Chocolate Substitutes: Do you crave chocolate desserts at midnight or odd times and wanted to make any baking chocolate recipes like chocolate chip cookies or chocolate bars or candy bars, etc. but don’t have chocolate in your hands? Don’t get worried as we have many options to swap chocolate with other substitutes.
Want to look at what are they and get details on substituting it instead of sweet chocolate or unsweetened chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate or milk chocolate? Let’s jump into this chocolate substitutes guide and learn what is chocolate, its types, its health benefits, and why to replace it along with top alternatives.
- What Is Chocolate?
- Why Replace Chocolate, Anyway?
- The Eight Best & Healthy Chocolate Substitutes You Can Try | What Can I Replace Chocolate With?
- FAQs on Chocolate Craving Substitutes & Best Substitute for Chocolate Chips
- What can I eat instead of chocolate and sweets?
- What is a healthy substitute for chocolate chips?
- How healthy is unsweetened chocolate?
- Can unsweetened baking chocolate substitute for chocolate in baking?
- What are the best chocolate alternatives for allergies?
- What is a good chocolate substitute for diabetics?
What Is Chocolate?
A combination of sweetened ground and roasted cacao beans is called Chocolate. It is a sweet food item available in various forms like chocolate squares, chocolate chips, ground, or melted chocolate. You can even use this chocolate as an ingredient in numerous chocolate recipes like ganache, sauces, desserts, and more.
Based on the level of sweetness, it is split into various types like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sweet, semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate. Basically, all these types are made from traditional cacao beans.
Chocolate has a rich flavor and it cures various health issues too. It also blends with several other flavored foods such as caramel, vanilla, fruit&nut, coconut, cashews, walnut, and hazelnut.
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Why Replace Chocolate, Anyway?
Well, you may get your own reason to replace chocolate in your recipe but some of the common reasons to swap chocolate with chocolate substitutes are as listed:
Vegan Diet: I hope this could be your reason too if you are at a young age. Recently, many of us are switching to a vegan diet which means not taking any animal-based products. But chocolate includes dairy products like milk and butter so it doesn’t come under a vegan diet so look for the best substitute for chocolate below.
Cocoa Allergy: This reason counts as a common one but it will affect the least percent of people. You may see allergic reactions to cocoa in some people so avoiding chocolate and its related recipes is advisable.
Lactose Intolerance & Diabetics: Chocolate is made with dairy products like milk, cream, fat-based ones, etc. so lactose intolerance sensitive people and diabetic people need to avoid eating chocolate recipes and they can opt for original & authentic chocolate flavor type one like dark chocolate.
The Eight Best & Healthy Chocolate Substitutes You Can Try | What Can I Replace Chocolate With?
- Cocoa Butter
- Peanut Butter Chips
- Almond Butter + Cocoa
- Cocoa Powder
- Carob chips
- Cacao Nibs
- Dark Chocolate
- Chocolate Milk
People with a sweet tooth all the time crave chocolate but they are too worried about weight gaining and other health issues by eating too much. To eliminate your fear, we are going to explain this list of 8 simple chocolate substitutes or substitute chocolate chips and make you happily replace chocolate with other yummy chocolate flavor alternatives that gratify you and reach your targets too.
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Cocoa Butter
This cocoa butter is the best substitute for the chocolate chip type. It gives great flavor and decadence to chocolate chips after replacement. You can use this replacement while making chocolate chip cookies as it plays as the backbone of the dough. Cocoa butter has a creamy texture along with a rich taste so it makes the cake and cookies moister and chewier.
Cocoa butter is a fat ingredient that extracts from the cocoa bean and it has a natural chocolate flavor. Also, this alternative acts crucially in preparing chocolate and is also used in various cosmetics and lotions to give silky smooth skin.
Peanut Butter Chips
Peanut butter is one of the healthy substitutes for chocolate in sweet and savory dishes. But not all branded peanut butter chips or spread healthy some may include preservatives and sugar too to enhance their flavor and stay for a long time. So always opt for the organic and authentic peanut butter spread or chips in place of chocolate and have healthy food.
Basically, peanut butter contains high protein and is rich in heart-healthy fats. Due to the high healthy fat intake, it gives you a good source of vitamins and minerals like B, E, iron, niacin, fiber, and potassium. One thing you need to memorize is that using peanut butter for chocolate it provides a strong savory and nutty flavor.
Almond Butter + Cocoa
The healthiest and dairy-free substitute for chocolate is almond butter plus cocoa powder. This tastes similar to chocolate with a mild almond flavor. In recent times, almond butter became a high-protein snack with enough amount of vital fatty acids.
So everyone is opting for this for breakfast and also it can be used in various chocolate dishes like baking chocolate brownies, cookies, bars, cakes, healthy smores, etc. To substitute almond butter and cocoa for chocolate, take a mixture of 1 1/2 tablespoons of almond butter and 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder. It gives a perfect dense result with a nutty flavor.
