Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe
This easy recipe for healthy homemade chocolate bars makes delicious dark chocolate that melts in your mouth. Only three ingredients! It’s perfect to use as a Paleo-friendly or refined sugar-free alternative in any recipes calling for chocolate chips or chunks. You can also use this recipe for homemade vegan chocolate bars!
I’m super excited to be sharing this post with you today, because it’s such an easy recipe that creates the most delicious, melt in your mouth chocolate. You can snack on it when you need to fix a chocolate craving, and it’s also perfect to use in place of traditional sweetened chocolate chunks for baked goods.
I’ve used these paleo chocolate chunks in my Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread and my Paleo Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bread, and they stay melty and delicious.
You could also use it in my Paleo Chocolate Chunk Cookies or Paleo Chocolate Chunk Blondies…you see, I use these chunks in a whole lot of delicious ways, and they couldn’t be easier to make.
Ingredients for homemade chocolate
You only need three ingredients to make this recipe, with two optional additions!
- Cacao Butter or Coconut Oil: whichever of these you choose is the base of the chocolate. See below for more details about the differences, but if you go with coconut oil, make sure to use refined for no coconut flavor.
- Maple Syrup: for sweetness! You can also use honey or another liquid sweetener if you prefer. I recommend sticking with liquid sweeteners here, because granulated sweeteners can be gritty.
- Cacao or Cocoa Powder: either will work – cacao is just a raw version of cocoa.
- Vanilla Extract: this adds a little extra flavor, but it will still be delicious if you don’t add it.
- Salt: I love a little salt in everything, but skip it if you don’t!
Cacao Butter vs. Coconut Oil
Cacao butter, or cocoa butter (cacao is just the raw version of cocoa), is made from the cacao tree and is the traditional base of chocolate. Coconut oil comes from the coconut plant, and tastes coconutty unless you get the refined version. I prefer cacao butter for this recipe but it can be more expensive and harder to find.
- Cacao butter (or cocoa butter) will result in a firmer, more shelf-stable chocolate, whereas coconut oil will need to be stored in the fridge and will melt more easily.
- If using coconut oil, make sure to use refined coconut oil to avoid any coconut flavors (unless that’s what you want!).
- Cacao butter chocolate will bake into treats a bit better, and stay firmer, though both will work.
How to make healthy homemade chocolate
This homemade chocolate could not be easier to make!
- Melt the coconut oil or cacao butter in the microwave or over the stove. If you’re using cacao butter and choose to melt over the stove, I recommend using a double boiler to prevent the cacao butter from burning.
- Once melted, add good quality cocoa or cacao powder, maple syrup, if you’d like a sprinkle of salt and/or a splash of vanilla extract, and whisk it together.
- Pour into a pan or chocolate bar mold and add any toppings if using.
- Place the chocolate in the fridge to set. If using for a recipe, chop into chunks to use and enjoy as you’d like!
Want to make homemade chocolate bars? Use a chocolate bar mold and chill until solid. You can (and should) add any of your favorite mix-ins to this, like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, or a nut butter swirl. The limits are endless!
Where to store this homemade chocolate
I recommend you keep this homemade chocolate in fridge, especially if you used the coconut oil base, because in a hot kitchen they’ll melt into chocolate flavored coconut oil, which isn’t what we’re after! It will be more shelf-stable if you use the cacao butter, but still avoid keeping it in a warm spot, the way you would with any chocolate.
This seriously tastes like delicious dark chocolate, but there’s the benefit of knowing exactly what went into it. You can adjust the honey or cocoa amounts to make it darker or sweeter to suit your tastes.
Now you don’t have to guess whether your chocolate is dairy-free, or refined sugar-free, or vegan, or Paleo-friendly. You know that it is! Try it out – I think you’ll be impressed with how easy it is to make chocolate yourself. Enjoy!
Use your homemade chocolate in these recipes…
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (with a Vegan Option)
This recipe for Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies is my go-to cookie recipe! My taste testers had no idea these cookies were gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free! This is one of my most popular recipes. You can easily make the cookies vegan.
Fudgy Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies
These Vegan Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies have a 10 minute prep time and are better than a box mix! They are naturally sweetened, dairy-free, super-rich, fudgy, and satisfying.
Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
These Vegan Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, pressed into perfectly portable chewy bars! This easy vegan dessert will become a hit, and they only take 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
Healthy Homemade Chocolate (Bars and Chunks)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 seconds
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups chocolate chunks 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy recipe for homemade Homemade Chocolate Chunks makes delicious dark chocolate that melts in your mouth with only three ingredients! It’s perfect to use as a Paleo-friendly or refined sugar-free alternative in any recipes calling for chocolate chips or chunks.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cacao butter (163g) or refined coconut oil (172g),cacao butter will result in a firmer chocolate that bakes better whereas coconut oil will be softer and melt more easily
- 3/4 cup (64g) cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (111g) maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, optional
Instructions
-
First, melt the cacao butter or coconut oil. If using cacao butter, I recommend melting it in a double boiler over low heat. Coconut oil can be melted in a saucepan on low heat. You can also melt either in the microwave. Start by heating for about 30 seconds, stir, and heat in 15 second increments, stirring between each, until melted.
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Stir the cocoa powder, maple syrup or honey, and if using, vanilla extract and salt, into the melted cacao butter or coconut oil until completely smooth.
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Pour the mixture into a lined baking pan or sheet, or to make homemade chocolate bars, pour into a chocolate bar mold. You can add extras like nuts, dried fruit, or coconut either mixed into the chocolate or placed on top of the still-warm chocolate.
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Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. If you’ll be using the chocolate for baking, chop it into chunks. Store in the refrigerator.
I have been wanting to try a recipe like this. Thanks for sharing!
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
Rachel! You are a mind reader. I was thinking earlier today that I might email you and ask you what your favorite paleo chocolate chips are, haha. I have to develop some paleo recipes at work and have zero clue what I’m doing. I’ll have to try this for sure!
Haha yay glad I could help!! :) If you ever have questions about paleo baking, shoot me an email. I’m happy to help!
This is my favorite way to make chocolate! It’s so delicious and creamy and ugh so perfect!
This sounds awesome and the chunks look super creamy and natural!
I love how easy this is! I already have all these ingredients. Now I’ll never be without chocolate : )
THIS IS GENIUS! Totally going to try it!
I dont use maple syrup i only use stevia or xylitol, can i still make it what would be the qty i have to use?
Hi Eliana. I don’t use stevia or xylitol frequently enough to recommend an amount. I would recommend using stevia drops and tasting as you add them so you can sweeten to taste. Enjoy!
Can you use Honey or the Maple Syrup?
Honey or maple syrup would work!
Turned out awesome, and it is simple. I have made something similar to this, but used honey. I like maple syrup a lot better. If you add a little coconut milk to this, it makes an awesome hot fudge.
The hot fudge is a great suggestion! So glad you like the recipe, Amy. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Rachel-
I can’t wait to make these!! but I have 2 questions…
1) What brand cocoa powder you use / recommend?
2) if I like dark chocolate (more on the bitter-side than sweet) then would it be okay for me to reduce the amount of maple syrup/honey/agave I use? (just want to make sure it won’t affect the consistency
Thank you!
Hi Tina! I’ve used a bunch of different brands of cocoa powder for the recipe (I make it ALL the time) and all of them have worked. Whatever you have on hand should do the job! About the sweetness, start with one tablespoon of sweetener and go from there – it won’t affect the texture so do it to taste. Enjoy!
Can you use cacao powder instead?
Yes, absolutely!
Rachel can we use any other oil or butter?
reply plz.
I haven’t tried it with anything other can coconut oil. You would need an oil that solidifies at a cool room temperature for this recipe to work…I can’t think of any that would do the job besides coconut oil. Sorry!
Cocoa butter?
I can’t believe I didn’t think of that – cocoa butter would certainly work! Thanks, Kari.
Ghee?
Are you asking if you can sub ghee? I wouldn’t recommend it – the flavor would be buttery, which isn’t what we’re looking for here.
Can I substitute the maple or honey for coconut sugar? If so, do you know how much I would use?
Hi Farrah – I wouldn’t recommend substituting coconut sugar because I don’t think it would fully dissolve, leaving your chocolate gritty. If you did want to try it, I would use an equal amounts and maybe cook the sugar in the coconut oil over low heat to try and dissolve it before mixing with the cocoa powder. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Update: I did try making a syrup first with coconut sugar and water and it wouldn’t fully dissolve and it did not work! I did try the recipe again using coconut nectar and it turned out amazing. If you’re looking for a lower glycemic sweetener like I was, for my diabetic family, the coconut nectar worked perfectly. I used the same amounts suggested for the maple or honey and it worked out great.
This is an awesome tip!! Cannot wait to make this chocolate!!!
I know this is a really late reply, but I did it with coconut sugar and it worked great. I tweaked it a little bit but subbing 2TB unsalted butter and 1TB cream for 3 TB of the cocoa butter. I heated them in the microwave before adding to the cocoa powder/coconut sugar mixture. The key for me was using a food processor. Mixing by hand didn’t work AT ALL.
