Learn to make your own homemade chocolate that’s studded with raisins and seeds for extra taste and texture, and only requires 10 minutes of hands-on time! Also gluten-free and vegan, this is the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s, Thanksgiving, the holidays, or whenever you need to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Life is a Box of Chocolates
There’s a scene from the movie Forrest Gump that I always think about. It’s the one where Forrest is seated at the bus stop next to a woman. He takes a box out of his bag and offers her its contents, saying, “You know, my momma always said that ‘Life is a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.'”
And what do you know, Forrest’s momma was right. Life is full of surprises; we never know what we’re going to get. This life that I live now is a surprise for me, and I am constantly in awe and amazed that I get to develop recipes and write about and shoot the food I make for a living. And while I don’t know what else life will bring, what I do know, though, is that we should enjoy every bit along the way.
Sweet Treats for the Holidays
Now that the holidays are just around the corner, I’ve started cravings sweet treats, and anything with chocolate always seems like a good idea – whether it’s a batch of our favorite fudgy gluten-free brownies, or these insanely addictive 4-ingredient peanut butter cups, or even this 5-minute chocolate pudding.
And of course, given that I love making anything homemade, from homemade bread to homemade almond milk and homemade pumpkin puree, there’s no surprise that I should also make homemade chocolate.
Making Your Own Chocolate is Really Easy
You know, there are things in life that may seem harder in concept that they really are – and for many years, I’d wrongly assumed that chocolate was something that was difficult to make at home. In fact, I’d never even fathomed the thought of making my own chocolate (for many years, I’d thought it was something better left to companies such as Milka, Cadbury and Lindt).
When my friend Ally (the same friend who also introduced me to this life-changing chocolate beetroot cake) mentioned casually a few years back that she sometimes makes her own chocolates, my eyes grew wide. It was revolutionary to me; and as I let the thought simmer and brew over the next few months, I eventually plucked up the courage to make it myself.
Homemade chocolate, my friends, is really incredibly easy. In fact, you might already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. Best of all, this vegan and gluten-free homemade chocolate doesn’t come with all the additives and preservatives that come with store-bought chocolate, so it’s actually healthier for you too!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- Coconut Oil: I like using refined coconut oil in my recipes because it has a neutral taste compared to extra virgin coconut oil (which has a stronger coconut flavor), and is easily available. Alternatively, you can also use cacao butter in equal quantities.
- Maple Syrup: I used maple syrup to keep in this homemade chocolate recipe to keep it completely vegan, but feel free to use agave nectar or honey too if you prefer.
- Raisins & Seeds: I like a mixture of raisins and seeds, but feel free to use other dried fruits such as chopped dried cranberries, and nuts such as chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans or pistachios.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Melt
Melt the coconut oil in a small pot or pan.
2. Prepare the Chocolate Mixture
Mix in unsweetened cocoa powder and maple syrup and stir well until you get a homogeneous mixture.
3. Pour into Mold
Pour chocolate mixture into a silicon chocolate mold and drop a few raisins and sprinkle some seeds into each cavity. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt as well if you like.
4. Freeze to Set
Freeze the chocolate mixture for at least one hour or until it is firm before unmolding the chocolate.
Expert Tips/Tricks:
- Use Muffin Liners: I like using a silicon chocolate mold, but if you don’t own one, you can simply use paper muffin liners or silicon liners instead.
- Be Patient: The chocolate will require time to set, so be patient and let it sit in the freezer for at least 1 hour until it has fully set before unmolding and serving.
Recipe FAQs:
If not eating the chocolate immediately, place it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Yes! You can definitely freeze this gluten-free chocolate. Simple place the chocolates in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up the 3 months. Make sure to thaw the chocolate for a few minutes at room temperature before eating or serving.
Because this vegan homemade chocolate is made with coconut oil (which naturally turns to liquid form above 76 deg Fahrenheit or 24 deg Celsius), the chocolate will melt if left too long at room temperature. Also, homemade chocolate doesn’t come with the stabilizers or emulsifiers that storebought chocolate tends to have. However, all you need to do is keep it in the refrigerator or the freezer as mentioned above and the issue is solved!
Other Chocolate Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- 4-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- 5-Minute Cashew Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Chocolate Coconut Cake (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies (Dairy-Free)
- Double Chocolate Almond Coconut Cookies (Grain-Free)
Sweet Treats/Desserts to Indulge in:
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
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Easy Homemade Chocolate (Gluten-free, Vegan)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 36 chocolates 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn to make your own homemade chocolate that’s studded with raisins and seeds for extra taste and texture, and only requires 10 minutes of hands-on time! Also gluten-free and vegan, this is the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s, Thanksgiving, the holidays, or whenever you need to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup seeds (I used a mix of sunflower seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds)
- pinch of sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Melt: Melt the coconut oil in a small pot or pan.
