Before I went vegan over 10 years ago, I was the white chocolate queen. White chocolate mochas, white chocolate chip cookies, cookies and cream candy bars; you get the idea. I preferred white chocolate over milk or dark, but I had to give up the obsession when I stopped consuming dairy. There are a few brands of dairy free white chocolate chips out there, but I’ve never tried them. They are expensive and hard to find, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a real store. So I’ve been on a mission to make my own at home. And you know what? It’s pretty dang easy and SO tasty. The first several batches I made tasted great but they were rather grainy in texture, but I finally found the easiest solution that I’ll share with you. Then you can have super creamy, smooth vegan white chocolate, too!
Ingredients you need
Cacao butter – This stuff is magic and it smells SO GOOD. It’s essential for making white chocolate, and can not be substituted. It’s easy enough to order online if you can’t find it in a store, and one bag will last you a very long time, probably six recipes worth of white chocolate. It’s actually the fat separated from a cocoa bean. Vegetable shortening – Since cacao butter is rather rich, adding some shortening helps tame this a bit, plus it’s more stable at room temperature than coconut oil, which you could use instead, but it will melt quicker and won’t hold up well in cookies. Powdered sugar – For sweetening our white chocolate, of course. It also helps stabilize the chocolate. I haven’t tested it with any other sweetener, so substitute at your own risk. Coconut milk powder – This is your main stabilizer. Rice milk powder works as well, but I used coconut. Vanilla extract – Use quality pure vanilla extract for the best taste. Salt – Just a tiny pinch, optional.
How to make vegan white chocolate
(This is an overview with photos, scroll down for the complete, printable recipe.)
Remove from the molds and store in a covered container in the refrigerator (or freezer). You will get about 3 large chocolate bars, or several smaller, it just depends on your chocolate molds.
Variations
Cookies and Cream – Stir in a little bit of crushed oreo cookie crumbs for cookies and cream candy bars. Fruity – Fold in a little crushed freeze dried raspberries or strawberries. Peppermint – Instead of vanilla, use peppermint extract for peppermint white chocolate. Or some candy cane pieces, chopped small. Nutty – Add some chopped nuts, like hazelnuts, almonds, etc.
Tips for using in recipes
You can chop up the white chocolate into chunks and use in cookies, but for best results chop into chunks, freeze for 15-20 minutes, then fold into cookie dough and bake immediately. This will help them not melt while they bake. If you find they are melting in a recipe, simply bake the cookies, then while still warm stick chunks on top of the cookies instead of baking in the oven. How stable it is in baking largely depends on the brand of cacao butter you use. White Hot Chocolate – I haven’t tested it yet, but I think you could make my Vegan Hot Chocolate but omit the cocoa powder and use white chocolate chunks instead of dark for a delicious warm beverage.
