Is White Chocolate Vegetarian?
Mara Mennicken
Have you ever wondered if white chocolate is suitable for vegetarians? Hand-crafted with ingredients rarely found in other chocolates, white chocolate offers a unique experience that novice and experienced confection connoisseurs alike will appreciate. But is it friendly to the vegetarian lifestyle?
The answer may surprise you–yes, white chocolate can be considered vegetarian. However, because of the sweeteners and flavorings involved in creating its creamy flavor and texture, some brands may be considered vegetarian, but not vegan. Fortunately, there are plenty of trustworthy options that are free from animal products so vegetarians as well as vegans can still enjoy this type of treatment guilt-free.
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What Is White Chocolate?
White chocolate is a type of chocolate made with cacao butter, milk solids, and sugar. Unlike dark or milk chocolates, it does not contain any cocoa solids and thus has a very different flavor and texture. White chocolate is a popular choice for baking and candy-making because of its sweetness, creamy texture, and mild flavor, so it can easily be paired with other delicious ingredients.
The typical, commercially produced white chocolate contains milk fat or other animal byproducts such as whey protein. However, there are some white chocolate options made with only plant-based ingredients such as coconut milk powder, cashew butter, cocoa butter, powdered sugar, and cacao solids.
Read More: Building Inclusiveness, One Chocolate At A Time.
Is White Chocolate Vegetarian?
To answer that question, we have to consider whether the vegetarian diet followed allows for dairy products, or not. Lacto-vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians typically have dairy in their diets, whereas many ovo-vegetarians and pescatarians do not consume dairy.
| Vegetarian Category | Can Eat Dairy | Cannot Eat Dairy |
|---|---|---|
| Lacto-vegetarian | Yes | No |
| Ovo-vegetarian | No | Yes |
| Lacto-ovo vegetarian | Yes | No |
| Pescatarian | No | Yes |
| Vegan | No | Yes |
Please note that this table represents general guidelines for each category, but individual dietary choices may vary. Having said that, the most common experience is that vegetarians eat dairy, whereas vegans don’t, so you will find this main differentiation moving forwards.
The most common animal product in white chocolate is dairy in the form of skim or whole milk powder, lactose, and whey. If you are following a lacto-vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, white chocolate is totally fine for you to eat.
Most white chocolates also contain lecithin. Where lecithin in chocolate is commonly derived from soy, they may be exceptions if not specified on the ingredients statement, so always read carefully! Some lecithin can be made from phospholipids from animal tissues.
So, yes, white chocolate can be vegetarian and is mostly vegetarian if dairy is included in your vegetarian diet. To make sure your white chocolate is ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan-friendly, look for brands that are labeled “vegan” or ones that use only state plant-based ingredients like cacao butter and coconut milk powder in their list of ingredients.
White chocolate is a great treat for some vegetarians who still want to indulge their sweet tooth without compromising on their lifestyle choices!
Read More: Is Cocoa Farming Bad For The Environment?
How To Make Vegan White Chocolate?
Making a knock-off vegan white chocolate at home is surprisingly easy and requires only a few simple ingredients. The reason I’m saying knock-off is that it won’t be tempered. If you would like to learn how to temper white chocolate, click here or attend one of our chocolate-making classes.
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Firstly, you will need cacao butter, a sweetener, coconut oil, and coconut milk powder. Begin by melting the cocoa butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat. Use a ratio of 1:10 for coconut oil to cacao butter or, better yet, just cacao butter.
Once melted, add in your sweetener and stir until completely combined. If you don’t have a chocolate grinder to combine granulated sugar with your cacao butter properly, make sure to use a fine powder (stevia, monk fruit) to keep the end product nice and smooth. Finally, add in the coconut milk powder, stirring until fully incorporated. For high-quality white chocolate, a chocolate grinder is definitely required for this step. If used as a simple sweet snack or further incorporated for baking, this will do!
Add some vanilla powder to your recipe to elevate your vegan white chocolate with a simple addition.
Allow the white chocolate to cool before pouring it into molds or spreading it on a lined baking sheet.
