Vegans can have chocolate!
“I could never be Vegan I’d have to give up chocolate, right?” Well, no! Chocolate is made from cocoa, which, in its natural state, doesn’t include any animal products. It’s only when it’s made into milk or white chocolate or that milk gets added. Dark chocolate is naturally vegan friendly and it blends well with lots of natural flavours. So, if you ask yourself “can vegans eat chocolate?” the answer is “absolutely, yes”. Check out our cherry & rose truffle, totally vegan friendly with a smooth cherry & rose truffle centre, dipped in 54% cocoa chocolate and you’ll see that there are no animal derived ingredients anywhere in our recipe. The intensity of the dark chocolate is perfectly offset by the subtle mix of our flavouring ingredients.
Is dark chocolate too rich?
If you’re really worried about dark chocolate being too strong, remember there are many natural fruits and plant oils that compliment dark chocolate, giving exciting chocolates and flavours, and it also goes amazingly well with all sorts of nuts. Think dark chocolate with raspberries, vegan honeycomb and praline. If this doesn’t work for you, then there are milk alternative chocolates available. We’ve tested many, and found that achieving a decent texture and good flavour is difficult. However, moofree® milk-substitute chocolate is amongst the best tasting and it combines well with natural flavours to produce some pretty incredible vegan chocolates like our vegan salted caramel bar.
What’s the secret ingredient?
Flavour is mega important. I’ve lost count of how many times, when on holiday, that I’ve been excited to try some chocolates on offer at a local shop, only to be bitterly disappointed by their lack of flavour. The first known chocolate dates from around 2000 BC in the Amazon basin, where cocoa beans were ground down and worked to produce a thick, bitter drink that had natural flavourings added, such as honey and cinnamon. Because of modern farming methods we don’t use honey, but there are so many other great natural plant flavourings available that we can use.
How to know which chocolates are definitely vegan.
Transparency is all – if you can’t find out what’s in a product from its labelling then you can never be sure it’s right for you. We always obtain and check a manufacturer’s specification for an ingredient before we use it, so we can say it’s vegan friendly with confidence. Wording can be misleading – for example, carmine red is often described as a natural colouring, even though it’s actually derived from a beetle! Always fact check and look up any ingredients that you are unsure of to know that you can relax and enjoy your chocolates.
Alternatively, by sticking to the basics and choosing dark chocolate, you’re not just getting great tasting, vegan chocolates, but are also keeping the naturally occurring healthy ingredients of chocolate. Chocolate itself is gluten free and packed with health-giving nutrients. There are now decades of scientific and nutritional research projects confirming that dark chocolate is packed with many trace minerals and antioxidants that are so important in our diet. There is evidence that good dark chocolate can help the fight against cholesterol and improve circulation. So, not only can vegans eat good dark chocolate (at least 54% cocoa) and enjoy a range of flavours, it could also be an essential part of your regular diet. Great news, right!?