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Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

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chocolate recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

If there’s one guilty pleasure all moms enjoy, it’s chocolate! Thankfully there’s a way to justify indulging a little because chocolate (like wine) has some fantastic health benefits. The key is to choose quality chocolate from the right sources … or make your own homemade chocolate recipe.

It’s quick and easy and you have total control over the ingredients (and maybe even get to lick the spoon!). This recipe takes just a few ingredients. Melt over the stove, pour into molds, and … there you have it! The best chocolate that’s also healthy.

Why a Homemade Chocolate Recipe is the Best

It turns out that there are biological reasons why women crave chocolate. It may be for the magnesium boost (yes, chocolate contains magnesium). Or it could be for the feel-good serotonin and dopamine release that helps mood and sleep.

All chocolate is not created equal and most store-bought chocolate brands contain a lot more than cocoa powder. High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, soy lecithin, artificial flavoring, and carrageenan make the list of objectionable ingredients in many commercial brands.

Then there’s the sugar content, which is a problem … just 1/3 of a Cadbury chocolate bar has 22 grams of sugar. That’s not to mention white chocolate which is made with milk powder, cacao butter, and lots and lots of sugar.

Thankfully more brands are making healthy chocolate options with less sugar and quality ingredients. One of my favorites is Spring and Mulberry. It’s sweetened only with dates (no refined sugars!) and they have delicious flavors like lavender rose, pear and ginger, and mixed berry.

Making your own is cheaper though, and you can easily control the ingredients.

You can stock up on the few ingredients needed to make chocolate (as well as a few silicone candy molds to make fun shapes). It’s a delicious way to whip up a batch of healthy chocolate!

How to Make Chocolate at Home

In search of a GAPS friendly (and gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.) healthy chocolate, I realized I wanted to make my own. This homemade version is smooth and delicious. You can avoid the artificial ingredients when you make your own chocolate from scratch.

Some recipes just involve melting semisweet chocolate chips, but then you’ll still need to search for a healthy chocolate to start with. Instead, I opted for unsweetened cocoa powder as the base.

If it’s your first time making chocolate, here’s how to do it step by step.

Making chocolate at home involves melting cocoa butter, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla on the stove. I use a double boiler (or heat-safe bowl set over a pan with water). Next, you’ll pour the chocolate recipe into molds for it to set.

Choosing a Shape

I used these silicone heart molds to make fun bite-size chocolates (great gift idea!). This mini loaf pan is great for bar sizes. You can even find silicone molds in a chocolate bar shape if you want to be really authentic!

I’m gifting little jars of homemade heart chocolates for Easter this year. They’re great for Christmas, St. Nicholas Day, and other holiday gifts too! You can easily find silicone molds that match any holiday theme (or just make bars).

Different Flavor Options For Homemade Chocolate

Our family prefers the taste of dark chocolate over milk chocolate so the chocolate recipe isn’t overly sweet. If you prefer a bittersweet bar then reduce the honey to 1/4 cup for a more intense chocolate flavor. It’s easy to add a variety of different flavors and mix-ins to create a specialty taste.

Here are some flavor options to try!

  • Mix in dried fruit
  • Add a pinch of salt to the chocolate mix for a sweet and salty taste
  • Add chopped-up marshmallows to the molds before pouring the chocolate in
  • Try some healthy trail mix sprinkled on top
  • Add coconut flakes or chopped nuts
  • Use herbs like lavender or rose petals
  • Flavor it with peppermint, orange, lemon, almond, or vanilla extract
  • Add a teaspoon of brewed espresso for a mocha bar
chocolate recipe

Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

A simple and delicious homemade chocolate that’s GAPS, paleo, and kid-approved! Customize the recipe to make your favorite flavor.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Cooling Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Calories 529kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

5 bars

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a double boiler on the stovetop, melt the cocoa butter over medium-low heat. You can also use a glass bowl on top of a small pan with a few inches of water in the bottom. Be sure the boiling water doesn’t get into the bowl!
  • Once the cocoa butter is melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, vanilla, and other flavor extracts.
  • Allow the mixture to cool slightly. When it’s the same thickness as the honey you’re using, stir in the honey. If using a solid raw honey, melt with the cocoa butter.
  • Make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. Be careful not to get any water or moisture in the chocolate recipe or it will get grainy!
  • Pour the chocolate into silicone molds or a glass pan to harden. You can also pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Let chocolate harden for several hours at room temperature until firm and remove from the molds. You can also stick it in the refrigerator to harden more quickly.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 529 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 27g169%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4g
Monounsaturated Fat 15.4g
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 280mg8%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • These chocolates will stay fresh for over a week at room temperature or in the refrigerator for longer. They can also be frozen.
  • The nutrition data is for 1 chocolate bar but will depend on the size mold you use and how much of the bar you eat. 

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

This healthy homemade chocolate recipe is easy to make and healthy. It uses honey instead of sugar with cocoa butter and is GAPS, paleo and primal approved!

More Chocolate Recipe Tips

You can use coconut oil instead of cocoa butter. This makes a really healthy chocolate, but it won’t be as thick or creamy (but it’s still very good!). If you use coconut oil, I recommend hardening and storing them in the fridge. This is one easy way to add coconut oil and magnesium to your daily diet!

I’ve melted the mixture in a small pan on very low heat and haven’t had a problem, but it’s not as reliable as the double boiler method. 

Looking for More Homemade Chocolate Recipes? Try:

Have you ever made chocolate at home? What are your favorite flavors? Share below!

