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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)
Ingredients
- ¾ 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
- ¾ cup 64g cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup 111g maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ⅛ 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. If you’ll be using the chocolate for baking, chop it into chunks. Store in the refrigerator.
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.
Ugg. This was awful. Way too sweet. What a waste of good coco.
No need to let it go to waste. You can melt it back down and add more cacao powder to deepen the flavor until it’s the sweetness you prefer, since we all prefer different chocolate percentages!
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!
I’m reading your trouble and wonder if you might have been sold “fake” honey. Real honey will always disolve and combine with the other parts of the mixture. “Fake”honey doesnt disolve. Perhaps try the maple?
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 :)