How To Make Vegan Chocolate
Chocolate. A food so universally loved that the term ‘chocoholic’ has is common parlance in the English language.
At Plant Sumo, we can certainly count ourselves among the ‘chocoholics’ of this world.
That’s why we’ve shown you where you can buy vegan chocolate in the UK, but how can you make it?
This blog post will start with some helpful information about how to make vegan chocolate along with a simple four-ingredient recipe for homemade vegan chocolate.
Source: Unsplash
Why Make Vegan Chocolate?
- Add Your Own Fillings and Toppings – When making your own vegan chocolate, you can add whatever you like to it! Hazelnuts, orange, popcorn, marshmallows. The only limit is your imagination.
- They Make Great Homemade Gifts – Homemade chocolate bars with your recipients favourite topping make a thoughtful, unique and fun gift.
- Control What’s In Them – If you have multiple dietary restrictions, it can sometimes be hard to find suitable foods. For example, finding sugar free AND vegan chocolate can be a challenge. By making your own chocolate, you can choose what goes in it.
Fun Fact: Chocolate comes from cocoa beans which are technically fruits! Unfortunately, that doesn’t make chocolate one of your five-a-day 🙁
What Is Cocoa Butter And Do I Need To Use It?
Cocoa Butter is the fat that comes from processing cocoa beans. Ironically, it looks a little bit like rough chunks of white chocolate once it’s been processed.
Source: Pixabay
Cocoa butter is a necessary ingredient when making vegan chocolate because it gives any chocolate bar that characteristic glossy shine and satisfying snap.
It’s best to use cocoa butter for its recognisable chocolatey flavours, but if you can’t get your hands on any, coconut oil is a suitable replacement.
Vegan Chocolate Recipe
This vegan chocolate recipe from Karissa’s Vegan Kitchen has just four ingredients and serves 12 people.
Special Equipment
- Chocolate Moulds
Source: Lakeland
(Top Tip! You can use any silicone ice cube tray to make little vegan chocolates. They are perfect for chocolate making because they are flexible, meaning you can turn out each chocolate without breaking it.)
Vegan Chocolate Ingredients
- 220g Cocoa Butter (chopped into small pieces)
- 65g Cocoa Powder
- 6-8 Tbsp of Maple Syrup
- 1-2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Vegan Chocolate Method
- Add some boiling water to a pot or saucepan and place a glass bowl on top to create a double boiler.
- Allow the water to simmer gently. Place the cocoa butter into the bowl to melt for approximately five minutes.
- Using a balloon whisk, whisk in the cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla until fully combined.
- Remove from the heat and carefully pour your chocolate mixture into your moulds.
- Place the filled moulds in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours, depending on the shape and size of your mould.
Five Vegan Chocolate Topping Ideas:
- Sea Salt – Salted Caramel is good, but salted chocolate is even better. Pretty much everyone has a pack of salt in the cupboard, so why not spice up (or salt up) your homemade vegan chocolate bar with sea salt?
- Nuts – Nuts are classic chocolate topping because their mellow flavours and snappy texture go so well with chocolate. Chopped hazelnuts, almonds or Brazil nuts work amazingly with this vegan chocolate recipe.
- Chopped Vegan Fudge Pieces – Add a rich and creamy element to your vegan chocolate with some chopped vegan fudge. Not sure where to get the best vegan fudge? Check out our ultimate guide to vegan sweets to find out.
- Freeze Dried Raspberries – Berry flavours perfectly complement dark chocolate and look stunning. Freeze-dried raspberries will make your chocolate bar look like it’s embellished with tiny red jewels.
- Popcorn – This is a fun and unconventional way to introduce that sweet and salty kick to your chocolate, as well as a fun new texture.
- Crushed Candy Canes – This is an excellent option around Christmas time. Use a rolling pin to crush some candy canes and sprinkle them onto your homemade vegan chocolate bar for a refreshing minty flavour.
Source: Hotel Chocolate
Once you’ve mastered the basic vegan chocolate recipe, you can go wild with whatever find topping and shapes you like. The possibilities are endless!
Don’t Fancy Cooking?
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