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Chocolate vs. Cocoa — What's the Difference?

By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 15, 2024
Chocolate is a sweet, edible product made from roasted and ground cacao beans, often mixed with sugar and milk. Cocoa is the powder form of cacao beans, used as a baking ingredient or in beverages.
Chocolate vs. Cocoa — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Chocolate and Cocoa

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Key Differences

Chocolate is a confectionery product created by combining cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, and sometimes milk. It comes in various forms like bars, truffles, and coatings for candies. Cocoa, on the other hand, is the dry powder produced by grinding roasted cacao beans after most of the fat (cocoa butter) has been removed.
Chocolate is typically sweet and comes in different varieties such as dark, milk, and white, each with varying levels of cocoa solids and milk. Cocoa, whereas, is unsweetened and is often used in baking recipes or mixed with liquids to make cocoa drinks.
Chocolate's production involves a series of steps including fermentation, roasting, and conching, which develop its flavor and texture. Cocoa production involves pressing the roasted beans to extract the cocoa butter, leaving a dry cake that is then ground into powder.
Chocolate is often consumed directly as a treat or used as an ingredient in desserts. Cocoa, on the other hand, is primarily used as an ingredient in recipes that require a strong chocolate flavor without the added sweetness and fat.
Chocolate contains cocoa butter, which contributes to its smooth and creamy texture. Cocoa, lacking most of the cocoa butter, has a more intense and slightly bitter flavor, making it ideal for rich, chocolatey baked goods and beverages.
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Comparison Chart

Form

Solid or liquid confection
Powder

Composition

Cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk
Ground cacao beans with most fat removed

Uses

Direct consumption, desserts, confectionery
Baking, beverages

Flavor

Sweet (can vary)
Intense, slightly bitter

Texture

Smooth, creamy
Dry, powdery

Compare with Definitions

Chocolate

A color resembling the dark brown of chocolate.
He wore a chocolate-colored sweater.

Cocoa

A hot drink made from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk or water.
He prefers cocoa over coffee in the morning.

Chocolate

A sweet food made from cacao beans and sugar.
She loves eating dark chocolate after dinner.

Cocoa

A flavoring ingredient used in baking and cooking.
Cocoa powder is essential for making homemade brownies.

Chocolate

A beverage made by dissolving chocolate in milk or water.
Hot chocolate is perfect on a cold winter day.

Cocoa

The processed beans of the cacao tree used to produce chocolate.
Cocoa beans are fermented before being made into chocolate.

Chocolate

A candy made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar.
He bought a box of assorted chocolates for her birthday.

Cocoa

The husk or shell of the cacao bean, sometimes used in gardening.
Cocoa mulch helps retain moisture in the soil.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cacao pods, that is available as a liquid, solid or paste, on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civilization (19th-11th century BCE), and the majority of Mesoamerican people - including the Maya and Aztecs - made chocolate beverages.The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor.

Cocoa

A powder made from cacao seeds after they have been fermented, roasted, shelled, ground, and freed of most of their fat.

Chocolate

Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.

Cocoa

See hot chocolate.

Chocolate

A beverage made by mixing water or milk with chocolate.

Cocoa

A moderate brown to reddish brown.

Chocolate

A small, chocolate-covered candy with a hard or soft center.

Cocoa

The dried and partially fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree from which chocolate is made.

Chocolate

A grayish to deep reddish brown to deep grayish brown.

Cocoa

An unsweetened brown powder made from roasted, ground cocoa beans, used in making chocolate, and in cooking.

Chocolate

Made or flavored with chocolate
Chocolate pudding.

Cocoa

(uncountable) A hot drink made with milk, cocoa powder, and sugar.
Do you like cocoa?

Chocolate

Of a grayish to deep reddish brown to deep grayish brown.

Cocoa

(countable) A serving of this drink.
I like to watch TV with a cocoa.

Chocolate

A food made from ground roasted cocoa beans.
Chocolate is a very popular treat.

Cocoa

A light to medium brown colour.