Once set, white chocolate vegan can be enjoyed as a delicious treat or used for baking. For example, it can be chopped into chunks and added to cookies or brownies for a unique twist on a classic dessert. The possibilities are endless!
Read More: What Is Sustainable Chocolate?
What Brands Of Chocolate Are Vegan?
White chocolate is traditionally vegetarian, but is it possible to find vegan white chocolate? Many brands have started making vegan options for their white chocolate products, such as Green & Black and Divine. You can also find a variety of vegan white chocolates from other manufacturers, such as Endangered Species Chocolate and Chocolove.
Simply look for the “vegan” or “plant-based” labels when shopping for chocolate to be sure you are getting a vegan product. Additionally, if you don’t want to rely on labels, you can contact manufacturers directly to ask about their ingredients and processes.
Now that you are armed with the knowledge of which brands of chocolate are vegetarian, you can enjoy vegan white chocolate guilt-free. As always, it is important to research the ingredients when purchasing products and read labels carefully. Doing so will ensure that you are buying a vegetarian or vegan-friendly product, so you can rest assured knowing your delicious chocolate treats are cruelty-free. So go ahead, treat yourself – guilt free!
Read More: Cacao – “Food Of The Gods”
What Ingredients Would Vegan White Chocolate Contain?
When it comes to vegan white chocolate, the key is to look for dairy-free ingredients.
Cacao Butter
Cocoa butter is the main ingredient in white chocolate. It is a vegetable fat derived from cacao beans, 100% plant-based and also loaded with nutrients! A good white chocolate should contain between 20% and 40% of cacao butter. If you don’t see cacao butter on the ingredients list or your white chocolate, it is typically not white chocolate at all, but a candy bar.
Sugar
The second key ingredient in white chocolate is sugar, which is usually derived from cane sugar. Nowadays, there are plenty of other choices out there, often considering health factors. Our cacao bars are never sweetened with cane sugar because the owner’s teacher was diabetic. We focus on healthier alternatives such as coconut sugar, dates, honey, monk fruit, and maple syrup. All of these sources are considered vegetarian but not vegan, as honey is derived from bees.
Vanilla
Vanilla is a common flavoring agent used in vegan white chocolate. The best choice is pute vanilla powder so the alcohol or liquid in many vanilla extracts or artificial vanilla won’t react with the crystallization of the chocolate. Nevertheless, natural and artificial sources are both considered vegan.
Soy Lecithin
Soy lecithin is commonly added as an emulsifier to help keep the ingredients in white chocolate together. Soy lecithin is also considered vegan since it does not contain any animal by-products. Do watch out for the specification of the lecithin on the ingredient statement, as not all lecithins are free from animal products, as mentioned above.
Milk Alternatives
The last key ingredient in vegan white chocolate is a milk alternative, such as powdered oats or coconut milk powder. These milk alternatives are typically used to provide the creamy texture associated with white chocolate while avoiding any dairy products.
That said, it is important to check the label of any white chocolate product before purchasing it to ensure that it is truly vegan.
By checking the ingredients and making sure that there are no animal by-products present, you can be confident that your white chocolate is suitable for a vegan diet! So if you are looking for an indulgent treat that won’t break your vegan lifestyle, you can enjoy white chocolate guilt-free!
Read More: 4 Healthy Reasons To Eat Dark Chocolate — A Delicious, Nutritious Snack For You and Your Kids
Bottom Line:
Yes, white chocolate is vegetarian-friendly for lacto- and lacto-ovo vegetarians. This creamy and sweet treat is made from cacao butter, sugar, milk solids, soy lecithin, and vanilla. As traditional white chocolate does contain dairy, some vegetarians, such as ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, and vegans may consider the refining process of white chocolate to be unacceptable. Therefore, it is best to read the label carefully before making a purchase and choose white chocolate with the label ‘vegan’ to make sure it does not contain any animal products at all. If you are looking for an animal-free sweet snack, white chocolate may be just what you need – just watch out for the ingredients listed!
Read More: Can You Eat Chocolate When Breastfeeding? Yes, And Here’s How!
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