Types of chocolate

Chocolate is a delicious food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans. These beans are mixed with fat, like cocoa butter, and powdered sugar to create a solid treat called confectionery. There are many different kinds of chocolate, and they are grouped based on how much cocoa and fat is used in each type. Whether you enjoy milky chocolate or dark chocolate, each variety has its own special taste and texture, making chocolate a favorite around the world.

Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk and white varieties, with chocolate liquor contributing to the brown coloration.

Eating

Traditional

Main article: Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is also called plain chocolate because it does not contain milk fat. It is made from chocolate liquor, with added sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. Dark chocolate can be eaten on its own or used in cooking. Thicker baking bars with high cocoa percentages from 70% to 100% are often used in recipes. A higher cocoa content usually means a more bitter taste, but this is not always true. Many brands show the cocoa percentage on their packaging.

Dark chocolate bar

"Bittersweet chocolate" has very little sugar, about 33% of its weight, and is used for baking. "Semi-sweet chocolate" has more sugar and is a bit sweeter. The two can often be used the same way in recipes.

Main article: Milk chocolate

Milk chocolate is solid chocolate that includes milk. The flavor can vary between brands and regions depending on how the milk is handled during production, such as using powdered milk, condensed milk, or other types of milk.

In 1875, a Swiss confectioner, Daniel Peter, created solid milk chocolate using condensed milk, which was invented by his neighbor Henri Nestlé in Vevey.

Milk chocolate tablet

Main article: White chocolate

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids. It is light in color because it does not contain the non-fat parts of cocoa. Some people debate whether white chocolate should be considered true chocolate because of this. White chocolate is less popular than milk or dark chocolate and comes in various forms, such as bars, chips, and coatings for nuts. It is often paired with flavors like matcha or berries. White chocolate has a shorter shelf life and can easily absorb smells from its surroundings.

White chocolate is made by mixing ingredients into a paste, refining it into a powder, agitating it for several hours, processing it to standardize its texture and taste, and finally tempering it through heating and cooling to improve its appearance and texture.

Other

Main article: Aerated chocolate

Aerated chocolate

Aerated chocolate is made by turning chocolate into foam by adding bubbles.

Main article: Gianduja (chocolate)

Gianduja chocolate is made by mixing hazelnut butter with chocolate paste. It comes in both plain and milk versions and may include other nuts like almonds. Gianduja bars are softer than regular chocolate because of the hazelnut oil.

Gianduja bars

Main article: Organic chocolate

Organic chocolate is made from cocoa beans grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. As of 2016, organic chocolate was becoming more popular around the world.

Main article: Raw chocolate

Raw chocolate is not processed, heated, or mixed with other ingredients. It is sold in chocolate-growing countries and is often promoted as healthy. Raw chocolate contains many essential antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, including protein, iron, and fiber.

Main article: Ruby chocolate

Ruby chocolate is made from Ruby cocoa beans, giving it a red color and a sweet yet sour flavor. It was created by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company. Development began in 2004, and it was released to the public in 2017. Some chocolate experts debate whether ruby chocolate is a new type of chocolate or just a marketing idea.

Confectionery

Main article: Baking chocolate

A bar of dark baking chocolate

Baking chocolate is a type of chocolate used for making sweet foods, whether they are sweetened or not. You can find it in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate forms. Sometimes, lower quality baking chocolate might taste less flavorful and feel a bit different in your mouth.

If chocolate isn’t stored properly, it might get whitish spots called chocolate bloom. This just means the sugar or fat separated, but it’s still safe to eat.

In the US, baking chocolate with no added sugar can be called “unsweetened chocolate.”

Couverture chocolate (dark and white)

Couverture chocolate is a special, high-quality type with more cocoa butter than regular chocolate. It’s carefully prepared and used by experts for coating, dipping, molding, and adding decorations. Some well-known brands include Valrhona, Lindt & Sprüngli, Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Guittard.

Compound chocolate is made by mixing cocoa with other plant-based fats instead of cocoa butter. It’s often used to coat candy bars, but in many places, it can’t be called “chocolate.”

