Raw Vegan Chocolate
This homemade cashew chocolate comes together with just a handful of pantry ingredients and a blender, no tempering and no special chocolate-making skills required. You blend raw cashews into a fine flour, fold in melted cocoa butter, cocoa, a touch of sweetener and a pinch of salt, then press the mixture into a mold and chill it until firm. The result is a soft, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate slab that tastes far richer than the short ingredient list suggests.
I got the idea for this chocolate a few days ago, right after I made a Raw Cashew Nutella recipe I posted on SkinnyLimits’ blog. I loved that Nutella so much that I wanted to try turning it into raw bonbons and even chocolate bars. So right after I ate the whole jar (…:D), I made another batch, tweaked a few things, and turned that creamy spread into a proper chocolate. I think you’ll love it as much as I do.
The ingredients that make it work
This is built around six simple ingredients, and each one earns its place. Raw cashews are the body of the chocolate: they are mild, naturally sweet and high in fat, so once blended they turn buttery rather than gritty. Cocoa butter is what gives you that clean snap and the way the chocolate melts on your tongue; it is the same fat used in real chocolate bars. If you do not have it, melted coconut oil works as a substitute, though the texture will be a little softer. Cocoa brings the chocolate flavor, a little sweetener (I used honey, but agave or maple syrup work too) balances it, and a pinch of sea salt sharpens everything. The half teaspoon of rum is optional, just a small flavor lift if you want it.
Why this method gives you a smooth bar
The whole texture depends on two things: how finely you grind the cashews and how well the fat is incorporated. Pulsing the cashews until they reach a flour-like consistency is what keeps the finished chocolate from feeling sandy, so do not rush this step and stop before the nuts release so much oil that they clump into nut butter. The cocoa butter or coconut oil needs to be fully melted or at least creamy before it goes in, because a warm, liquid fat coats every particle of cashew flour evenly and that is what sets up into a solid, even slab once chilled. Cold fat will seize and leave you with a streaky, crumbly result.
Tips for getting it right
A gentle way to melt the cocoa butter without overheating it: preheat the oven, turn it off, open the door, and set the butter inside for about two minutes until it loosens. Line your mold (a small rectangular tart form works perfectly) with plastic foil before adding the mixture, so you can lift the whole slab out cleanly once it sets. Press and spread the composition evenly with the back of a spoon or a spatula, paying attention to the corners, then let it firm up in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it chills, the cleaner it slices.
Storing it and more treats to try
Because this chocolate is held together by cocoa butter, it stays firmest in the fridge. Keep it in an airtight container and it will hold for a week or more; for longer storage, freeze it and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. It softens quickly in a warm room, so I keep mine chilled until just before eating. If you love simple no-bake chocolate treats, you might also enjoy these raw almond chocolate truffles or these coconut-based raw vegan coconut bonbons. For something a little more dramatic, this raw chocolate and raspberry cake is a favorite, and if you simply want to see what else is possible, browse this roundup of decadent chocolate desserts.
If you make this cashew chocolate, I would love to know how it turned out. Leave a star rating and drop a comment telling me which sweetener you used or whether you added that splash of rum.
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Raw Vegan Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw
- 2 Tbsps cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp honey or agave or maple syrup
- 3 Tbsps cocoa butter raw, or coconut oil
- ½ tsp rum optional
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Put the cashews in the blender or food processor and pulse until they reach a flour-like consistency.
- Melt the cocoa butter (or coconut oil, whichever you prefer) until it has a creamy, pourable consistency. I preheated the oven, then turned it off, opened the door and left the butter inside for about 2 minutes.
- Add the melted cocoa butter, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt and your sweetener of choice over the cashew flour in the food processor. Blend well together.
- Line a rectangular form (I used a rectangular tart form) with plastic foil. Add the chocolate mixture and press and spread it out evenly.
- Place in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
As written in the recipe card it is vegetarian, not vegan, because it uses honey as the sweetener. To make it fully vegan, simply swap the honey for agave syrup or maple syrup. Every other ingredient (cashews, cocoa butter, cocoa, salt) is already plant-based.
Yes. Coconut oil is listed as a direct substitute for the cocoa butter. Cocoa butter gives a firmer, snappier bar that melts cleanly on the tongue, while coconut oil produces a softer chocolate. Either way, the fat must be melted or creamy before you blend it in.
Cashews are high in oil, so over-processing releases that oil and the flour clumps into a paste. Pulse in short bursts and stop as soon as you reach a fine, flour-like texture. A few pulses too many is all it takes to cross over into nut butter.
Chill it in the fridge for at least one hour so the cocoa butter can firm up the slab. The longer it sets, the cleaner it slices. If you are in a hurry, the freezer will speed it up, but a full hour in the fridge gives the best texture.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will hold for a week or more. Because it is bound by cocoa butter, it softens at room temperature, so serve it straight from the fridge. For longer storage, freeze it and let it sit out a few minutes before eating.
No, the rum is completely optional. It is just a half teaspoon meant to add a subtle flavor lift. Leave it out and the chocolate is still delicious, which also keeps it suitable for anyone avoiding alcohol.
One of the best raw vegan chocolate recipes I ever tried… and I tried many. I love it! 🙂
Happy to hear you liked the recipe! 😀
Fetelor, acceptati si commentul unui baiat? :p :)) am incercat si eu reteta, am folosit unt de cocos si sirop de agave, a iesit o ciocolata super-delicioasa. 🙂 abia astept sa incerc si celelalte retete. Si eu sunt vegan in devenire, de 2 ani jumate ovo.lacto.vegetarian dar de cateva saptamani incerc si stilul vegan si raw.vegan. So, congrats, Ruxandra! And thanks for sharing this deliociousness ^-^
Multumesc, Horatiu!! 😀 si felicitari pentru stilul de viata ales!
Nu mi-am imaginat vreodata ca un preparat raw vegan poate fi asa delicios! Sunt vegana de 6 luni si din pacate, abia acum 3 zile ti-am descoperit site-ul…suficient ca sa ma declar dependenta de el si retetele tale 😀 (ieri am incercat si chiftelutele cu naut…o nebunie :D). Ma bucur ca mai exista in ziua de azi, fete tinere pasionate de nutritie si “bucatareala” …ma simteam un fel de dinozaur in ultima vreme :))
Felicitari pentru tot! 🙂
Çe ma bucur ca ti-a placut!! Toate dulciurile raw sunt extraordinare! Eu nu am intalnit pana acum un desert raw care sa nu imi placa. Ma bucur ff mult ca iti plac retetele mele! De cateva saptamani am renuntat si la lactate, asa ca ma indrept cu pasi repezi catre veganism. Felicitari pentru stilul de viata sanatos! Si eu ma bucur enorm cand intalnesc persoane cu aceleasi principii ca mine si cu hobby-uri comune 🙂 Sper sa ne mai auzim!
Great blog!
Love carob instead of cocoa.
Thanks Milica! Carob is great! 😀