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It’s here! Vegan Milk chocolate that snaps!
Many of you have been asking for it, and I have yet to release a recipe for homemade chocolate. This 7-ingredient raw chocolate is naturally sweetened, not too chocolatey, and can be kept at room temperature!
I love dark chocolate, but I have to admit sometimes I want something less chocolatey, like milk chocolate. The thing is, vegan milk chocolate costs an arm at the store and is usually too sweet for my taste and/or contains refined sugars. So let’s make healthy “milk” chocolate!
I tried many vegan chocolate recipes in the past and have never been satisfied with the results. Most of them have to be kept in the fridge as they are too soft at room temperature and are often grainy with a coconut aftertaste. Definitely not something I wanted!
So I took a look at the ingredients used in commercial raw chocolates and started testing. My first tries were not a success as the chocolate was soft, melting in the hands, and had crispy bits of coconut sugar.
Several batches later, I found out the solution was first to grind the coconut sugar into a fine powder and temper the chocolate so it snaps when you break it.
Liquid sweeteners like agave, maple, or coconut nectar prevent the chocolate from tempering properly, meaning it becomes very soft at room temperature. We don’t want that. That’s why I went with coconut sugar. The problem with dry sweeteners is that they tend to make homemade chocolate grainy unless you have a stone grinder (which I’m considering buying to make silky smooth nut butter and chocolate). So to fix this problem, we first grind coconut sugar in a blender until it has a texture similar to powdered sugar. It’s not as smooth as commercial chocolate, but it’s still quite smooth!
Once you have superfine coconut sugar, combine it with raw cocoa powder, salt, and seeds from a vanilla bean. I also like to add half a teaspoon of lucuma, as it gives the chocolate a subtle caramel flavor and more sweetness.
Next, melt the cocoa butter and cocoa paste over a double boiler until just melted. Pour into the blender, and blend! Your chocolate is almost ready. The final step is to temper it by respecting different temperatures.
To resume, making vegan milk chocolate is done in 4 steps:
- Grind the coconut sugar: Simply add coconut sugar with cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla to a blender and blend until it looks like powdered sugar.
- Melt the cocoa butter: Melt cocoa butter and cocoa paste until just melted. The temperature should be around 107°F (42°C).
- Blend: Pour the melted cocoa butter into the blender, add the almond or hazelnut butter, and blend until fully combined. Adding some nut butter helps emulsify everything. My favorite is hazelnut butter, as I found it yields a milkier flavor. Almond butter is a good alternative too.
- Temper: Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and stir until the temperature goes down to 82°F (28°C). Then reheat gently over a double boiler until it reaches 87°F (31°C). Your chocolate is now tempered and can be used to coat bars or can simply be poured into a chocolate mold. Once again, tempering is the secret to getting chocolate that snaps and looks shiny.
For the mold, I used a polycarbonate one like this one. If you want to make it look fancier, there are also other shapes available like this one.
Once you have transferred the tempered chocolate to the molds, let it cool for at least 3 hours at room temperature. I had the best results when cooling at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator. After 3 hours, the chocolate should be hard and snap when you break it!
Cost-wise, it’s a lot cheaper to make your own! Even if the ingredients can seem expensive at first, I made a quick calculation, and it comes down to about $1.8 per bar as opposed to the $5 I used to pay at the store (for 3.5 ounces)! Hey, every penny counts!
Regarding the flavor, it doesn’t have the same milk flavor as real milk chocolate, but it comes quite close. Plus, it’s a great alternative for those who don’t like dark chocolate.
What’s great is that you can then tweak this recipe to your liking! Personally, I don’t like too much sweetness, but if you have a sweet tooth, simply add more coconut sugar. If you want it more chocolatey, add more cocoa powder and cacao paste. Just remember not to skip the tempering process, as it’s key to getting the right texture.
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Vegan Milk Chocolate
Ingredients
- 3.2 ounces coconut sugar
- 1.4 ounces raw cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp lucuma powder optional, adds a subtle caramel flavor*
- 1/8 tsp vanilla powder or seeds from one vanilla bean
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 8.5 ounces cocoa butter
- 1 ounces raw cacao paste (also called cacao liquor)
- 1.4 ounces almond butter (or hazelnut butter, cashew butter)
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, lucuma powder if using vanilla seeds, and salt in a blender. Blend on high speed for 30-50 seconds or until the coconut sugar looks like powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides if needed and blend again. This step is important to get a smooth chocolate texture.
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with about 1 cup of water. Place a glass bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Add the cocoa butter and cacao paste to the bowl.
- Heat over low-medium heat and stir regularly until melted. Make sure the water doesn't come to a boil, you just want to melt the cocoa butter; it should reach a temperature of 107°F (42°C) but not higher.