- Prepare the Chocolate Mixture: Mix in unsweetened cocoa powder and maple syrup and stir well until you get a homogeneous mixture.
- Pour into Mold: Pour chocolate mixture into a silicon chocolate mold and drop a few raisins and sprinkle some seeds into each cavity. You can also sprinkle some sea salt over if you like the combination of sweet and savory.
- Freeze to Set: Freeze the chocolate mixture for at least one hour or until it is firm before unmolding the chocolate.
Notes
Coconut Oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil in my recipes because it has a neutral taste compared to extra virgin coconut oil, and is easily available. Alternatively, you can also use cacao butter in equal quantities.
Maple Syrup: I used maple syrup to keep this recipe completely vegan, but feel free to use agave nectar or honey too if you prefer.
Raisins & Seeds: I like a mixture of raisins and seeds, but feel free to use other dried fruits such as chopped dried cranberries, and nuts such as chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans or pistachios.
Silicon Mold: I used a silicon chocolate mold, but you can also use paper muffin liners or silicon liners if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
Storing/Freezing: Since this recipe uses coconut oil, the chocolate will melt if left at room temperature. Make sure to keep this chocolate in the refrigerator until ready to be eaten and served. I recommend storing the chocolate in an airtight container in the fridge for up the 10 days, or place the chocolates in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 3 months (let thaw for a few minutes at room temperature before eating).
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: homemade chocolate
Good morning Felicia 🙂
Taking this chocolate per your recipe (i.e. without reducing its sweet contents) is great with my unsweetened coffee – a great combination!
Love and Blessings!
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy!! Glad you enjoy it..! Still can’t believe how easy making homemade chocolate is! 🙂 Love you too!
HI Felicia, is there any other way to make this if I don’t have any silicone molds? Thanks!
Hi Ann! Thanks for your note. I think you could place it on a small parchment lined baking sheet and let it harden in the freezer before cutting it into pieces 🙂 Let me know if you make it in the end and if you like it! Happy weekend!
Hi Felicia,
Just FYI, step 2 says ‘store’ instead of ‘stir,’ which could get confusing! 🙂
I love this idea though. I have also always assumed that chocolate must be difficult to make – it’s actually of the big reasons that I always thought I could never eat only non-processed food, because then how would I get chocolate? I’ll have to get my hands on a silicone mold, because if it’s really this easy to make chocolate, I NEED this in my life.
Hi Carys! Thanks so much for pointing out the typo! I’ve fixed it already 🙂 And yes, it really is that easy to make chocolate! You have to try making it at home. Using a silicon mold will make things easier, but if you have paper muffin liners, that will work too (I’ve tried it once and it came out good as well). Just make sure you freeze the chocolate until it’s firm before removing it from the liners!
Could I replace the maple syrup for something else? Honey?
★★★★★
Definitely Nat!
????❤️
I wanted to say how beautiful those chocolate pieces are. But the story you wrote was even more beautiful and touching. Really love your writing babe!
Sometimes I think it may be easier to make new friends online as we can be more true in what we write to that person, versus talking to him/her face-to-face (Major Awkwardness may set in). And when you do eventually meet-up, its rather like meeting old friends, minus the awkward getting to know each other quirks stage.
Love those chocolate and your cute convo with your mom =)
Hey Gem! 🙂 Thank you for your sweet words 🙂 Yeah, in this techie age that we live in, I do find that it’s easier to make like-minded friends online (especially with blogs), haha minus the initial awkwardness like you said 🙂 I think I’ve made more friends through blogging and reading blogs than in real life over the past two years! If only I could get to meet all these awesome online friends!! Btw, I think we might have a friend in common – Shing Lei!
Namaskaram, your suggestion to your own Mom for bitter chocolate is great. Thank you.
Hi Carina! Thanks for dropping by 🙂 And hope you enjoy this homemade chocolate too!
Hi Felicia,
Thanks for sharing this simple chocolate making recipe. I am sure it is good news to chocolate lovers who can now enjoy chocolates (with their favourite flavours by including their choice ingredients) at much lower cost compared to store-bought cbranded hocolate.
Although I cannot indulge myself with too much chocolate due to my blood sugar issue, I am sure it is a welcome recipe for chocolate lovers who loves to make their own chocolate because of the simplicity of your recipe 🙂
Hsve a greaat day with lots of love from home in SG
Mum
★★★★★
Mummy, you can eat chocolate, as long as you don’t add too much sweetener. The problem for diabetics is the sugar, so if you see this recipe, it uses 1/3 cup maple syrup (you should reduce this amount by half and get used to eating bitter chocolate!)
Thank you for your suggestion!