While dark chocolate is usually vegan-friendly, milk and white chocolate typically are not. Milk Chocolate, as the name implies, contains dairy, making it not vegan, unless it is made with a nondairy milk like oat milk or almond milk. White Chocolate also frequently contains dairy products.
Does vegan milk chocolate exist?
This year, 400,000 people signed up to Veganuary; a pledge to become vegan for the whole of January. Vegans are people who follow a plant-based diet, meaning they can’t consume ingredients that come from animals, such as eggs, butter, and milk. As milk chocolate clearly includes milk in its ingredients, you may believe that vegans are deprived of this sweet treat. However, luckily, you’d be wrong! Nowadays, there are countless vegan milk chocolate alternatives on offer.
It may come as a surprise to non-vegans to know that they’ve probably already eaten vegan chocolate without knowing it. The cacao bean, which forms the main body of all chocolate treats, comes from a tree, and thus is 100% vegan. After processing, the cacao bean is transformed into a fine cocoa powder, which can be combined with cocoa butter and sugar to create dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate is therefore an accessible vegan-friendly chocolate treat that can be found in any supermarket. However, what if you don’t like the bitter, rich taste of dark chocolate? Most people either go for white or milk chocolate instead, as addition of the milk adds a creamy element to the chocolate, and turns the chocolate into a slightly lighter product. However, a chocolate bar becomes unsuitable for vegans once milk is added to the cocoa mixture.
So, how can vegan milk chocolate exist?
Well, the answer is fairly simple! Cow’s milk can be replaced with milk substitutes to create an almost identical taste and texture to that of typical milk chocolate. Nut milk has proved to be hugely popular in the UK. Ranging from almond to hazelnut, nut milk is a vegan alternative to cow’s milk, and it is simply made by straining the liquid from crushed nuts. Depending on the type of milk, each can carry its own flavour: hazelnut milk, for example, retains a lot of its hazelnut flavour, whereas cashew nut milk has a much more delicate taste.
If you’re not so keen on nut flavours then vegan chocolates containing oat milk are a great option. Oat milk is naturally creamy, leaving your chocolate silky smooth. For those who suffer from intolerances, rice milk is one of the safest milk alternatives you can find, although it is important to remember to check the packaging in case there are traces of other ingredients.
How to make: VEGAN Chocolate Milk! | 3 ingredients
FAQ
Is milk chocolate vegan?
What is a vegan alternative to milk chocolate?
What milk chocolate is dairy-free?
Is chocolate milk healthy?
Chocolate milk has similar nutrients compared to regular milk but is higher in carbohydrates because of the added sugar. It is a good source of leucine which is an important amino acid for building muscle tissue. The high carbohydrate content along with essential amino acids make it a good post workout drink. The calcium content of this beverage supports bone health. It does contain lactose so those with lactose intolerance would experience digestive issues after drinking chocolate milk. If you are avoiding added sugar and saturated fat you may want to make another choice because chocolate milk does contain these.
Can vegans eat chocolate?
Traditional chocolates are usually non-vegan because they contain some amount of milk. Fortunately for vegans, the advent of dairy-free milks—such as soy, coconut, cashew, and almond milks—has sparked new ideas in the minds of artisanal chocolate producers.
What type of chocolate is vegan?
It contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than other types. Raw Chocolate: Raw chocolate usually has not been processed, heated, or mixed with other ingredients, which means it is often vegan. Modeling Chocolate: A paste made from melted chocolate combined with a sugar or corn syrup used for decorating cakes and pastries.