- Once melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan, but keep the saucepan on the heat (we will need it to reheat the chocolate later). Transfer the melted cocoa butter and cacao paste to the blender. Add the almond butter, and blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and keep stirring using a spatula until the chocolate comes to a temperature of 82°F (28°C). This step will take 15-20 minutes.
- Once it has cooled down to that temperature, place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan with the warm water. Keep stirring until the chocolate reaches 87°F (31°C). As soon as it has reached this temperature, remove it from heat and pour into molds. Your chocolate is now tempered.
- Let cool at least 3 hours at room temperature before removing from the molds. I don't recommend cooling in the refrigerator as it may cause the chocolate to get white streaks.
- Chocolate will keep at room temperature for several weeks.
Notes
- I found that lucuma adds another layer of flavor, giving the chocolate a bit more sweetness and caramel undertones. Plus, lucuma is a superfood that is loaded with vitamins. It’s totally optional though, and the chocolate will still taste great without it.
- For different flavors, feel free to add your favorite superfood powder like maca, baobab, or mesquite.
- For a stronger chocolate flavor, use 2 ounces (60g) of cocoa powder and 1.4 ounces (40g) of cacao paste.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Very curious to try this! Any idea if I could use pure monk fruit powder as sweetner instead? Also, if I would add powdered coconut milk, does the coconut flavour come through or is it not noticeable?
I’m afraid I am not familiar with monk fruit powder so I cannot tell. Regarding the powdered coconut milk, it does add a coconutty flavor so yes, it is noticeable.
This recipe sounds delicious.. I’m curious to know would I be able to use this as a dipping sauce for fruits etc or would it be too grainy and not harden properly!? For example if I wanted to use it for chocolate covered strawberries or Bananas!?
If you blend the coconut sugar very finely, it shouldn’t be grainy. You can probably use it to make chocolate covered strawberries, but you might have to double dip as the chocolate is very liquid when melted.
Love the recipe thank u . Was just wondering is cocoa paste same as cocoa liqour ? And if i left the cashew butter out altogether will it affect the hardening of the choco or is it just for taste.
Thank u
Yes, it’s the same thing!
Cashew butter brings creaminess to the chocolate, if you omit it the chocolate will be a bit harder.
Lovely chocolate taste and texture, vastly superior to any commercial brands – give it a try!
Awesome! So glad you liked the chocolate Dani 🙂
I appreciate your feedback!
Milk (also known in unfermented form as sweet milk) is a nutrient-rich liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. In many countries this does not classify either as a chocolate or a milk chocolate. It’s what you call chocolate substitue, although a quality one.
I’m so happy to find your recipe. My daughter who didn’t like my raw dark chocolate loves this recipe. I don’t need to buy store bought chocolates for her anymore!
One question from recipe is – To store this chocolate, do you recommend keeping it in fridge? Since there is cashew butter, I was wondering how long it’ll last and taste good keeping at room temperature.
I find that I like the texture better when it’s slightly cold, so I kept mine in fridge, so I haven’t been able test.
One last question. You mentioned you might post dark chocolate recipe. I was wondering if you will be.
I love to explore more your recipes!
Thanks for your feedback Yukiko!
So if you tempered the chocolate, it should stay firm at room temperature (unless it’s too warm of course). It snaps a bit more when refrigerated, that’s right. Regarding how long it will last, it will keep for over a month at room temperature, probably even more.
I have to admit I forgot about the dark chocolate recipe! Will start working on it again.
Thank you so much for your reply !!
I look forward to your dark chocolate recipe too!
Yukiko
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this recipe..However.I am finding this recipe a little hard to follow, at what point does the sugar and lacuna and the melted chocolate come together in this recipe? I’m presuming after the chocolate is melted you blend it all together but it doesn’t say so.
Please let me know.
Thanks.
Zoe
Hi Zoe,
Sorry to hear that!
Yes, you melt the cacao paste and cocoa butter, and then add them to the blender containing the powdered sugar and lucuma.
Hi – love the reciepe! Wow
Is there a way to avoid the white streaks? Even without putting in fridge?
Is it the Cacao butter?
Hi Maryann,
Yes there is! It’s called tempering, which means you have to heat the chocolate to a certain temperature, let it cool, and heat it again (as explained in the recipe). If you did it but still have white streaks, you didn’t temper well I’m afraid. You can find out more about how to temper here.
Hello. Thank you for the recipe, it was the tempering info that caught my eye 🙂
I’ve read this several times and can’t see when to add the powdered mixture, not sure if I’m missing it… I wonder if you call the powder mix a paste once you’ve mixed it? Please would you clarify this for me as I so want to get the tempering right 🙂
Yes, tempering, while optional, has to be done once everything is mixed together, at the final stage.
