How to make healthy chocolate at home easily from scratch
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and then make a purchase, I may get a small commission from that sale, at no extra cost to you.
Homemade healthy chocolate made easily from scratch!
I am soooo freaking excited to share this recipe with you my friend.
Because, if you're anything like me, then you LOVE chocolate.
Like, LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE it. Haha. But, perhaps you've stopped eating it altogether, or you don't feel too good after you eat a store-bought chocolate candy bar...
Because you see the problem with traditional store-bought chocolate is that... it's filled with refined sugars, and if you've been here a while, then you know how I feel about refined sugar. It is also loaded with "natural" and "artificial" flavors - those mystery ingredients that nobody really knows what they are.
So I stopped eating chocolate. 🙁 And that made me very sad. However, I quickly learned that... you can make healthy chocolate at home and it is sooo easy to do.
And that is what I'm going to be sharing with you today!
What ingredients do you need to make healthy chocolate at home from scratch
All you need are THREE main ingredients - plus a few extra totally optional toppings.
Let's talk about each of the ingredients:
RAW CACAO PASTE:
Cacao paste is made from 100% pure ground cacao beans. That's ALL it is - ground down cacao beans. Nothing else is added to it. It's even better if you choose a brand that keeps it "raw" meaning it is not heated somewhere above 114F. This helps ensure that most of the nutrition is kept intact (because heat destroys important nutrients).
The cacao paste brand that I have been using for several years now is TerraSoul Superfoods. This cacao paste is so versatile and can be used like traditional baking chocolate, but it is much healthier (as no added sugar and more nutrition). I use this cacao paste to make homemade chocolate, brownies, and even to make chocolate chip cookies like these.
RAW CACAO BUTTER:
The second thing we need is raw cacao butter. Cacao butter is the oil that is cold-pressed out of the cacao bean. Some say it is the most rich and decadent part of the cacao bean. That is why I like adding it to my homemade chocolate - because it gives the chocolate a little extra flavor.
I also use TerraSoul Superfoods raw cacao butter brand. Their cacao butter is cold-pressed and non-deodorized leaving you with the purest non-processed cacao butter you can find.
MAPLE SYRUP:
Finally, the last ingredient we need is a natural sweetener. Because cacao paste is naturally very bitter (think dark chocolate, but more bitter), you're going to want to use some type of sweetener. My go-to choice is maple syrup because it is a natural and minimally processed sweetener.
You can also use honey, agave, coconut nectar, or stevia extracts but I have not tested those recipes so cannot give you exact measurements.
I get my organic maple syrup on Amazon.
cacao vs cocoa
Although often used interchangeably, there is a difference between CACAO and COCOA products.
CACAO is less processed and contains more nutrition while COCOA is more processed and heated more, and therefore has less nutrition because of that.
Cocoa products also usually have added sugars and milk products to enhance the flavor while cacao products are kept as is.
Always try to choose CACAO when possible for maximum health benefits.
What molds to use to make homemade chocolate:
Aside from the ingredients mentioned above, you're also going to need some silicone molds to shape your chocolate.
I have several molds at home that I use all of the time.
These rectangular shaped molds are great for making candy-bar shaped chocolates that break apart (think Crunch bars and Hershey's chocolate bars).
This mold is great for creating "cordial" cup chocolates - like the pictures you see in this blog post.
I used these heart-shaped molds to make the heart-shaped lollipops you see here. These are perfect for Valentine's day or just-because!
If you really don't want to buy chocolate molds, you can also simply use a baking dish, covered in parchment paper, and just cut the chocolate into chunks/slices once it hardens.
extra toppings:
You can keep this recipe very simple as is - with chocolate only. OR you can spruce up your homemade chocolates by adding optional toppings.
Lately one of my favorite go-to's has been roasted buckwheat groats. I like to roast the buckwheat groats on the stovetop for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and then throw them on top of the chocolate bars. It honestly makes them taste like CRUNCH bars - but healthy!!! Give it a try.
Other great toppings are:
- chopped pistachios, walnuts, or almonds
- almond or peanut butter
- chopped dates or raisins
Do you have to temper homemade chocolate?
Tempering chocolate refers to a method of cooking the chocolate in a way that you carefully control the heating and cooling of the chocolate. When chocolate is tempered, it doesn't melt as easily at room temperature, which is beneficial if you need to keep the chocolate out of the fridge for whatever reason (giving as gifts, selling them at a market ect).
However, if you are simply making chocolate candy for yourself and are able to store them in the fridge or freezer, then it is not necessary to temper chocolate.
This recipe is not for tempered chocolate.
I wanted to keep this recipe easy and simple so I decided to opt out of tempering. Just keep in mind you'll have to keep these chocolate candies in the fridge.
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
Want More Wholesome Eats and Wellness Content?
Make sure to subscribe to get our newsletter directly to your inbox. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Make sure you come say hi! <3
How to make healthy chocolate at home easily from scratch
Decadent and rich homemade chocolate made easily with cacao paste, cacao butter and maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cacao paste (80g)
- 1/2 cup cacao butter (58g)
- 1/4 cup room temperature maple syrup (76)
- 2 tablespoons roasted buckwheat groats (optional)
Instructions
- Using a double boiler melt the cacao paste and cacao butter. In other words – grab a big pot, fill it with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and place a saucepan on top of the big pot, and add the cacao paste and cacao butter to the saucepan and melt.
- Roast buckwheat groats. Add 2 tablespoons buckwheat groats to a saucepan over medium heat and roast for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove from heat.
- Once the cacao paste and butter have melted, remove from heat and add room temperature maple syrup. It’s very important that the maple syrup is room temperature because if not it will cause the chocolate to harden/thicken. If maple syrup is cold and you don’t have time, pour maple syrup in a glass container and let it sit in warm water for a few minutes.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture into molds, like these ones, top with buckwheat groats if using and place in the fridge or freezer to harden. They will obviously harden faster in the freezer. You can store them in the fridge afterwards. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is not tempered chocolate so they will begin to melt at room temperature. Keep them in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Keywords: vegan, paleo, chocolate, cacao, healthy, candy, chocolate candy, dessert,
CLICK IMAGE TO SHARE ON PINTEREST!
subscribe to our blog below.
receive our recipes + wellness posts straight to your inbox
Thanks for subscribing! You'll receive just *one* email a month with a round up of all of our posts for that week. Thank you!!!
follow us on the gram:
tag us on instagram @sproutingzenwellness and use hashtag #sproutingzeneats or #sproutingzenwellness so that we can feature your creations! 🙂
Want more?