Chocolate

A drink made by dissolving this food in boiling milk or water.

Cocoa

Alternative spelling of coco.

Chocolate

(countable) A single, small piece of confectionery made from chocolate.
He bought her some chocolates as a gift. She ate one chocolate and threw the rest away.

Cocoa

Of a light to medium brown colour, like that of cocoa powder.

Chocolate

(uncountable) A dark, reddish-brown colour/color, like that of chocolate (also called chocolate brown).
As he cooked it the whole thing turned a rich, deep chocolate.

Cocoa

A tall palm tree producing the cocoanut (Cocos nucifera) as its fruit. It grows in nearly all tropical countries, attaining a height of sixty or eighty feet. The trunk is without branches, and has a tuft of leaves at the top, each being fifteen or twenty feet in length, and at the base of these the nuts hang in clusters; the cocoanut tree. It is widely planted throughout the tropics, and in some locations as an ornamental tree.

Chocolate

A black person; (uncountable) blackness.

Cocoa

A preparation made from the seeds of the chocolate tree, and used in making, a beverage; also the beverage made from cocoa or cocoa shells.

Chocolate

Made of or containing chocolate.

Cocoa

A beverage made from cocoa powder and milk and sugar; usually drunk hot

Chocolate

Having a dark reddish-brown colour/color.

Cocoa

Powder of ground roasted cocao beans with most of the fat removed

Chocolate

(slang) Black relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin.

Cocoa

The powder made from roasted and ground cacao beans with the fat removed.
She added cocoa to the cake mix for a rich flavor.

Chocolate

To add chocolate to; to cover (food) in chocolate.

Chocolate

To treat blood agar by heating in order to lyse the red blood cells in the medium.

Chocolate

A paste or cake composed of the roasted seeds of the Theobroma Cacao ground and mixed with other ingredients, usually sugar, and cinnamon or vanilla.

Chocolate

The beverage made by dissolving a portion of the paste or cake in boiling water or milk.

Chocolate

A beverage made from cocoa powder and milk and sugar; usually drunk hot

Chocolate

A food made from roasted ground cacao beans

Chocolate

A medium to dark brown color

Chocolate

A flavor derived from cacao beans, used in various foods.
Chocolate ice cream is her favorite dessert.

Common Curiosities

Is cocoa healthier than chocolate?

Cocoa typically has fewer calories and less fat than chocolate because the cocoa butter is removed.

What does cocoa taste like?

Cocoa has a rich, intense, and slightly bitter chocolate flavor.

Is cocoa powder sweet?

No, cocoa powder is unsweetened and has a bitter taste.

Can I drink cocoa?

Yes, cocoa powder can be mixed with hot water or milk to make a beverage.

What is the nutritional difference between chocolate and cocoa?

Cocoa is lower in fat and calories, while chocolate has added sugar and sometimes milk.

What is chocolate made from?

Chocolate is made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, and sometimes milk.

How is cocoa different from chocolate?

Cocoa is a dry powder made from roasted cacao beans with most of the fat removed, while chocolate is a sweet product that includes cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Can cocoa be used to make chocolate?

Yes, cocoa powder can be used as an ingredient in making chocolate, but additional cocoa butter and sugar are needed.

What types of chocolate are there?

There are dark, milk, and white chocolate, each varying in cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and milk content.

Is hot chocolate the same as cocoa?

Hot chocolate is made with chocolate melted into milk, while cocoa drink is made from cocoa powder.

Can chocolate be used in baking like cocoa?

Yes, but chocolate will add more fat and sweetness to the recipe compared to cocoa powder.

Can cocoa powder be used in savory dishes?

Yes, cocoa powder can be used in savory recipes like mole sauce.

Why is chocolate smooth and creamy?

The cocoa butter in chocolate gives it a smooth and creamy texture.

Does chocolate contain caffeine?

Yes, chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine.

How is cocoa powder made?

Cocoa powder is made by pressing roasted cacao beans to remove the cocoa butter, then grinding the remaining solids.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat

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