Modeling chocolate is a paste made by melting chocolate and mixing it with corn syrup, glucose syrup, or golden syrup. It’s mainly used by cake makers and pastry shops to decorate cakes and pastries.

By country

During the 20th century, chocolate was grouped based on where it was made. But in the 21st century, people started focusing more on where the cocoa beans came from instead.

Belgium

Main article: Belgian chocolate

Belgian chocolate isn’t about a special taste or feel — it’s about special treats called bonbons.

Belgian chocolates

France

Main article: French chocolate

French chocolate tastes like a dark roast and feels smooth.

Switzerland

Main article: Swiss chocolate

Swiss chocolate has a milky taste and a smooth feel.

Legal definitions

Internationally recognized standards for chocolate are provided by the Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization. These standards focus on the amount of cocoa solids, along with rules about cocoa butter and non-fat cocoa solids.

In Canada, chocolate products follow rules set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Canada does not allow the use of cocoa butter substitutes, and chocolate cannot contain vegetable fats or oils. Only certain sweeteners are allowed, and products with non-permitted ingredients must be labeled as something other than "chocolate".

In the European Union and the United Kingdom, there has been discussion about what counts as chocolate. In 1999, the EU decided that up to 5% of chocolate’s content could be one of six types of oil instead of cocoa butter. In Japan, chocolate products are classified by their cocoa content and other ingredients. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration sets rules for cocoa products, focusing on the amount of chocolate liquor rather than total cocoa solids. In 2007, some companies tried to ask the FDA to change the rules to allow vegetable fats and artificial sweeteners in chocolate, but this did not succeed.

Canadian requirements for chocolate
Product	Cocoa butter	Milk solids	Milk fat	Non-fat cocoa solids	Total cocoa solids
Milk chocolate	≥ 15%	≥ 12%	≥ 3.39%	≥ 2.5%	≥ 25%
Sweet chocolate	≥ 18%			≥ 12%	≥ 30%
Chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate	≥ 18%			≥ 14%	≥ 35%
White chocolate	≥ 20%	≥ 14%	≥ 3.5%

Chocolate requirements in the European Union and United Kingdom
Product	Total cocoa solids	Cocoa butter	Non-fat cocoa solids	Total fat	Milk fat	Milk solids	Flour/starch
Dark chocolate	≥ 35%	≥ 18%	≥ 14%
Couverture chocolate	≥ 35%	≥ 31%	≥ 2.5%
Chocolate vermicelli or flakes	≥ 32%	≥ 12%	≥ 14%
Milk chocolate	≥ 25%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 25%	≥ 3.5%	≥ 14%
Couverture milk chocolate	≥ 25%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 31%	≥ 3.5%	≥ 14%
Milk chocolate vermicelli or flakes	≥ 20%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 12%	≥ 3.5%	≥ 12%
Family milk chocolate	≥ 20%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 25%	≥ 5%	≥ 20%
Cream chocolate	≥ 25%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 25%	≥ 5.5%	≥ 14%
Skimmed milk chocolate	≥ 25%		≥ 2.5%	≥ 25%	≤ 1%	≥ 14%
White chocolate		≥ 20%				≥ 14%
Chocolate a la taza	≥ 35%	≥ 18%	≥ 14%				≤ 8%
Chocolate familiar a la taza	≥ 30%	≥ 18%	≥ 12%				≤ 18%

American requirements for chocolate
Product	Chocolate liquor	Milk solids	Sugar	Cocoa butter	Milk fat
Buttermilk chocolate	≥ 10%	≥ 12%
Milk chocolate	≥ 10%	≥ 12%			≥ 3.39%
Mixed dairy product chocolates	≥ 10%	≥ 12%
Skim milk chocolate	≥ 10%	≥ 12%
Sweet chocolate	≥ 15%
Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate	≥ 35%
White chocolate		≥ 14%	≤ 55%	≥ 20%	≥ 3.5%