solids most of the time to add a touch of creaminess, making them not vegan-friendly. Let’s have a look at some of the most common brands:
- Ghirardelli‘s White Baking Chocolate is made with dry milk and milk fat. So it’s not vegan.
- Nestle‘s Toll House White Chocolate Chips also contain milk and nonfat milk. They are not vegan either.
- Merckens Coating Melting White Chocolate Buttons contain nonfat dry milk. They aren’t vegan.
- OliveNation‘s Callebaut White Chocolate Chunks are made with whole milk powder, nonfat dry milk, and milkfat. They’re not vegan.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Raw Cocoa Butter – that’s the main ingredient of any homemade chocolate recipe.
- Refined Coconut Oil – or melted vegan butter. If you use coconut oil, use a refined option to avoid the coconut flavor in your chocolate. Melted vegan butter tastes very good, and the chocolate colors come out gold white, which is beautiful.
- Sweetener – read more below on choosing the best sweetener, but my preference goes for maple syrup, rice syrup, or coconut nectar.
- Cashew Butter or coconut butter – the color of your chocolate will be darker with the second option, but the first option also adds a coconut flavor, so it’s up to you to choose your favorite option.
- Vanilla Extract
Sweetener Choice
When it comes to homemade chocolate, the sweetener can be tricky to pick. Let me explain. I tested the recipe with both:
- liquid sweeteners
- powdered sweeteners
My preference goes to maple syrup or any liquid sweetener you like. In fact, powder sweeter won’t dissolve into the melted cocoa butter. As a result, anytime you use a powder sweetener, it will accumulate in one spot of the chocolate bar and won’t spread evenly.
Some areas won’t be sweet, others too sweet, and the powder will obviously let a grainy texture. So I highly recommend a liquid sweetener except if you need to make sugar-free white chocolate.
Add-Ons
You can flavor this vegan white chocolate by adding some of the following ingredients.
- Peppermint extract
- Crushed candy cane
- Chopped nuts
- Cocoa nibs
- Desiccated coconut
How To Make Vegan White Chocolate
Luckily, it’s ridiculously easy to make white chocolate at home.
- To make this vegan white chocolate recipe, place the mold of your choice (bars or shaped) onto a wooden board that fits in your freezer. No need to oil it!
- Pour the cacao butter and vegan butter (or coconut oil) into a saucepan and heat the mixture over medium heat.
- Stir the vegan white chocolate with a silicone spatula until the butter has fully melted.
- Reduce the heat to low and pour the cashew butter (or coconut butter) and stir it until it has melted.
- Add the maple syrup and the vanilla extract to the saucepan, and whisk the mixture for a few seconds to incorporate.
- Let the white chocolate mixture cool down for a few minutes before pouring it onto the mold of your choice.
- Transfer the chopping board with the mold to the freezer and let it sit for at least 10 minutes to harden.
Storage
This chocolate must be stored in the fridge or freezer for an intense crunch. It will melt at room temperature.
Usage
You can use this vegan white chocolate for eating straight out of the mold or for many baking recipes. Chop it and add it to muffins, cupcakes, cake batter, or even to make chocolate bark. It’s also delicious melted on top of a chocolate cake or strawberry muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use this recipe to make white chocolate chunks for cookies but you can also turn it into drops or buttons. To do that, use a spoon to let large drops of melted mixture drop onto a plate covered with parchment paper.
No, powdered sweeteners of any kind wouldn’t dissolve properly. It’s better to use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup.
More Recipes With Vegan Chocolate
If you like simple staple recipes, you’ll love these:
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Vegan White Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 oz Raw Cocoa Butter
- 2 tablespoons Melted Dairy-Free Butter (Unsalted) - or refined coconut oil
- 2-3 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 teaspoons Cashew Butter
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- First, prepare a chocolate silicone tab mold, place it on a wooden board. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add cocoa butter and vegan butter. If using coconut oil, use refined coconut oil to avoid the coconut flavor.
- Bring over medium/low heat and occasionally stir until melted. The mixture will be really thin and yellow.
- Keep the saucepan over low heat, and stir in cashew butter until melted.
- Finally, stir in maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down slightly before pouring it on the mold.
- Pop the mold in the freezer for 10-12 minutes until the chocolate bar is hard and set.
Storage
- Store in the fridge or in the freezer for an ultra-crunchy bar. The chocolate melts fast under 85°F (30°C).
Hi! This recipe tastes delicious, however, my cocoa butter and maple syrup did not freeze well together. There’s a layer of cocoa butter at the top and the syrup at the bottom. Any thoughts as to why? Any tips on how to fix this problem?
I’m not sure what it might be, perhaps it needed to be stirred more – I never had that happen!
Hi! I was wondering if you can substitute the cashew butter for powdered coconut milk? Or do you need the extra fat to balance the liquid of the maple syrup?
I honestly don’t know if it would work, I think it might be fine. Do let me know if it worked!
Thanks for the recipe.
Can I prepare this recipe , and later on melt the white chocolate in Bain-marie?
Will it melt nicely, be thin enough, and suitable for coating desserts?
I haven’t try that option so I am not too sure. It’s a chocolate to eat more than a coating chocolate, it’s very thin
Hi. Can I substitute cashew butter for something else? Thank you
You can use coconut butter instead of cashew butter.
Can I double up on the vegan butter instead of using cashew butter to make it nut free?
Yes, it should work
Do you think using peanut butter instead of cashew work?
Yes but it adds a strong peanut flavor to the chocolate. Cashew butter is pretty bland in flavors.
Can I mix cocoa powder into this to make milk chocolate?
I didn’t try this option yet so I am unsure how it will dissolve in the mixture and how much you need.
Can i use this vegan chocolate to dip for example cake pops?
Yes it should work well
Can monk fruit extract be used instead of the syrup?I usually use about 4 drops per 32 oz of liquid.
Probably yes, I am not sure how sweet it will come out let me know