You don’t need to be a skilled chocolatier to make your own homemade vegan milk chocolate! This easy recipe makes coconut milk chocolate with the cocoa you probably already have in your cupboard. Once you try this vegan milk chocolate recipe, I’m sure you’ll be thinking of all kinds of things you can make with it!
Try this recipe for vegan chocolate bars, chocolate-peanut butter cups, dipped pretzels, chocolate bark, s’mores, cookies … anything you can think of where chocolate would make it better! Ok, I guess chocolate would make nearly anything better!
I use coconut oil in this recipe for many reasons, not least of which, its incredible flavor. If you love the flavor of coconuts, opt for unrefined coconut oil as an ingredient; if you’re not so into coconut though, look for refined coconut oil for a neutral flavor.
For more information on the health benefits of coconut oil, hop to this comprehensive article from Well-Being Secrets. If you’d like to know more about how coconut oil can be used for skin care, hair care, toothpaste, sunscreen and so much more, hop to this article from BalanceMeBeautiful and this one from MorningChores on the many incredible things coconut oil can do.
One more note: having a candy thermometer is a really valuable tool anytime you’re handling melted chocolate (or for frying gluten free doughnuts!). For stability and so that it won’t melt so easily, you’ll want to ensure the chocolate is “tempered” by heating and cooling it to below 130F. Tempering chocolate appropriately also gives it a smoother, fine, glossy shine.
Homemade Vegan Milk Chocolate Recipe
This luscious vegan milk chocolate recipe allows you to make your own homemade chocolate with a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (111 g) cocoa powder, Dutched
- ¾ cup (160g) virgin coconut oil, room temperature
- 2/3 cup canned coconut milk (full fat is best)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 g) sifted 10x confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
Instructions
For this recipe, you will need a double boiler or a chocolate melting pot which will slowly heat the chocolate without burning it. I also find that a food processor works best to integrate the ingredients.
Start by combining the cocoa powder with the coconut oil in a large food processor or mixer. Mix until a paste is formed and there are no chunks of coconut oil remaining.
Transfer to the double boiler or chocolate melting pot and heat over medium heat while stirring constantly until thinner and smooth. While the water in the lower pot will boil, do not let the chocolate mixture boil. Stir constantly until chocolate reaches 110°–115°F.
Remove the top pan and place on a wire cooling rack or a towel to remove it from the counter's surface. Allow the chocolate to cool to around 90°–100°F.
Return the mixture to the food processor or mixing bowl and mix while adding the Coconut Milk, vanilla extract, sugar and salt. Process until totally smooth like warm fudge.
To make chocolate bars, transfer to an 8×8 baking pan (or smaller pan for thicker chocolate bars; bigger pan for thinner ones) lined with parchment or foil and smooth the top. Place in the freezer until set. The chocolate does not need to remain frozen once set, but if it is very warm outside, it will start to get softer (as chocolate does!).
To make chocolate bark, follow this chocolate bark recipe, using your homemade coconut milk chocolate.
Pin it for when those chocolate cravings hit!
Would this recipe be ok to make chocolates for my grandson who can’t have dairy or soya
Hi Gillian, absolutely this recipe would be a great one to try for him!
~jules
Hi Jules,
Can this recipe be used for choc. chip morsel in cookies?
Hi Stacy, yes, you can make this chocolate and then cut into small chunks to add to cookies. I would freeze the chunks before adding to the dough so that they stay more intact when baking, though. Enjoy!
~jules
The least i can say is AMAZING.
Wonderful!!!
~jules
Smooth and creamy. I only used half the recommended amount of sugar and the chocolate flavor was much richer. I also like to dip in peanut butter, which adds some sweetness.
Good to know, Joseph! I’m so glad you reduced the sugar for enhanced chocolate flavor and were still pleased with the results! Thanks for letting me know!!
~jules
What can we use instead of coconut oil
How much does this make? I need to substitute two cups of chopped milk chocolate. Is 1x enough??
Hi,
What should I substitute to make it taste like milk chocolate buy have no taste of coconut or almonds?
maybe soy or oat milk
Making it today for my vegan daughters Valentine. When do you cut the chocolate? Thanks.
Hi All
Can you use coconut sugrr instead of confectioners sugar?
Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t recommend it in this recipe, unless you process it to make confectioner’s sugar consistency. Here’s how: measure out half the amount of coconut sugar as confectioner’s sugar called for in the recipe. Pour it into a blender or food processor. Process until the sugar is fine and fluffy. Sift the powdered sugar if it clumps. Best to use immediately.
