Vegan organic chocolate is made from dried and fermented cocoa beans of an organically grown cacao tree. The two types of vegan chocolate include dairy-free dark chocolate and chocolate made with rice, almond, or coconut milk. Dark chocolate contains cocoa butter, cocoa solids, and sugar without any dairy additives. When it comes to vegan chocolate, you will find a variety of nutritious flavors.
How to Know if the Chocolate Really is Vegan
Not all vegan chocolates are labeled. That is why you must check the ingredients before purchasing. When you come across chocolate with a long list of ingredients, avoid it as much as you can. It may contain animal-related fillers. Also, look out for milk-derived ingredients such as milk solids, milk fat, casein, and whey.
Check for Cocoa Content
When analyzing the ingredients of your chocolate, check out its actual cocoa content. Dark chocolate contain about 60% – 90% cocoa. Chocolates with a high cocoa percentage have low sugar content and loads of benefits.
What to Avoid When Purchasing Vegan Chocolate
Avoid the following when purchasing your vegan chocolate:
Chocolate That Has Undergone Dutching
When shopping for your vegan chocolate, avoid one that has undergone the dutching process. This is a process in which cocoa is treated with an alkali agent in order to reduce its natural bitterness. However, this process also reduces the antioxidants in cocoa.
The Trans Fat Additive
Trans fat is a potential additive in chocolate that should be avoided. Trans fats are dangerous to your health since they can increase your risk of developing heart disease. When reading through the chocolate label, pay attention to products that have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
Why You Should Go for Organic Chocolate
Buying organic chocolate means that your products will have ingredients that are free from harsh chemicals and toxic pesticides. Cocoa pods go through rigorous processing before they are brought to the market as chocolate bars. A minuscule amount of chemicals or pesticides may hide in the remaining products. That is why it is better to buy organic chocolate brands that are chemical-free.
How to Choose Vegan Chocolate
To ensure you get your vegan chocolate from the shelf, first, read the labels. It is quite easy for you to visually inspect your chocolate for quality. If you come across chocolate with white substances on the surface, this is an indication that the chocolate underwent very extreme temperatures.
Do not purchase such a product because obviously the cocoa butter content inside is not distributed evenly. Therefore that particular chocolate is not safe for consumption.
While inspecting your vegan chocolate, check the list of ingredients for the following words:
- “Contains milk” in the allergen disclaimer section
- Casein, lactose or whey
- Any cholesterol (this is because cholesterol is only found in animal products)
Look out for vegan chocolate that contains truffle, peanut butter, caramel, or toffee. All these ingredients contain dairy.
Vegan chocolates with short ingredient lists are much healthier and of high quality. The less the ingredients, the purer, and more vegan the chocolate is. Pure vegan chocolate contains cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, a little sugar, and vanilla (optional).
The Vegan Chocolate Options Available
One of the best options for vegan chocolate is bitter dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has a high percentage of cocoa mass. If you find the taste too bitter for you, you can start by using dark chocolate with lower amounts of cocoa as you gradually adapt to the bitter taste.
The vegan chocolate is another option that will allow you to enjoy cocoa goodness without experiencing the bitterness of dark chocolate flavor. You can take your vegan chocolate with raspberry, coconut milk, coconut, lemon, or cardamom flavor.
Other chocolate alternatives have blackberry mint crisp, orange, raspberry, and orange. There are also other options with hazelnut, almonds, pecan, and mylk. Mylk is the milk produced from seeds, beans, and nuts.
Conclusion
The guide above will help you to purchase your vegan chocolate with confidence. At least now you know that you can go vegan and still enjoy your favorite indulgence. The different flavors you can add to your vegan chocolate will make you enjoy the enormous health benefits of vegan chocolate.
There are plenty of delectable vegan chocolate options in the stores near you. You just need to know how to identify the right product. It is not difficult to inspect your vegan chocolate for quality. Just use the tips above, and you will have your vegan chocolate and relish it.
Before you buy your chocolate, take precautions to always check the labeling on the packets. Ask questions if you can, and demand for verification too. This will make sure you have purchased the right product that will give you a vegan chocolate taste you’ve been looking for.
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