For many parts of the world, getting hold of bittersweet chocolate substitutes might be easier than getting bittersweet chocolates. This is because the term bittersweet chocolate is somewhat poorly defined and its place is as easily handled by other chocolate products/options like dark chocolate and even milk chocolate.
I’ll talk about availability and options in a bit, but first, let’s get to the point.
The top substitutes for bittersweet chocolate are unsweetened chocolate, dark chocolate bars, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and cocoa powder (different types). Often, carob powder is also listed as a substitute for bittersweet chocolate or chocolate in general. I would not recommend using it.
With that said, let’s get to the details of the substitution and some of the finer machinations of how it all works.
Table of Contents
Understanding Bittersweet Chocolate And Its Substitution Options
Broad Categorization Of Commercial Chocolate
Before we consider the substitution options for bittersweet chocolate, it is helpful to look at this chocolate as a commercial categorization. This categorization, in turn, will make it remarkably easier to pick the substitute that works best at this job.
Commercially available chocolate has several categories that are usually defined quite loosely. Plus, with the whole business about categories, sub-categories, and varieties, things can get somewhat complicated. In this section, I’ll try to simplify some of these categorizations, with the hopes of making the whole system a bit easier to understand.
Chocolate is traditionally classified into three categories:
- Dark Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate
- White Chocolate
Of these white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, and though it has a similar texture as other chocolates, it doesn’t have a similar flavor, color, or intensity. This chocolate is not important to our current discussion.
Milk chocolate is perhaps the most popular variety of chocolate available. It is made from a combination of milk solids, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar or other sweeteners.
Dark chocolate is made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and may include or skip milk solids. It is possible for dark chocolate to contain no sugar, though it generally does. It is generally considered to have a more bitter and intense flavor. As a result, its quality is largely dependent on the quality of cocoa beans and cocoa butter used in its production.
That said, what qualifies as dark chocolate varies by a lot of factors, including region, country, market, and industry standards.
In North America, for most intents and purposes, dark chocolate can be divided into the following categories, mostly based on the proportion of chocolate content and sugar content in the product.
- Unsweetened chocolate (contains only chocolate, no sweeteners or other ingredients)
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Bittersweet chocolate
Now that we know where bittersweet chocolate lies in this categorization, it’s easier to pick a substitute for it.
Bittersweet Chocolate Sugar Content
According to information in the US Code of Federal Regulations, a bittersweet chocolate must be at least 35% cocoa or chocolate liquor by weight. To be clear, chocolate liquor simply means pure cocoa in a liquid or semi-solid form – it contains no alcohol.
It may contain some milk solids. And much of the remaining half of the content can as easily be sugar. However, most commercial bittersweet chocolates contain a higher percentage of cocoa, usually going higher than 60%.
Semi-sweet chocolates are pretty much the same as far as regulations are concerned. However, commercial chocolates usually contain less cocoa, with their proportion by weight generally being around 50%.
If you want to be particular about this, it’s best to check the labels for the ingredients. Because as we see, as far as regulation is concerned, there is a pretty wide berth for products to be labeled as bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate.
Best Substitute For Chocolate? Chocolate!
For food substitutions, most of the time we work with ingredients of a recipe with the intent of approximating the taste, texture, or flavor. This approach generally doesn’t work with most chocolate recipes.
Why?
Because chocolate has a very distinct flavor and texture, and is usually beloved as an ingredient. Additionally, it’s often the key ingredient that puts a food together, rather than being one of many ingredients.
If we were making a chocolate cake, it would be possible to replace or substitute the flour, the sweetener, the fondant, the eggs, and any other ingredients. But chocolate stays right where it belongs.
In fact, there’s the whole fiasco with carob powder being pushed as a substitute for chocolate. The late 1970s and ‘80s saw the height of this movement, though it continues to be (weakly) pushed to this day. Carob powder itself became the biggest casualty of this whole push.
One can claim how healthy, useful, or delightful carob powder is. You know what it’s not? Chocolate.
And what is it, when you offer carob powder cake to someone expecting a chocolate cake? Betrayal!
Anyways, it’s safe to say, when you want a substitute for chocolate, your best bet is to go with another type of chocolate!
Top Bittersweet Chocolate Substitutes You Can Work With
1. Unsweetened Chocolate
When you have to work with a substitute but would prefer to keep the authentic taste as well, using unsweetened chocolate as a bittersweet chocolate substitute should work out just fine.
Usually sold in the form of bars, unsweetened chocolate doesn’t contain any sugar or additional ingredients. As such, it’s mostly pretty much plain, bitter cocoa.
When using unsweetened chocolate as a bittersweet chocolate substitute, you will want to add some sugar to the recipe. The good news is, you can customize the sugar and chocolate content to your own liking.
In most cases, the most convenient way to handle this substitution is by weight. So, one ounce of bittersweet chocolate should be equal to three-fourth (three quarters) ounces of unsweetened chocolate, plus a quarter ounce of sugar. Of course, you can change the sugar content based on your liking and taste preferences.
2. Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Semi-sweet chocolate is an excellent bittersweet chocolate substitute. And that’s mostly because from a commercial perspective, they’re pretty much the same. While it could be argued that semi-sweet chocolate technically has a lower cocoa (or cacao, if you prefer) content, the difference is quite minimal for most uses.
If in doubt, it’s better to check the label of the semi sweet chocolate to see its cocoa content.
Generally, semi sweet chocolate can replace bittersweet chocolate in a recipe in a 1:1 ratio.
3. Dark Chocolate Bars
As we know, dark chocolate is a broad categorization that can include several varieties of chocolates. While commercial dark chocolate bars a few years ago tended to be on the sweeter side of things, things are different nowadays.
Several brands of dark chocolate bars now offer chocolate that’s quite rich in cocoa and less reliant on sugar. Shoppers and chocolate enthusiasts might have noticed this shift already.
One of my favorites are the chocolate bars that show their cocoa (cacao) content prominently on the packaging, making the choice easier for consumers. In a way, it also exudes some confidence in the product, since the higher cacao percentage in commercial bars usually implies better quality chocolate (cocoa beans).
When taking this route to pick your bittersweet chocolate substitute, make sure you check at least two things on the box. The cocoa percentage on various offerings can vary, so be sure to check the percentage and make your pick accordingly.
The other thing is to check for added flavors. These commercial bars are standalone products, so they can go beyond the usual combinations. For example, some may choose to add other ingredients, including nuts like almonds, and other flavors.
Take a moment to check labels when you pick your chocolate bar, so that you have a wonderful bittersweet chocolate substitute for your needs.
4. Milk Chocolate
Milk chocolate is the conventional sweet chocolate available in most stores, which we all know and love. Technically, this is not an ideal substitute for bittersweet chocolate, but it works quite well given the limited options we have.
And it does work beautifully well for most cooking and baking needs. Yet, you will want to keep tabs on the sugar content of the recipe. I mean, milk chocolate is already too sweet, and using it in place of bittersweet chocolate can certainly up the dial on sweetness.
5. Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder, especially unsweetened cocoa powder can be an absolute delight as a bittersweet chocolate substitute. But there is a twist to using cocoa powder as a substitute.
Unsweetened cocoa powder contains no sugar. Additionally, it doesn’t contain much by way of cocoa butter/fat either. So, when you choose to use cocoa powder as a replacement for bittersweet chocolate, you will want to account for the sugar as well as the fat.
Generally, you’ll want to use one part unsweetened cocoa powder, one part sugar, and two parts butter to create a mix that’s similar to bittersweet chocolate in texture and flavor. This combination works quite well for most recipes.
However, this is also the reason cocoa powder should be a low priority in your substitution pecking order. The addition of extra fat in place of cocoa fat/butter can have some effects on the overall texture and taste of the recipe. This is usually a small, often noticeable change, but still something to keep in mind.
What Not To Use – Carob Powder
This section is about a product that often ends up being labeled as a chocolate substitute, but it absolutely is not. It’s not even close. So how did it end up being suggested as a substitute? Well, it’s time for some history!
In the late 1970s and 80s, the American natural food movement (or organic food movement) fervently encouraged the use of locally grown food with slogans like Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.
And it so happens that carob is a plant that grows in the Mediterranean region and several parts of the continental USA. Plus, it’s naturally sweet and looks somewhat similar to chocolate powder. On the other hand, Cocoa is a tropical tree and its products (chocolate) need to be imported into the USA or Europe. Well, how about we choose something more local instead?!
Somehow, from this belief came up the idea of using carob powder as an alternative to chocolate. And it quickly gained ground, perhaps with some encouragement from farmers/growers of carob trees.
But there is one little problem – carob powder tastes nothing like chocolate and doesn’t have a similar texture either. And so, this substitution would never actually take off, though it continues to persist in the minds of some believers of the original movement.
Long story short – carob powder is not a true food substitute for chocolate. However, it can be presented as an option for ideological reasons.
As an aside, I should add that though the ideas of the food movement don’t seem to have worked in this case, the movement itself has been extremely beneficial to the world. It has encouraged more sustainable, better farming practices, enhanced focus on food production, better quality food and labeling, and countless others.
Bittersweet Chocolate Substitutes That Will Shine In Your Recipe
Well, now that we have a fairly detailed discussion on bittersweet chocolate substitutes and what makes them suitable, I believe it becomes easier to pick one that works best for most people.
When in doubt, just pick semi-sweet chocolate as your substitute of choice. If you’d prefer more control over the process and the sugar content, unsweetened chocolate is the way to go. Of course, there are more options like milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and cocoa powder that you can utilize, each with its own pros and cons.
But, as we see there is one thing that shines through most prominently in this discussion – the best substitute for chocolate is another chocolate! It’s one of those rare cases where other materials or ingredients don’t work nearly as well as the original choice. So, chocolates it is!