Is White Chocolate Really "Chocolate?"
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Time to read 3 min
White chocolate – ok, what gives? Is it chocolate? Isn’t it just that gross, waxy, overly sweet stuff on the grocery store shelves?!
My friends, I have great news. White chocolate is, indeed, chocolate…at least according to us know-it-alls in the craft chocolate industry! Now, there are a lot of imposter white chocolates out there, which is probably why many of us are confused about it (and dislike it so intensely) so let’s break down what white chocolate is (and isn’t!), how it’s made, and where it shines.
What Is White Chocolate Made Of?
If you take a cacao bean and “squeeze it” (it’s more complicated than that but that’s for another blog), you get two things: cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Very simply put, white chocolate is made from the cocoa butter that is extracted from the cacao bean. When you blend cocoa butter with sugar and milk powder, you get white chocolate. White chocolate is simple and should have minimal ingredients – that’s what makes the good stuff!
Real White Chocolate vs. White Candy Coating
So, how about those imposters? The reason so many of us are confused about whether white chocolate is chocolate is because most white chocolate in the grocery is merely masquerading as white chocolate. Much of it contains no cacao products AT ALL. Here, for example, is the list of ingredients in Nestlé’s white chocolate chips:
Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Milk, Nonfat Milk, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor.
In contrast, here is the list of ingredients in Auro’s White Chocolate Coins:
Cane Sugar, cacao butter, full cream milk powder, skim milk powder, soy lecithin, natural vanilla extract.
Ingredients Matter
In the United States, you must have 20% minimum cocoa butter in your product to legally call it white chocolate. Currently, cocoa butter runs between $15-$25/lb on the global market, hitting $30/lb in the fall of 2025! To get around that price point, many large-scale manufacturers will replace the cocoa butter with palm kernel oil, hydrogenated palm oil, soybean oil, or cottonseed oil - see above for proof. Since they’re not allowed to call the product white chocolate without the cocoa butter, they call it “white candy coating” or “white fudge” or whatever catchy phrase their marketing department comes up with. This is the product that most people assume is “white chocolate,” and it gets a bad reputation for being waxy, tasteless, and just overall, unpleasant.
What Makes Craft White Chocolate Different?
Now the real stuff – the real stuff is where it’s at, my friend. Craft chocolate makers, chocolatiers, and pastry chefs know what a difference there is between real white chocolate and the “white candy coating” we so frequently come across.
In craft chocolate bars, it is standard to see at least 30% cacao solids being used in white chocolate. Real white chocolate is an incredible vehicle for other flavors, specifically fruits like pineapple, berries, and citrus fruits as well as nuts like hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. It is also a wonderful companion to green teas, particularly matcha, where the sweetness balances the earthiness of the tea and also produces a stunning bright green chocolate bar. Our weirdest white chocolate bar? Perhaps the Ube Horchata from Austin-based chocolate maker, KESSHO. The bar is a dark, royal purple color!
Why White Chocolate Is a Flavor Powerhouse
White chocolate is delicious and subtle on its own, with many makers using alternative sugars such as coconut sugar, erythritol, or monk fruit and vegan milks like coconut, soy, and rice milk to create both lower-sugar and vegan options.
Real white chocolate is not only delicious but a spectacular way to showcase unique flavors that may be overpowered by the more intense flavor of cacao. When you come into The Chocolate Dispensary, we will be delighted to show you all our true white chocolate options and help you find your next (white) chocolate crush!
