How to Use Cocoa as a Chocolate Substitute

Whether you're missing the right chocolate for your recipe or you need a non-dairy, low-carb substitute, cocoa should be your answer (It's easy to pull off, too). It may not be the taste Julia Child had in mind, but it will curb that chocolate craving and maybe even leave you wanting more.

Ingredients

Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

Makes 1 oz.

3 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs butter, margarine, or vegetable oil

Semisweet Chocolate

Makes 1 oz.

3 tbsp cocoa
1½ tsp sugar
1 tbs butter, margarine, or vegetable oil

Sweet Baking Chocolate

Makes 1 oz.

4 tsp sugar
3 tbs cocoa
1 tbs butter, margarine, or vegetable oil

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Creating Your Substitute

1
Measure out your ingredients. Each substitution is a little different; make sure you know what kind of chocolate your recipe needs. For the record, bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate can be used interchangeably. As they are pretty much the same, only different names. ^{[1]
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- If you're trying to substitute for chocolate chips, you may be fighting an uphill battle. It won't taste the same as you're envisioning, but it is technically possible. To work backwards, a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips is 2 cups. 1 oz of baking chocolate is usually 1 or 2 squares.
- If using butter or margarine, soften it before beginning.
2
Try substituting for unsweetened baking chocolate. Combine 3 tablespoons (44.4 ml) cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or vegetable oil. Mix it up until it's a uniform consistency. This will make the equivalent of 1 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate.^{[2]
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- This is to make unsweetened baking chocolate. If you're using sweetened cocoa, the taste will not be the same; it'll be much, much sweeter.
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3
Substitute semisweet chocolate. Combine 1 tablespoon cocoa, 3 1/2 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp shortening (butter, margarine, or vegetable oil work, too), mixing well. This will make the equivalent of 1 ounce of semisweet chocolate. You could try it instead of chocolate chips, but it will more like a semi-sweet chocolate cookie than anything.
- This recipe works for bittersweet chocolate, too.
4
Use cocoa to substitute for sweet baking chocolate as an alternative. Combine 4 tsp sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa, and 1 tbsp vegetable shortening.^{[3]
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- Again, be wary of using this in a chocolate chip cookie as this is not in chip form.
5
Mix it in with the liquid already in the recipe. If you're unsure of what to do with your cocoa-sugar-shortening mixture, just add it into your bowl full of wet ingredients. It'll mix right in, no harm, no foul.
- It can also work drizzled on top and then put into the oven. It's best to avoid using it as a dipping sauce, however.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Using Cocoa in Recipes

1
Make a chocolate ganache. Who knew that such a fancy word like "ganache" was really just chocolate and cream? Don't be fooled; this is not an intimidating recipe.
- For this one, you'll need to multiply the above by 12 (to get 12 ounces of chocolate). Just remember that there are 3 teaspoons per every tablespoon; that's just about all the math there is.
2
Make chocolate whipped cream. If you're skeptical of substituting out chocolate for cocoa in an actual recipe, why not try it in your topping? That way your dessert won't be compromised if it all turns out less than desirable. And, really, how bad can chocolate whipped cream be, cocoa or not?
- The best thing about this substitution is that cocoa is already in powder form; no need to bust out the food processor; it's already done for you.
3
Make chocolate frosting. Alright, so this recipe doesn't require chocolate per se; it actually just requires cocoa from the get-go. But it's an easy recipe to see that cocoa is delicious and you don't need chocolate to make something adequately chocolate-y and convincing.
- The article above has four different varieties of chocolate. There's even a dairy-free version (which cocoa totally is). Score.
4
Make vegan chocolate frosting. Alright, so dairy-free wasn't enough? You want a chocolate frosting that's healthier, too? Challenge accepted with this recipe. Grapeseed oil and agave nectar instead of vegetable oil or sugar, and dark chocolate instead of regular chocolate. And yes, dark chocolate cocoa powder is a thing.
- Cocoa is great to use for most diets. It's practically no-carb and dairy free – what's not to like?

Community Q&A

Question

Is frosting mix the same as baking chocolate powder?

Community Answer

No. Frosting mix is mostly sugar with hydrogenated vegetable oil (i.e. transfat), flavoring, preservatives and stabilizers. And there's no such thing as "baking chocolate powder" -- I think you mean cocoa baking powder. All chocolate is cocoa mixed with sugar, some type of fat, and milk (hence "milk chocolate"). There isn't a recipe for chocolate that doesn't melt.
Question

Where can I find a recipe for homemade block chocolate that doesn't melt?

Community Answer

Just do an online search for "homemade block chocolate no melting." It would be much easier to find a recipe if you were willing to deal with a bit of melting though.
Question

Can I use cocoa powder to substitute dark chocolate in a chocolate fudge recipe using condensed milk?

Community Answer

It will work, but you will not get the same outcome. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate have different consistencies and flavors.