Cocoa Powder
The obvious substitute for chocolate in any recipe is regular cocoa powder because it is extracted from cacao beans. So it has a strong cacao taste with no sugar, calories, or fat. You can replace it in many cooking and baking dishes to add chocolate flavor to the recipe.
The amount you need to substitute for every tablespoon of chocolate is 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder. You may add sugar or cream or dairy-free ingredients for the creamy texture and actual taste of chocolate.
Carob Chips
Carob is an uncommon ingredient used in replacement of chocolate in a healthy way. Carob is a slurry shell originally from the Mediterranean. It is prepared like roasting the pulp and then ground like powder which has a similar flavor to cocoa. This substitute is best for allergic and vegan diet people as it comes in low fat and calories. You can find carob in liquid, chips, and powder form in groceries easily but mostly in organic and health stores.
With the help of carob chips, you can make all kinds of dishes that include chocolate like ganache, cookies, cakes, bars, candies, etc. Also, you can use it in sauces or marinade recipes. For replacement take the same amount of carob that the recipe calls for chocolate and add extra sweetener to it.
Cacao Nibs
The roasted and small broken chunks of cacao beans are called cacao nibs. No sugar and no milk chocolate alternative is cacao nibs and they actually taste like strong chocolate and are crunchy. You can easily grind it into powder like cocoa powder and replace it in chocolate recipes or else use chocolate chips while baking brownies, muffins, cakes, and other baked goods.
You can find this in grocery stores or at an organic store. Replace chocolate chips with cacao nibs or regular chocolate with cacao nibs powder or ground or liquid in equal amounts and additionally add extra sugar for sweetness.
Dark Chocolate
Technically, it is chocolate but a healthy one. Because it includes 70% cacao which provides a strong chocolate flavor with a mild sweet taste. Having one dark chocolate square per day keeps you healthy and active too as it includes high antioxidants. To cut down the chocolate craving, you need to swap chocolate with dark chocolate in any recipe or eat it directly.
Dark chocolates are available in many forms like chunks, chips, liquid, powder, bars, etc. You can easily find dark chocolate in grocery stores or in organic or health stores for sure. Add an equal amount of dark chocolate to the recipe and you’re good to eat. To control the bitterness, add extra sugar to the recipe.
Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk is the dairy substitute that replaces chocolate in many recipes and provides good results. This liquid ingredient makes you adjust other liquid ingredients in the recipe. Not only liquid foods also you can reduce the sugar amount in the recipe as chocolate milk is sweet.
This can be available in many grocery stores and is also easy to prepare at home for kids. Chocolate milk is a common drink that can be consumed by every age right from children to adults. Also, you can replace this alternative while making brownies, cookies, cake, ganache, and many other baked goods.
FAQs on Chocolate Craving Substitutes & Best Substitute for Chocolate Chips
1. What can I eat instead of chocolate and sweets?
There are numerous food substitutes that can replace and help you fight your chocolate and sweets cravings. They are as listed:
- Legumes.
- Sugar-Free Chewing Gum or Mints.
- Dark Chocolate.
- Berries
- Snack Bars
- Yogurt
- Chia Seeds
- Fruit
2. What is a healthy substitute for chocolate chips?
Cacao Nibs is the most healthy substitute for chocolate chips. You can replace chocolate chips with cacao nibs in any recipe that calls for chocolate chips. Basically, this substitute is unprocessed chocolate so it includes lots of antioxidants, less fat, and no sugar.
3. How healthy is unsweetened chocolate?
Unsweetened chocolate is healthy than other chocolate types as it is scientifically proven. Eating pure organic dark or unsweetened chocolate shows a positive influence on your health because it includes antioxidants fully with polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins.
4. Can unsweetened baking chocolate substitute for chocolate in baking?
Yes, unsweetened baking chocolate can be a chocolate alternative in many baking recipes. To replace chocolate with 1 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate in baking your favorite dessert, you need to add 3 tbsps of natural, unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder and 1 tbsp of vegetable fat like vegetable oil, canola oil, or dairy fat such as butter.
5. What are the best chocolate alternatives for allergies?
Carob is the best chocolate substitute for allergies as it has the same taste and color. You can replace this carob with any chocolate chip bars to cookies. This is the best alternative for allergic persons because it is sugar and caffeine-free.
6. What is a good chocolate substitute for diabetics?
The greatest chocolate substitute for diabetics is Dark Chocolate. There will be no milk and the least quantity of sugar included in it. Hence, your blood glucose gets balanced whenever you eat dark chocolate.
Key Takeaways
We hope the information shared here on Great Chocolate Substitutes makes you stand out from the confusion when you don’t have chocolate or traditional chocolate chips or chocolate syrup in your hands. Also, it covers healthy alternatives to replace chocolate in various recipes and helps all allergic, dietary & diabetics people. Do visit our site @canfoodgobad.com and learn about many food substitutes or how long food lasts, etc.