Be it from philosophy or health reasons for going vegan, people around you are often curious to know how you satisfy your cravings for some of the traditional animal-based foods.
Chocolates being the top of the list.
Chocolate is vegan (in pure form)
Chocolate in its pure form cannot be more vegan than it already is. It comes from cocoa, which is plant-based food. However, by the time the cocoa from the plant reaches you, it has gone through rigorous processing with additives and milk or milk fat, which makes it fall under the category of animal-based food. Vegan chocolates are far more pure, healthier, and tastier than the ones that come with artificial additives and cheap animal fat.
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate
When scouring the stores for the best vegan chocolates, one needs not specifically search for a certified vegan logo; many superior quality chocolates are sure to satisfy the criteria of not including any animal-based ingredients in it.
- Look for the ingredient list that has few but natural ingredients that make up a good and healthy alternative to milk-based chocolates.
- Also, be wary of undercover ingredients such as casein, lactose, or whey, which are also milk derivatives.
- Most varieties of dark chocolates are not supposed to have any milk-based additives. However, if you notice it has a label that says contain more than 0% cholesterol, then it is an indication that it has animal-based ingredients in it.
Vegan chocolates will have a higher content of cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, and sometimes other natural plant-based flavors to give you that melt in the mouthfeel. Milk chocolates are also not non-vegan all the time as we have alternative non-dairy based milk and milk products that replace traditional milk ingredients in chocolate.
Try home-made chocolate recipe the vegan way
Cocoa butter is the main ingredient that gives vegan chocolate the unique taste and texture that can rival even the best quality milk chocolate. So, vegan can is not left with few options to treat their sweet tooth. There is no better way of enjoying vegan chocolates than trying a few easy recipes at home to give you vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweet sinful indulgence. You can also add as many natural flavorings to provide your taste buds a delightful delicacy. We recently reviewed a few of the best vegan cookbooks out there containing lots of quality chocolate recipes.
Easy three-ingredient vegan chocolate
- 1 cup of grated cocoa butter
- 3-5 Tablespoons of maple syrup
- ½ cup of cocoa powder (preferably unsweetened)
- 1 pinch of sea salt – optional
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon. (optional)
Method
- In a mixing bowl add the grated cocoa butter and allow it to melt, For this place a saucepan with water in it on high heat. Place the mixing bowl above this in a way it does not touch the water.
- Add maple syrup and mix it vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Once the mixture is mixed well, remove it from the saucepan and keep it on a flat surface.
- Add cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and pinch of sea salt and whisk it again to make sure there are no lumps.
- Taste the mixture and adjust the taste and sweetness according to your preference.
- Pour the mixture carefully into the 12-14 mini cupcake liners set on a small baking sheet.
- Move this to the freezer for it to set for about 10 minutes.
You can enjoy this home-made vegan delight right out of the fridge and also store these chocolates in a sealed container and use it for over a month.
Customise it further by adding cacao nibs, dried fruit, roasted nuts, coconut to give you that that unique taste.
Now you have every reason to try these vegan chocolates at home. It is high on benefits from natural ingredients, no guilt of using animal-based additives, no suspicious flavoring agents, or artificial sweeteners.
Give us your valuable feedback if this article helped you identify a healthier way to eat chocolates. Also, post your easy vegan chocolate recipes for the benefit of the vegan lot out there.
