A Sweet Guide
The world of chocolate has undergone a delicious transformation, catering to a growing audience of conscientious people seeking a plant based diet. Gone are the days of sacrificing taste for ethics. Today, a plethora of plant-based chocolate options offer rich flavour, smooth textures, and a guilt-free indulgence. Let’s explore what makes chocolate vegan, the factors to consider when choosing the best chocolate for a plant-based diet, and some of the top picks on the market.
Understanding Vegan Chocolate
Traditionally, chocolate contains milk, butter, and other dairy-derived ingredients. However, vegan chocolate substitutes these with plant-based chocolate alternatives. The key components of vegan chocolate are:
Cocoa butter: The natural fat extracted from cocoa beans.
Cocoa solids: The remaining part of the cocoa bean after extracting the cocoa butter.
Sweetener: Often cane sugar, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
Plant-based milk: Alternatives like almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk.
Lecithin: An emulsifier that can be derived from soy or sunflowers.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Vegan Chocolate
There are some important things to consider for those who wish to supplement their plant based diet with the luxury of plant based chocolate. Below are some of the more obvious. However in this age of increasing awareness of the effects our processes have on our planet an environment, many will wish to minimise the impact of their plant based diet. For example, purchasing from sources who endeavour to protect/assist in the renewal of natural resources and the environment.
Ingredients: Opt for chocolate with minimal processing and free from artificial additives.
Cocoa content: Higher cocoa content generally means a richer, more intense flavour.
Sweeteners: Consider your sugar preferences and any dietary restrictions.
Texture: Some vegan chocolates might have a different texture than traditional chocolate.
Flavour: Experiment with different brands and flavours to find your perfect match.
Top Vegan Chocolate Picks
The plant based chocolate market is booming, offering vegans a wide range of options to suit different tastes. Here are a few popular choices to get you started:
Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate naturally lacks dairy, making it a vegan staple. Look for brands with high cocoa content for a rich and intense flavour.
Milk Chocolate Alternatives: Many brands offer plant-based milk chocolate using alternatives like almond or oat milk. These options often have a creamy texture and a familiar taste.
White Chocolate Substitutes: While traditional white chocolate contains dairy, there are vegan versions made with cocoa butter, plant-based milk, and sweeteners. The flavour might differ slightly from traditional white chocolate.
Popular Vegan Chocolate Brands:
KAKOA: Provides a variety of vegan chocolate products, and in fact, offers the largest range of flavours in plant based chocolate in the UK.
Lindt: Offers a range of plant-based milk chocolate options.
Moo Free: Specializes in dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate.
Divine: Known for its fair trade chocolate, offers vegan options.
Green & Black’s: Provides vegan dark chocolate with high cocoa content.
It has to be said that the days of lesser, plant based chocolates have passed. Vegan or not, maintaining a plant based diet or simply enjoying quality chocolate there is a range of delicious options available to all.
KAKOA:
UK’s biggest selection of vegan chocolate flavours. Impressive if we say so ourselves. As surely as variety is the spice of life, flavour choice in chocolate is the standard to uphold. We don’t stop at providing the best plant based chocolate for the discerning chocolate lover. We look beyond the box, although our boxes are pretty striking. There are other factors at work here as we provide the touch of luxury many wish to add to their plant based diets.
Plant seagrass project
We like to do things differently, while other brands often fund ‘plant a tree’ projects, (sometimes with question marks on tree diversity) we invest in sea grass restoration projects donating 5% of every purchase to planting seagrass meadows.Why seagrass?
Well, seagrass captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and, even though it only covers 0.2% of the seafloor, it absorbs 10% of the ocean’s carbon each year.
Seagrass is also vital for marine life, which depends on the meadows for food and shelter. A 10,000m2 area can support 80,000 fish and over a million invertebrates. Unfortunately in the UK, up to 92 percent of our seagrass has disappeared in the last century, so these projects need our support (source WWF).
Just one more great reason to indulge your plant based diet with our KAKOA range of plant based chocolate.
Vegan Iconic 24 Chocolate Collection
If having the UK’s largest range of vegan chocolate flavours and our contribution to sea grass planting doesn’t float your boat, then add to those facts the responsible sourcing of cocoa and our sustainable and biodegradable packaging for an all round smash hit. Then indulge with a classic box of plant based chocolate finery such as our Iconic 24 Collection.
Showcasing some stars of the vegan chocolate world such as Ultimate Peanut Butter and Legendary Sea Salted Caramel. Great names for great chocolates.
Making Your Own Vegan Chocolate
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can create your own vegan chocolate at home. The process involves melting cocoa butter, cocoa solids, and a sweetener. You can then add flavourings like vanilla, mint, or sea salt. Experiment with different ratios to achieve your desired taste and texture.
This gives you the control of your plant based diet chocolate ‘fix’.
Enjoying Vegan Chocolate
Indulge in a chocolate bar, melt it into a rich hot chocolate, or use it to create decent desserts. Vegan chocolate is not just a healthier choice; it’s also a delicious one. Whether you prefer dark, milk, or white chocolate, there’s a plant-based option to satisfy your cravings. Remember, the key to enjoying vegan chocolate is to explore different brands and flavours until you find your perfect match.By choosing plant-based chocolate, you’re not only satisfying your sweet tooth but also supporting sustainable and ethical practices. So, go ahead and savour every bite of this delicious and guilt-free treat