Thanks for the feedback and helpful tip!
Hey Rachel can I substitute the honey/maple syrup for just normal sugar? Perhaps maybe stirred in with a tiny bit of water??
I haven’t ever tried that, so I’m not sure how it would affect it and couldn’t say confidently whether or not it would work. You’re welcome to try and see how it goes, you’ll just want to pulverize the sugar super well or dissolve it a bit so it’s not grainy.
Hi! Would the chunks not melt in baked cookies or bread since it is just basically coconut oil?? Or do the chunks stay intact?
Hi Laura – they don’t stay exactly like regular chocolate chunks but they won’t entirely melt into the cookies or bread.
Any suggestions to make it more like milk chocolate and still adhere to paleo standards?? Perhaps some unsweetened almond milk?
Hi Eric – I think almond milk would probably thin it out too much. I’d try melting down some coconut cream with the coconut oil to give it a milkier texture. I haven’t tried it though, so I’m not sure about amounts or anything. Report back if you’re successful! :)
I’m almost speechless at how simple and amazing this is! Super quick for my in a pinch chocolate fix needs. Thanks!
So glad you like it!! Thanks for the feedback Kaley.
Hi there – need your help please
I made your recipe but seem to have failed as the honey all sank to the bottom, when it had set – did i do something wrong?
Please help
thanks
How odd – I haven’t heard of that happening before. Did you make sure the honey was fully incorporated into the mixture before pouring it? Was your honey granular at all? That’s all I can think of…I do normally make this with maple syrup.
Thanks for this great recipe! It’s so easy and the ingredients are staples in my pantry. The chocolate has a slight coconut smell and definitive coconut flavor when raw. We’ll see how it bakes up, though – I may never buy chocolate chips again!
I made this with raw honey and had the same issue Carol mentioned. Constant stirring of the bottom using a silicone spatula and freezing instead of refrigerating seemed to reduce separation. I then ran hot water over the bar to melt off the coconut oil that did separate. Maybe processed honey works better?
I’m excited to try this with maple syrup – perhaps it will mask the coconut and hopefully it won’t separate. Thanks, again!
Hi Brynn! I’ve been meaning to update this recipe that I now love using cacao butter in place of the coconut oil – it’s way more stable, and tastes like CHOCOLATE instead of coconut, so I think you’d love it! Also, I do prefer maple syrup in this recipe – I find the flavor to be less noticeable than honey!
To substitute cacao butter for the coconut oil, would I melt it before measuring out 3/4 cup or measure out chunks before melting……I didn’t know if that’s would make a difference or not….?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Christy, I usually guesstimate my measurements for cacao butter and then melt it down in a liquid measuring cup so I can get rid of any extra if I melted too much. Hope this helps, enjoy!
Do you have the calories for this?
Hi Jessi, I just updated the recipe with the nutritional information.
Hi there,
I’m extremely new to Paleo diet & checking out lots of web sites I came across your Paleo Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread which looked delish, it took me to your Paleo Chocolate Chunks my question to you is How do you measure coconut oil?
Hi Mary, I melt it in a liquid measuring cup and use it to measure out what I need!
This recipe chocolate paleo chip recipe is easy to make and delicious! I will definitely make this again instead of buying chocolate chips.
So glad you’re enjoying them. Thanks Jacqueline!
These are awesome!! Just made my first batch. I love that it uses ingredients I always have in my pantry so I can make whenever I need! And it was so quick to make!! Thank you!!
So thrilled to hear that, Steph! Enjoy :)
Is their a difference in using cacao powder vs cocoa powder?
You can use either here, cacao is just a raw form of cocoa (which has been heated to high temps).
I grow my own stevia….can I use stevia to sweeten instead of honey or maple syrup?
Hi Mary, I’m not sure how you would process fresh stevia to be the right texture to incorporate here, especially since the maple syrup provides some bulk to the recipe. I haven’t ever used fresh stevia so unfortunately I can’t be much help here, sorry!
Would this keep in the freezer if I wanted to store some for later?
Yes it definitely would!
My thirteen years old daughter and I loved this. Thanks for the recipe! I will be making it again. I have made similar recipes with honey but really like how it turned out with maple syrup.
So thrilled you’re enjoying the chocolate, Megan! Thanks for your feedback :)
Just mixed this together and set in refrigerator to cool. Cannot wait to test it out in a banana bread tomorrow!!!
I hope you love them!! Enjoy.
This chocolate is so good!!!
So happy you’re loving it! Thanks for your feedback April.
This works great with rice malt syrup as the sweetener :-)
Thanks for letting me know, J!
