White chocolate has a sweet taste and creamy texture, but it's different from the rich, distinct flavors of its darker counterparts, like bittersweet, semisweet, dark, and milk chocolate. This prompts the question: Is white chocolatereallychocolate? We spoke to a chocolate expert to find out.
White chocolate is a confection typically made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder or cream powder, and vanilla. Definitions of what white chocolate must contain vary in different countries. "To be considered white chocolate in the United States, it must contain at least 20 percent cocoa butter and no other vegetable fat, a minimum of 14 percent total milk solids and 3 1/2 percent milk fat, and a maximum of 55 percent sugar or other sweeteners," says Megan Giller, author of Bean-to-Bar Chocolate: America's Craft Chocolate Revolution.
Is White Chocolate Really Chocolate?
In short, yes, white chocolate is chocolate. It differs from other types of chocolate because it does not contain any cocoa solids, the natural fat from the cacao bean, and that is the reason some people do not consider it "real" chocolate.
"Dark chocolate and milk chocolate both contain some cocoa butter, but the cocoa butter fat doesn't make up the majority of the bar," Giller says. Further, white chocolate differs from these types of chocolate, as it doesn't contain any cacao solids. "Someone in one of my virtual chocolate tastings asked me if some types of cacao beans produce dark chocolate versus milk versus white," she says. "The answer is that any bean can be transformed into any of these three types of chocolate."
Flavor Profile
Giller says white chocolate doesn't have much natural flavor. Its claim to fame is its creaminess, since cocoa butter melts at body temperature. And because its flavor is mild, "it's the perfect canvas to showcase other flavors, like raspberries, lemon, or even olives."
Buying White Chocolate
"White chocolate has gotten a bad rap because previously so much of it included other, cheaper fats (like vegetable oil) and were way too sweet, but it's having a renaissance of its own right now, with so many small-batch makers and chocolatiers creating delicious versions," says Giller. When buying white chocolate, be sure to read the label and purchase bars that contain cocoa butter, as some candy bars do not and are not really white chocolate.
How to Use White Chocolate
If you enjoy white chocolate, you’ll want to buy bars you can eat. And from there, you might want to experiment with using white chocolate in the kitchen:
Try our White Hot Chocolate for the creamiest, sweetest drink to warm you up on a chilly day.
Use white chocolate in cake frosting like this buttercream. Giller says frosting is a smart way to use white chocolate because its creaminess makes the frosting decadent and satisfying.
Giller says white chocolate is great at highlighting other flavors and recommends using it when you want to center a treat on fresh fruit or a spice blend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is white chocolate healthy?
No, white chocolate is primarily made from sugar and does not match up to dark chocolate or cacao nibs in terms of its nutritional benefits. Those benefits, likeheart health from flavonoids, come from the cacao solids (the brown parts) of cacao beans.
Is white chocolate vegan?
Most white chocolate is not vegan because it contains dairy ingredients, usually milk or cream powder. If white chocolate is vegan, it will be clearly labeled as such. You can find vegan white chocolate in both bars for eating and chips and chunks for baking.
White chocolate is made with cocoa butter, which is the main ingredient in chocolate. White chocolate meets the FDA's definition of chocolate. White chocolate has a characteristic chocolate flavour, even though it is milder than the flavour of dark chocolate.
Since cocoa butter is the main ingredient in white chocolate, and since cocoa butter is a cocoa solid–when white chocolate contains cocoa butter, not a cocoa butter equivalent–it is, in fact, “actually chocolate”!
We know you're probably still wondering if white chocolate truly counts as 'chocolate'. Well, technically, it does. The cocoa butter that makes this treat so irresistibly smooth is extracted from the cacao bean.
White chocolate is a confection made of sugar, milk powder, cocoa butter, and often vanilla and lecithin. White chocolate doesn't contain brown cocoa solids (also known as cocoa liquor or cocoa mass), or cocoa powder.
For the majority of US history, white chocolate was not considered chocolate due to, now outdated, FDA's Standard of Identity that required chocolate to contain chocolate liquor–the solids that give chocolate its brown color and familiar rich taste.
White chocolate is technically not considered "real" chocolate, as it does not contain cocoa solids. However, it does contain cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids, which give it a creamy texture and sweet flavour.
White Chocolate Contains at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and 3.5% milk fat. It contains sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids and fats, and flavorings.
Yes, white chocolate really is chocolate, provided that it meets the FDA's chocolate standards. Many of today's chocolate makers produce high-quality white chocolate made only with cocoa butter, milk and sugar that's turned out to be an excellent canvas for other flavors.
The ivory color of white chocolate comes from cocoa butter, which naturally has that yellowish-white tone. This higher amount of cocoa butter makes white chocolate often more expensive than the other types. It is thanks to this fat that white chocolate has a very soft and creamy texture.
Knowing the Difference Between Real and Fake White Chocolate
According to the FDA white chocolate must be at “least 20 percent cocoa butter, at least 14 percent total milk solids, at least 3.5 percent milkfat.” If the chocolatier doesn't meet these standards, it can't be labeled white chocolate.
In summary, white chocolate is generally considered to be less healthy than dark chocolate, as it contains less cocoa and more sugar and other ingredients. However, high-quality white chocolate made with natural, minimally processed ingredients can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced, healthy diet.
Not only does white chocolate pair ridiculously well with any type of fruit—especially tarter ones—its delicate flavor lets ingredients shine without overpowering them (I'm looking at you, dark chocolate). White chocolate also helps mellow out dark chocolate's bitter flavor in baked goods like brownies and cakes.
It is unacceptable for dogs to ingest any chocolate, either white or dark. All types of chocolate contain theobromine, but different types of chocolate have different theobromine concentrations. Theobromine is toxic to dogs and may rapidly accumulate in your dog's system in deadly amounts.
Since 2004 in the United States, the Code of Federal Regulations defined that white chocolate should contain "not less than 20 percent by weight of cacao fat", "not less than 3.5 percent by weight of milkfat and not less than 14 percent by weight of total milk solids", and "not more than 55 percent by weight of a ...
Though often maligned as “not chocolate,” white chocolate is made primarily with cocoa butter, which is fat from the cocoa bean. Fat, as they say, is flavor, and this fat is all the more flavorful because Askinosie sources beans from a single farm in Davao, Philippines, and presses them in-house.
In the United States, pure chocolate must have at least 35% cocoa mass to be classified as a type of pure chocolate (bittersweet, semi-sweet, etc.). In Japan, pure chocolate must have 60% cocoa mass. In Canada, pure chocolate must have 31% cocoa mass to be classified as pure chocolate.
However, there is such thing as fake chocolate. What is the difference between the two? Real chocolate is made with cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, and other ingredients. However, compound chocolates (also known as confectionary chocolate) are made with other vegetable fat instead of cocoa butter.
'Real' chocolate is made using sugar and two ingredients obtained from the cocoa bean (cocoa mass and cocoa butter) as well as sugar for dark chocolate, but sugar and milk powder for milk chocolate. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter (usually up to 50% of the cocoa bean), milk powder and sugar.
White chocolate is rather the opposite of dark chocolate, as it contains no cocoa powder at all, and it's three ingredients are sugar, cocoa butter and milk. Some actually argue whether white chocolate can even be classed as chocolate, seeing as it doesn't contain cocoa solids.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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