Is White Chocolate Real Chocolate?

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether white chocolate is real chocolate? You’re not alone! We’ve all wondered the same thing, at some point.

To help, in this article, we hope to solve the mystery surrounding white chocolate as we discuss what it is, how it’s made, and how it tastes.

What makes chocolate, chocolate?

Before we get into white chocolate, let’s quickly discuss what makes chocolate, chocolate.

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans that are roasted. This allows for the sprout to be removed from the bean. The sprouts are then finely ground, resulting in the cocoa particles mixing with the cocoa butter, producing chocolate liquor. When cooled, chocolate liquor yields chocolate. It’s these cocoa particles that give chocolate its characteristic color and flavor.

What is white chocolate?

Contrary to its name, white chocolate isn’t chocolate!

White chocolate doesn’t classify as chocolate because it doesn’t contain any cocoa particles. Instead, it’s typically made up of cocoa butter, dairy milk, sweeteners, and sometimes some vanilla for a bit of added flavor. But in reality, to make white chocolate, the only 2 ingredients legally required are cocoa butter and dairy milk.

And, while each country regulates percentages a little differently, an authentic white chocolate recipe should include a minimum of 20% cocoa butter and less than 55% sweeteners. Also, it shouldn’t have any additional fats, such as vegetable oil or palm oil.

Just like regular chocolate, white chocolate has quality grades. A high-quality white chocolate bar will have more cocoa butter and less sugar. A lower quality white chocolate bar will be extremely sweet and thick due to its low cocoa butter percentage.

How is white chocolate made?

White chocolate is created by blending at least cocoa butter and dairy milk together in a chocolate refiner. Other ingredients such as sweeteners and vanilla may be mixed in for added flavor. White chocolate then comes out smooth and with similar properties to dark chocolate due to the inclusion of cocoa butter but with obvious differences in color and flavor.

How does white chocolate taste?

While taste is subjective and we encourage you to go out and try white chocolate for yourself, we’ll briefly explain what it should taste like so you have an idea before you buy.

A high-quality white chocolate bar will taste buttery and rich with a velvety, luxurious mouthfeel. Additionally, it’ll likely have notes of sweet cream.

A lower quality white chocolate bar is sweeter. This sweetest is due to the increased amount of sugar and the decreased amount of cocoa butter used. This quality grade is common in mass-produced white chocolate products because sugar is a cheaper ingredient than cocoa butter.

There you have it—mystery solved! While we’ll likely always refer to white chocolate, as chocolate, now we know that by definition it isn’t truly real chocolate. If you’re looking to indulge in a high-quality, delicious, and affordable treat, click here to find and try some of the best white chocolate in Singapore!