Hello! I was very excited to try this recipe but I don’t know what happened but mine separated and the maple syrup sank to the bottom. :( It tastes great but it’s just not solid all the way through. I did see other people had separation issues so I’ll try it again later and use the freezer instead of the fridge.. I wasn’t sure if the 3/4 cup coconut oil was supposed to be a melted measurement or solid so maybe that contributed?
Hi Hima, sorry you had issues! I’ve found for separating, it helps to let it cool on the counter for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to mix everything back up, and THEN pouring into the mold/pan to finish setting in the fridge really helps (I haven’t had issues with this recipe separating personally, but it’s helped for a vegan white chocolate recipe I’m working on :)). The coconut is melted as part of the recipe, so it doesn’t matter how it starts out. Hope this helps!
Would coconut nectar work in the place of maple syrup?
I haven’t tried it so no guarantees, but it should be fine.
Hi There… if I wanted to add a “flavor”, say Lavender… how best would I incorporate it into your recipe?
Hi Josh, I’d recommend using a flavored oil (like edible essential oils) to flavor the chocolate!
Thanks! With regard to this recipe, can you advise “how much” essential oil should be added? Also do you think ghee can be swapped in for coconut oil 1:1?
Hi Josh! I’m obv not Rachel but 1-2 drops is the amount I added and it tasted fine. ( Sorry but I don’t know the answer to your second question. Maybe research a bit to see other peoples advice on that. ) Hopefully that helped!
Hi, when you say coconut oil, do you mean refined or unrefined? I never know which one is intended in paleo recipes because I think unrefined is the only one that is considered paleo, but it has the coconut flavor. Thanks.
Hi Amanda, either is fine! I’ve never heard that refined coconut oil isn’t paleo, but that’s what I’d use if you’re sensitive to the coconut flavor.
This recipe is amazing! I love how it turns out and how fast and easy it is to make! I have had it separate a few times so I am going to try letting it cool before I pour and refrigerate. Definitely a paleo game changer! No more $7 paleo chocolate bars for me! Home made all the way!
Yay so glad you’re enjoying them, Laura!! Thanks so much for your feedback :)
This recipe is a life saver! A family member was diagnosed with MS last November and we were advised to switch him to a paleo diet. He would have a low calorie fudge bar every night but had to stop with his small, sweet vice because they are not paleo. I made him a batch of this chocolate, and we both could not believe how great this chocolate really is. Thank you!!
So thrilled to hear that this can be a sweet treat for your family member to enjoy, and so kind of you to make it for him!
I love this recipe so much!!!! Would you recommend using it as “baking chocolate” in brownies?
It does get a little melty, but if you substitute cacao butter for the coconut oil, it holds up well in baking!
Hi Rachel, i used this chocolate to prepare pecan oat cookies but the chocolate melted in the oven making the cookie dough runny. The end result was that the cookie could not hold to itself and would fall apart .
Hi Matma, this works better when there’s not a ton of chocolate in the cookie! You can also use cacao butter instead of the coconut oil to raise the melting point so it doesn’t get so gooey.
Add chia seeds and maybe a nut of some kind to make it a treat, yes, no, maybe?
Absolutely!! Will be like a homemade chocolate bar.
Best chocolate ever I started on paleo in March and thought I couldn’t eat chocolate lol now it’s my favourite
Yay so glad you’re loving it!!
I don’t think I will ever go back to buying chocolate chips again. This is the easiest recipe and the chocolate tastes so good! Thank you, Bakerita!
Yay so glad you’re loving it!!
Hi Rachel,definitely going to try this out. Will these work in cookies and is the nutrition info for the whole 2 cups of chocolate?
Thanks
Angela
Hi Angela, I need to adjust that nutritional info since that doesn’t seem correct, but yes these will work in cookies! :) enjoy!
Thank you Rachel
Would this work with a solid sugar free sweetener like erythritol? Are the proportions of the other ingredients made with the soupiness of honey or maple syrup in mind?
Hi Karen, yes the other ingredients do account for the liquid of the maple syrup/honey. I haven’t tried it with a solid sugar-free sweetener so unfortunately, I can’t provide guidance as to how it would work. Of course, you’re welcome to try it – you could halve or quarter the recipe to experiment to not waste too many ingredients in case it doesn’t work well.
This was a great recipe! I used half cacao butter and half ghee and it was to top some coconut bars that would be in the heat, and it turned out perfect. The bars were kept in the fridge until serving time and the chocolate shell topping held up.
Sounds fabulous, so glad you enjoyed it, Cindy!
Can you use these homemade chocolate chunks for making chocolate chip cookies?
Hi Renee, you certainly can :)
Hello! I have long loved your paleo chocolate chip cookies. A real crowd pleaser!