Just made it but I had a few adjustments that I want to share. For one, one person already commented that they used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. I did this too since the fat will make it easier to solidify. The other thing is that instead of freezing, I tempered it. There are ways to do this at home that still work and aren’t too complicated. I just wanted to point out that it’s lack of “being able to snap like a regular chocolate bar” isn’t due to its vegan-ness, but because freezing doesn’t allow for the correct crystal structure to form that later lets it be solid in room temperature (I won’t go into detail as to how to do this since there are much better sites with pictures for this. Just look up “how to temper chocolate at home”). Otherwise, great recipe! I love this
Thanks Miko – appreciate you taking time to mention the substitutions you made and of course, about the tempering chocolate. For s’mores, it’s not necessary for the chocolate to have that snap, but if you want to have the fully-tempered chocolate results, there are definitely extra steps you can take to make it work for that. Thanks for pointing that info out for anyone who would want that snappy result! 🙂
~jules
How long will this keep for in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Nicolette, if wrapped well, it should keep in the fridge several weeks, at least. It doesn’t last that long in my house though – we eat it too fast! 🙂
~jules
Instead of using coconut milk, I only used coconut cream and the chocolate became hard enough to crack like a hershey bar! The liquid in the milk makes it too soft… this recipe is AMAZING! Also, with using the coconut cream, I was able to only use 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and the recipe is faaaabulous. Throw in roasted almonds and sea salt at the end and it’s total heaven.
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications, Lillian! You’re making me want to go whip up a batch again right now!!!! Sea salt and almonds!??! Yes, please!
~jules
Great work Jules.
Really helpful.
Keep it up.
Aqsa
It tastes amazing but I found it to be a bit oily and had more of a fudge texture, I also found it to separate so that the top and bottom were of different textures. Is this how it should be or should it be hard like regular chocolate and I did something wrong? I just told everyone who tried it that it was a kind of brownie hybrid. Either way it still turned out to be one of the tastiest treats I’ve had, I tried some regular milk chocolate after which was so bland by comparison so thank you!
Hi Jamie, so glad it tasted amazing!!! Just so you know, the chocolate never gets super hard so it cracks like a Hershey bar. It will bend a bit and break if you try to snap it. Not sure why the top and bottom were different textures, but there are many different kinds of coconut oil, and I’d suspect that had something to do with it. Refined v. unrefined is just the beginning in coconut oil varieties. Next time I make this recipe, I’ll take note of exactly which kind of coconut oil I used and how it performed, in case using another type did cause the separation you describe. Also using a lower fat coconut milk can change the results. At any rate, I’m so happy that it was so tasty! If you try the recipe again with a different kind of oil or milk, let me know how it turns out!
~jules
Hi I would like to make this for my daughter soon. On the ingredients is the coconut milk two thirds or two or three cups? Thank you Vivian
Hi Vivian: the amount of coconut milk is two-thirds cup (the fraction didn’t format like the others, sorry). Enjoy this delectable treat!
Thank you very much. I will try my best.
I hate coconut, do you think I could condense some cashew milk and it might work? What about using cocoa butter to make it more authentic? Enjoy life is great, but expensive. The so delicious culinary milk isn’t available locally, so another reason for me to try something new.
Hi Jenny, the final result doesn’t taste of coconut. However, if you could find a cashew milk that has enough fat in it, I’d say give it a shot! The reason that the coconut milk is so great is because it does have the fat necessary for lots of recipes (like whipped cream!) and the cans that you can find in any store are cheap. That being said, if you do try it with cashew milk, let me know how it goes – I’m curious, now! 🙂 The cocoa butter is also fine to use here. Have fun!
~jules
Hi there! Glad I found this- but I have a question. I am allergic to gluten, casein (milk protein) and coconut *sigh*. Basically all recipes i find use coconut milk/oil/cream etc in place of dairy. Any tips on other substitutions I might use..?
Just tried making this with cocoa butter and coconut cream, but once I added the coconut cream it became all gritty and it looks like the cocoa butter is separating from the rest. And idea what I did wrong? Could it have been too hot when I added the coconut cream (which was room temperature, while the rest was just heated up over a double boiler).
Working with coconut butter, oil and cream can be tricky because of temperatures, sometimes. It is best to try to work with it all at room temperature or if heated to be liquid, all at the same temperature or adding something at a different temperature can cause it to seize or not incorporate. Try bringing it all to warm to incorporate and then hopefully it’ll play nicely for you. I hope that helps!
~jules
Thanks, Jules. I have been searching for a GF, DF milk chocolate recipe for long time. Can all natural cocoa powder be used instead of Dutched cocoa powder? And, when making this recipe into bark, is the 1 tsp of canola oil still needed (in addition to the coconut oil in the recipe) ?
Shirley
Hi Shirley,
Glad the recipe will be useful to you! About the cocoa, the Dutched cocoa will be less bitter, but of course you can use another kind of cocoa, if it suits your tastes. The additional oil isn’t necessary when making bark, but this homemade vegan chocolate won’t be quite as “snappy” as using processed chocolate that is melted and oil added. It still tastes great, but benefits from some refrigeration to keep it crisper.
Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
I love making my own chocolate…a great way to eliminate weird fillers and emulsifiers! Great recipe Jules! Pinning…
Thanks Tessa! I hadn’t really made my own chocolate before, but I couldn’t believe how easy it was! I think I’ve found a new recipe passion … not that I needed ANOTHER! LOL!
~jules
I’m all about trying new homemade chocolate recipes! This sounds delicious! 🙂
It wasn’t hard to do either, Raia! Enjoy!!!
~jules