I made this but it turned out being very soft and melts in my hand when I hold it, is there anything I can do to avoid that?
Did you use the exact ingredients?
Hi Thomas,
I have just made your amazing chocolate tabs, I followed your recipe and I had no problem at all. They are beyond perfect!
A quick note for anybody interested in subbing the coconut sugar: DON’T USE demerara cane sugar (even if powdered) because it won’t melt.
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Hi Thomas,
I am definitely going to try this recipe, this mylk-chocolate looks amazing!
Just one question: can I use powered Demerara cane sugar instead of coconut sugar? If so, do I have to make any adjustments?
As soon as I try this recipe I will update you.
Thank you so much.
Hi Anna,
Thanks! I haven’t tried powered demerara, but if it’s fine enough it should work.
hello thank you for sharing sorry for the silly question but if you are using cocoa in your recipe it may no longer be considered a “raw” product? Just wondering?
If you use raw cacao paste and powder, then the recipe is raw.
Could you use icing sugar instead of coconut sugar to prevent graininess?
Yes, that should work. I went with coconut sugar to keep this recipe refined sugar-free.
I made this, and it came out Perfect! Your website is great, I tried many of your recipes and all came out so nice! Thanks for the work.
You’re welcome Maria! Thanks for your feedback!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s amazing and it’s defininitely going to be my go to. I used 1/4 the amount of the coconut sugar labeled and even then, it was too sweet but now I know! The coconut sugar does make it a little grainy but I actually like that texture! No more spending $6 on a Hu chocolate bar.
Thanks for your feedback Heba! Regarding the texture, it depends on the blender you use and how long you blend.
Brill recipe and easy to foolow, i don’t like choxolate but My diabetic milk choxolate loving and would be vegan friend liked this but not quite sweet or milky enough. I used stevia in stead of cocoanut sugar at the same proportion as for regular sugar. I know i could keep adding more stevia to make it sweeter but how would i make it more ‘milky’ ?
You could try adding some powdered coconut milk to make it more milky.
Another excellent recipe from The Plantmeister!
The chocolate tasted beautiful. I followed all steps until tempering. I don’t have a sugar thermometer so used an old method. Allow chocolate to set and then chop into small pieces. Melt 2/3 over boiling water, remove from heat and add the remaining 1/3…stirring until melted. The chocolate was glossy and snapped. All good.00001
Ohh thank you Pamela! 🙂
So glad to hear you had vegan chocolate that snaps!
i’m new to vegan healthy world. past 3 months all i ate were junk vegan like crackers, and binging with carbonated drink. now i want to go for plant based lifestyle, and i found myself pretty good with it ! i truly love this journey. and i will make your blog as my fav references keep on sharing to the world!
Thanks Siti! 🙂
Would you be able to bake with this chocolate? Or is it just for eating in this form like a candy bar? Thanks!
Baking should work!
Hey there! Question – Do you think tahini would work instead of almond or hazelnut butter?
Hey Alena,
I think it would!
Hi! Can i make it without the cacao paste? Would it still work? Thanks
I think it should work, although the chocolate might be a bit softer.
Hi,
This recipe is awesome! I just have one question.
Do you think its possible to make it so the chocolate melts in your mouth and little more when you eat it? I’m finding its not having that effect.
Do you think this would be possible by adding less cacao butter and more of something else? like cashew butter?
Thanks,
Deanna
Hi Deanna,
You actually would like to do the opposite, add more cacao butter for a creamier chocolate.
This looks like a great recipe. So far I have not liked any of the vegan chocolates made with rice and soy, sweetened with dates etc. Would this recipe work if I used a microwave to heat and temper the chocolate?
Yes, as long as you respect the correct temperature, it is possible to temper in the microwave.
Hello, I would love to try this recipe, but to temper the chocolate, I was wondering if you recommend a particular one, I suppose a chocolate thermometer and not a candy one.
Hi,
Any thermometer will work, candy ones too!
Thanks for the input! That makes sense, I’m also new to tempering so I wouldn’t be surprised if I messed that up!
Hey I just made this and it is soo good! It is so hard to find a good vegan mylk chocolate so thank you! I used cashew butter and didn’t have in cacao paste so I left that out and adjusted everything slightly. My chocolate didn’t set hard though, it is quite soft at room temperature and still quite soft even if I put it in the fridge. I wondered if you might know why that could be?
Hey Katie,
Glad to hear you liked the recipe! Regarding the texture, it’s probably because you didn’t use cocoa paste and made adjustments…Also, make sure to temper the chocolate, it helps to make it harder.
I make this one regularly and I can say it stays hard at room temperature.
This didn’t harden at room temp for me (left it overnight)… followed recipe precisely & weighed all ingredients but used vanilla paste instead of powder. Do you think that 1/8tsp was the culprit or did something else go wrong?