This is the exact recipe I have been using for making chocolate trwats. Glad I found yours. I read a commenter’s question about the honey sinking to the bottom. That happened with my early batches.
I happily discovered that letting the chocolate cool to room temp before refrigerating solves the problem.
I also often pour the chocolate into mini muffin cups to make small candies. Adding coconut to the bottom of each cup is delish as well.
I found Navitas cacao and cacao butter to be delicious and cleaner from heavy metals than other brands.
Thanks for the yummy recipes!
Thanks so much for sharing this helpful tip, Lynne! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe :)
So easy! I whip this up and sprinkle nuts on it for a bark. Easiest dessert to bring to a party! I’m going to add coconut flakes next!
Yum!! So glad you’re loving it, Erica.
This recipe worked soooo well! I put the chunks into cookies and my friends LOVED it. Thank you so much for this recipe! ❤❤❤
So glad you loved it, Elizah! Thanks for the review :)
This is a Great recipe. The first day the chocolate is creamy and smooth but every day after that it gets a little more grainy. Any suggestions?
I forgot to tell you that I use cacao powder instead of Cocoa powder. Would that make a difference?
The cocoa powder vs cacao powder shouldn’t make it more grainy. How are you storing it?
I either store the chocolate in refrig or on the counter. It doesn’t seem to matter. Each batch I make seems to be different. It Has to have something to do with the ingredients or how I’m melting the butter.
I started making my own chocolate when I “went down that rabbit hole” on the internet and found out that cacao from S. America and Central America has Cadmium and Lead in it. I get my cacao from Sierra Leone. Also the cacao butter. I started getting the butter in “pellets” otherwise they were in “chunks” which is harder to measure. I’m going back to the “chunks” I think the chocolate was better then.
How do you melt the butter? I’ve done it one the stove And in the microwave. Could I be getting the butter to too high of a temp? Would that cause graininess?
Thanks for listening ;)
This is interesting! What company do you buy your cacao from?
Good but you should change the honey amount to 1/2 cup!
You can use as much as your preference is – I prefer a darker, less sweet chocolate so this amount works well for my tastes.
I’ve been making these for years!! My friend group refers to them as crack chocolate because it’s so addictive. I always mix PB or almond butter through it as well
Yess love it, sounds so good!!
Hi was just wondering can i use coconut butter for this recipe please.
Hi Helen, yes that should work just fine, you’ll just have more coconut flavor and a little coconutty texture depending on how smooth the butter is.
I made these last week and loved them. I used 1/4 of recipe (1 cup chunked) to make the chocolate chip cookies (also delicious!). I cut the remainder from the sheet pan into thirds, wrapped in wax paper, then placed each in a quart-sized freezer bags, and popped them into the freezer. So, the recipe makes enough for 4 batches of cookies. That’s WAAAAAY cheaper than store-bought paleo chocolate chips!! This week I took out one portion, let it soften, mixed unsweetened coconut and slivered almonds into it. Then I put them in the fridge to reset. I now have Almond Joy bars!! They’re yummy too!!
Thanks so much for the review, Eliza. Your mix-ins sound fabulous!
I had trouble with this recipe. I warmed up the cacao butter in a double boiler, and then mixed the other ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then I added them to the melted cacao butter and it did not want to mix together. I had to pull out my immersion blender and really work to finally get it to incorporate and then it still wasn’t smooth and creamy. Any idea what I did wrong? Thanks!
Hi Chels, I would recommend mixing the ingredients right into the cacao butter as recommended, I imagine mixing the sweetener and cacao powder together first would thicken that mixture enough that it would become pretty lumpy and make it harder to incorporate into the cacao butter. I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be smooth and creamy – was the maple syrup cold enough that it could have solidified some of the cacao butter?
Okay I’ll try that next time!! My maple syrup was cold – right out of the fridge so maybe that was the culprit too! I’ll try it again sometime and let you know!! Thank you so much for your reply!!!
Hi Chels, I’m guessing that was it! If you keep your syrup in the fridge, you can add it in with the cacao butter while it’s melting to heat it up.
Hello, How do you think this recipe would work as melting chocolate to dip things like cookies and cake pucks?
It should work perfectly! Before it’s set it’s just like melted chocolate, and it can always be remelted.
Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try this.
Can’t wait to make these. What size baking pan should I use? I don’t have chocolate molds.
Depends on the thickness you’re after, I usually use a small rectangle pan (like a loaf pan) or an 8×8 square baking dish.
It worked perfectly! Thanks ( from a 7th grader (girl) )
So glad it turned out well for you, Kezia!