Their names are similar and they come from the same plant, so what is the difference between cacao powder and cocoa powder? Here’s a quick explanation.
Cacao Powder vs Cocoa Powder
Cacao and cocoa both come from the bean of the Theobroma cacao tree. The Greek translation of Theobroma is “food of the gods,” and that certainly seems fitting. The tree, growing up to 40 feet high in tropical climates like South America, produces up to 70 pods resembling long acorn squash. In each pod, there are about 20-40 seeds (beans). Did you know that these seeds (beans) are actually white in their original form? They turn brown and develop a chocolatey flavor after fermentation. After fermentation, the beans get dried and shipped to their processing facilities, which is where the differences between cacao and cocoa (and other chocolate forms) get developed. It’s all in the processing.
The processing of the cacao beans includes roasting and grinding them into a paste form. To make powder (either cacao or cocoa), the cocoa butter gets extracted from the paste. That cocoa butter then gets used to make things like white chocolate and body lotion, and gets mixed back in with the powder and other ingredients to make chocolate and candy.
Put simply, cacao is the minimally processed form of the cacao bean, while cocoa undergoes more processing.
The manufacturing of cacao powder uses low heat, while the manufacturing of cocoa powder uses high heat. The high heat used to process cocoa powder strips it of many nutrients and antioxidants. Cocoa powder also often gets processed furthermore to remove some of the acidity and bitterness.
Alternatively, the minimal processing of cacao allows it to keep most of its nutrients, including minerals like iron and magnesium, and antioxidants. It’s for this reason that cacao (and dark chocolate) is often referred to as a superfood.
I’ve found no problem using the two powders interchangeably in recipes. For someone first trying cacao powder over the traditional cocoa, it may take a little bit of getting used to – it may taste a tiny bit bitter.
While you can find cocoa powder at practically any grocery store, cacao powder can be found most often at health food stores. I often see organic cacao powder/cocoa powder at places like TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Marshalls. I buy it from Thrive Market, and you can also find it here on Amazon.
Here are some of my favorite recipes incorporating cacao/cocoa:
Healthier Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
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Sources:
https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/where-chocolate-comes-from/
https://navitasorganics.com/blogs/navitaslife/whats-the-difference-between-cocoa-and-cacao
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/cooking-tips-tutorials/a39675936/cacao-vs-cocoa/