Sources

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

325 responses to “Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe”

  1. Bobby Avatar

    I’d love to try this chocolate recipe, it sounds lovely and wholesome 🙂
    I noticed you don’t give any specific temperature directions. I’ve always been told that in order to make a quality chocolate bar I need to “temper” the chocolate at a narrow temperature range (88F – 91F for dark chocolate and slightly lower for milk chocolate). This makes the chocolate smooth and glossy and prevents that chalky taste/texture that can develop at higher temps. Do you find this recipe works well without tempering? Many thanks!!

  2. Sara Avatar

    Hi Katie!

    Could you please update the cocoa powder link – it goes right to the cocoa butter.

    What are your thoughts on cacao over cocoa?

    Have you tried this with Stevia rather than honey? If so, how did you change the recipe?

    I can’t wait to try this!

    Thank you in advance!

    1. Katie Wells Avatar

      I have not tried. I would guess it would yield more of a fudge like texture compared to cocoa butter but it would be worth a try.

  3. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    5 stars
    Hi, I keep saying I’m going to try this and the 1 cup of cocoa butter stops me. Do you melt the butter, then measure? I wasn’t sure how to measure the chunks of raw cocoa butter.
    Thank you.

  4. Terri Avatar

    Could you please give the cocoa butter amount in weight rather than cups? My cocoa butter is in large chunks so it’s difficult to measure accurately that way. I’m new to cocoa butter. Lol
    Thanks!

  5. Joyce Avatar

    Katie, this may be too far off topic, but it does relate directly to your brownie recipe. If it is, please email me if you have any info worth sharing.

    I LOVE brownies, and I subscribe to Consumer Labs. Back in 2014, I was really surprised to learn how much cadmium and how few flavonals (sp) are in cocoa powders and in most bar chocolates, especially the organic ones! We used to put a T. of raw organic cacao powder in our daily smoothies for years, believing it was a super food with no downside. We stopped. Our brand was extremely high in cadmium.

    After just re-checking what is the healthiest type of chocolate powder to use in my favorite vegan brownie recipe, I found that Consumer Labs still doesn’t approve of any cocoa powder since testing more of them in 2017. So, I’m going to adapt my recipe to use their highest recommended bar chocalate instead, made by The Endangered Species.

    I wonder if you have ever checked out the heavy metal content of chocolate yourself and if you may know more than I have learned so far. I’m having memory and cognitive problems at Age 67, so I want to be very careful with foods I eat regularly, like very dark chocolate – which I’m now craving daily. (May actually be due to a mg. deficiency since I recently cut back on it.)

    Just FYI, the chocolate bar I am going to use is the one most highly recommend by Consumer Labs and made by Endangered Species with 88% cocao. It is VERY high in flavonals while very low in calories, extremely low in cadmium (with no lead), and is also Fair Trade. Yay!

    Because the flavonals in chocolate are so good for the brain and heart, I’m going to start supplementing my diet with 1 oz. a day of this same bar of chocolate with a cup of plain coffee. A most delicious afternoon pick-me-up!

    Do you think it’s a good idea to look into this yourself and recommend a certain type of chocolate in your recipes that use it? So few people know that consuming many kinds of chocolate can be harmful because the cadmium they contain is very toxic and builds up in the body over the years, like mercury and lead. Adding insult to injury, the most delicious chocolates are actually almost devoid of the flavonals that make chocolate so heathful!

    I’m not rating your recipe because I haven’t tried it yet. It looks very good, though!

  6. Jamie Brooks Avatar
    Jamie Brooks

    Is there a way to make this chocolate without the honey? I generally use natural sugars that are equal to sugar alcohols or do not cause blood sugars to spike. Also, if I wanted this to taste closer to milk chocolate, how much cocoa butter and cacao powder should I use? Thank you!

  7. Vita Avatar

    5 stars
    I’ve been using a similar recipe for my homemade chocolate for long time now too. I use 120 grams raw cacao butter, 90 grams raw cacao powder, 2 Tbsp raw honey, 1/4 tsp organic vanilla extract. I hear everything on a double boiler, and pour into my molds. Comes out perfect every time! And it’s easy to double the recipe when I need to make a lot for holidays. 🙂 Merry Christmas! I love your site!

  8. Jamie Avatar

    Can a natural sugar replacement be used instead of honey (swerve, erythritol, xylitol, or monk fruit, etc)?

  9. Richard Avatar

    I would use less then 1/4 cup of honey ? bc the chocolate ? will come out very very soft if you use 1/2 honey! This recipe is more like a truffle

  10. Faith Avatar

    I was wondering if the cocoa butter needs to be melted before measuring, or just pour the chunks into the measuring glass to equal 1 cup? Thanks!

  11. Katie Avatar

    Yay! About to give this a go. Chocolate is the one thing I cant give up (only have it occasionally) but have terrible inflammation from the regular stuff. Hopefully this will hit the sweet spot cravings for me without the negative side effects. I’m loving the idea of adding peppermint extract.

  12. Joseph Anderson Avatar
    Joseph Anderson

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I also add two teaspoons of cinnamon, and one teaspoon of both cayenne pepper and ginger to give it a Mexican spin! I also use maple syrup instead of honey to cut back on the bad aftertaste. Can you use milk/heavy cream in this to make it like milk chocolate?

  13. Karen Avatar

    Hope it turns out better than mine. I tried it and it tasted awful. Wrote on here for suggestions, but no one responded?

4.37 from 129 votes (60 ratings without comment)

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