• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

join the eatmail for exclusive recipes & meal ideas

Join now

Subscribe for new recipes, meal plans & 3 free ebooks!

  • About
  • Contact

Live Eat Learn

Easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time

free ebook

Subscribe for new recipes, meal plans & 3 free ebooks!

  • Recipe Index
  • Vegetarian 101
  • Travel
  • Meal Plans
  • Course
    • Breakfasts
    • Lunches
    • Dinners
    • Appetizers
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Low Carb
    • Paleo
    • Raw
    • Vegan
  • Season
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
  • Ingredient
    • Avocado
    • Bean
    • Cauliflower
    • Chickpeas
    • Eggplant
    • Mushroom
    • Tofu
    • Quinoa
    • View All
  • Collections
    • All Time Favorites
    • Air Frying
    • Budget Friendly
    • Comfort Food
    • High Protein
    • Meal Prep
    • Meatless Monday
    • Quick Dinners
    • View All
  • Visit our kombucha site
Home Learn Featured Ingredients

Cocoa 101

Share
Share on:
By: Sarah BondUpdated: Sep 01, 2019 1 Comment

This post contains affiliate links.

Everything you need to know about cocoa, including how it's made, varieties, how to store it, and nutrition information for cocoa powder.

We’re getting back into the swing of things with a new spotlight ingredient…chocolate! Well, cocoa. Or more formally, cacao. Okay, let’s just jump right to it so I can explain. Prepare yourself for a tasty week!

Chocolate bar on a white background

What is Cocoa?

Cocoa is the delicious result of fermented and roasted cacao beans, which are basically the seeds of the cacao tree. These seeds are native to the Americans, and were even once used as currency (that’s my kind of society). Nowadays, 70% of the cacao in the world is grown in West Africa and is then shipped off to be made into chocolate.

Close up photo of cocoa powder with chocolate bars

How is chocolate made?

The cacao seeds are fermented for about a week, dried, then roasted. After it’s roasted, we call this cocoa! The cocoa seeds, or nibs, are then ground into a paste, sort of like nut butter, consisting of the butter and solids. The solids are what will be used to make chocolate, along with milk, sugar, and a bit of cocoa butter.

Close up photo of cocoa powder

Varieties of chocolate

  • Cacao nibs and powder: This is the raw, unroasted cacao seed. It’s a lot more bitter than roasted cocoa but retains more of its nutrients.
  • Cocoa nibs and powder: Cocoa is the roasted equivalent to cacao. It is less bitter and closer to what you may be used to eating and cooking with.
  • Dutched Cocoa Powder: This is alkalized cocoa powder, meaning it has a more neutral pH and is less bitter than regular cocoa powder. It dissolves easily so it’s great for making hot cocoa!
  • Dark Chocolate: Cocoa + Cocoa butter + Sugar
  • Milk Chocolate: Cocoa + Cocoa butter + Sugar + Milk
  • White Chocolate: Cocoa butter + Sugar + Milk

How to Store Chocolate

Chocolate bars should be stored at around 65 degrees F. Milk chocolate will last for about one year, dark chocolate for 2 years. If refrigerating (like if your house is too warm), keep in airtight container or bag. Cocoa powder lasts about 1 year once opened, though this is really just a best-by date, as it doesn’t really go bad.

Cocoa powder on a spoon on a white background

Cocoa Nutrition Information

per 1 cup (86 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

  • Calories: 196
  • Carbohydrates: 50 g
  • Fiber: 29 g, 114% of Daily Value (DV)
  • Protein: 17 g
  • Fat: 12 g
  • 66% DV of Iron: A major component of hemoglobin, the proteins that make up red blood cells and carry oxygen around the body. This is a non-heme source, meaning it does not come from an animal. It is not absorbed as well as heme iron.
  • 12% DV of Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): A water-soluble vitamin that acts as a component of FAD to help your body break down macronutrients in the electron transport chain, creating usable energy.
  • 11% DV of Calcium: 1% of the calcium in your body plays a vital role in vascular contraction/dilation and nerve transmission and signaling. The other 99% supports teeth and bone structure and function.
Everything you need to know about cocoa, including how it's made, varieties, how to store it, and nutrition information for cocoa powder.

You may also like...

  • Grapefruit
    Grapefruit 101
  • What is cinnamon?
    Cinnamon 101
  • Everything you need to know about cooking with beets…seasonality, variations, ways to cook them, and nutrition information.
    Beets 101
  • Bananas 101
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Rate this Recipe:




  1. Deborah says

    Posted on 4/10 at 1:12 pm

    Thank You Very Informative

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hello!

I'm Sarah

A flavor-loving nutritionist and sensory science specialist showing you how to make easy vegetarian recipes, one ingredient at a time.

Let's Meet

What's for Dinner?

A free cookbook full of our favorite vegetarian dinner recipes!

Get in now!

Subscribe for new recipes, meal plans & 3 free ebooks!

Spring Recipes

Edible Flower Spring Rolls

Asparagus noodles recipe, a low carb asparagus pasta on a red background

Asparagus Noodles with Pesto

Buddha bowl recipe with fruits and veggies in a bowl

15 Minute Buddha Bowls

Got extra greens? Make some Leafy Greens Pesto! Here are 3 recipes for carrot top, spinach, and watercress pesto (all in under 5 minutes!)

Leafy Greens Pesto (3 Ways)

Asparagus in a steaming basket - The ultimate guide on how to cook asparagus! How to cook asparagus in the oven, in the microwave, or by blanching, steaming, or sautéing.

How to Cook Asparagus (5 Ways)

Edible Flower Ice Cubes

Dinner This Week

Vegan tikka masala with naan and rice in a white bowl

M

Chickpea Tikka Masala

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

T

Roasted Chickpea Gyros

Vegan Thai red curry in a bowl on a red background

W

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Vegan nachos on a black plate on a white background - These vegan nachos are piled high with easy mushroom BBQ "pulled pork" and a cashew-based queso cheese sauce that will knock your dairy-free socks off.

R

BBQ Mushroom Pulled Pork

Roasted Cauliflower Street Tacos

F

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

Lemon risotto in a bowl with basil on a yellow background

S

Lemon Basil Risotto

As featured on:

Free Vegetarian Dinners eBook

Join our Eatmail newsletter to get a free copy of our “Dinner Is Served” Cookbook, new recipes, exclusive meal plans, and more!

Follow Along

  • Easy Vegetarian Facebook Group
  • Kombucha Brewers Facebook Group
Back to Top
  • Web Stories
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Collaborate
© 2022 Live Eat Learn
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Support by Foodie Digital