I wholeheartedly agree with Daryl’s comment. Although I’m not capable to design recipes myself, I so appreciate the time, effort and creativity on your part to share with those of us that are recipe challenged. It’s a great feeling to follow someone that approaches their recipes like you do. It’s that feeling of ‘finally’ being able to eat at a restaurant that only serves Vegan/Vegetarian food, sort of an ‘ahhh’ moment, instead of having to always get a salad and a baked potato!
I do have a question. Can this recipe be used to coat your praline chocolates? Also for this recipe, do you think it’s possible to mix in a small amount of organic brown rice crispy cereal for a lightly crunchy chocolate? What about adding a flavoring, like raspberry?
I know if ‘way’ early, but I’m thinking about slowly buying the ingredients for Christmas chocolate gifts, but I’d like to have two or more flavors in a small box.
Thank you Annie!! 🙂
Definitely! Personally, I plan to make praline chocolate this Christmas that will be fully refined sugar-free by using this chocolate as the coating and the maple praline recipe for the filling (mixed with some cocoa butter and chocolate to firm it up, as in the original recipe). I’ve been making praline chocolates for years, always during Christmas, and it was a goal to make them healthier, so we can eat more without feeling guilty 🙂 If you plan to use it as the coating, remember to temper it before using so it snaps and doesn’t melt in the hands.
Yes you can add brown rice crisps, or even finely chopped roasted hazelnuts/almonds for more texture. If you add flavorings, don’t add too much as liquid ingredients tend to make the chocolate grainy. If it’s a drop or two then no problem. Regarding the different flavors, you can make a praline filling with different nuts: pistachio, roasted cashews, pecans, etc. You can also add spices or ground coffee for an espresso praline. Hope this helps!
Oh, my GAWWWD Thomas!!!! There seems to be no end to your SPECTACULARLY STUNNING creativity, ingenuity and absolutely BRILLIANT talent & culinary abilities. I am, sincerely, in complete AWE of you! (And that has been the case CONSISTENTLY, as time has passed since I first began following you a couple of years ago!) I know I always go overboard with my comments, but, well, I am just always utterly amazed at you and ALL of your recipe accomplishments and think you RICHLY DESERVE the utmost credit and praise! I believe you are sitting on a gold mine of possibility, not only for yourself, but for the vegan world in general, because your techniques are nothing short of revolutionary. I’m not sure even YOU realize how tremendously far-reaching your impact can be with appropriate marketing & promotion. You are a ground-breaker and trailblazer and so UNIQUE in this burgeoning world of veganism and creative whole food plant-based cooking; I honestly hope your influence will, in time, be felt globally in a BIG WAY, because the health of our poor, abused planet AND of its inhabitants is, literally, being DESTROYED by the animal product industries. It’s people like YOU, Thomas, and even FAR lesser-talented plant-based cooks like ME and the many other creative plant-based cooks & chefs out here on YouTube and elsewhere, who are on the front lines of this struggle to convince the world of the DIRE NECESSITY WE HAVE of adopting a more plant-based lifestyle. As a community, we all have so much to contribute to that struggle, and it is people like YOU, IN PARTICULAR, who can have the greatest influence on people, by SHOWING them how DELICIOUS, as well as NUTRITIOUS and HEALTH-PROMOTING a plant-based lifestyle can be. I encourage you, Thomas, to continuously find ways to EXPAND your scope of influence to that end! Thank you so much for all that you are doing! Sincerely, with great admiration and love……Daryl
PS: Ooops! Almost forgot. I am BLOWN AWAY by this recipe and can’t wait to try it. I’m WAAAY behind in trying your recipes (like, ALL of them!!!), because I’m struggling to make my cookbook a reality (a complicated & seemingly never-ending struggle for me, but I’m DETERMINED to “git ‘er done”!) But I’m giving you 5 stars for this one anyway, even though I’ve not actually prepared it yet. I do, sincerely, like milk chocolate (well, USED TO!) on occasion, but I’m actually a HUUUGE fan of DARK & SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE. So, I hope, in time, you’ll try your hand at a recipe for that as well! I have COMPLETE CONFIDENCE that you will succeed if you attempt it! (Mmmm…can’t WAIT!!)
Thank you so much Daryl, I really appreciate your kind words! And don’t worry I’m used to lengthy comments 🙂
You message motivates me to keep going!
I have plans to release a dark chocolate recipe that will also snap, stay tuned!
And as I told you a few months ago, don’t hesitate to send me an email once your book is released, I will definitely take a look!
11/10 Daryl is your dad. 🙂
But seriously, awesome blog.
Nope 🙂 Glad to hear you like the blog Shani 😉