What’s the Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa?

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Cocoa powder vs Cacao powder. Both are spelled similarly and are even similar products, but they are not the same thing.

Side by side comparison of the difference between cocoa and cacao.

Cacao. Cocoa. Same difference, right? Not exactly. These two ingredients have very similar origins, but they have some key differences. Both start out as beans from the cacao plant, which are separated from the fatty part known as cocoa butter (fun fact: that’s where white chocolate comes from).

The beans are then milled and processed, and that’s how you make both cacao powder and cocoa powder. But here’s what makes them different.

What is Cacao Powder?

The beans are processed at low temperatures and are considered raw. Once milled into powder, it contains a much higher amount of enzymes, minerals, and nutrients. That’s cacao powder. It tastes more bitter than cocoa powder but offers more nutritional content and is considered more natural.

What is Cocoa Powder?

Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is created when the beans are processed at a much higher temperature. The beans are not only fermented but also roasted (cacao powder only involves fermentation).

Without further processing, the cocoa is naturally acidic in taste. The finely ground and sifted product is sold as “natural cocoa.” Compared to cacao power, a tradeoff is that it may lack nutrients due to the additional heating.

Two small jars filled with cocoa powder and cacao powder on a table with other chocolates.

Nutritional Comparison

1 tablespoon (5g) of cocoa powder contains:

  • 3 grams carbohydrates
  • 0 grams of sugar
  • 2 grams of dietary fiber
  • <1 gram of protein
  • 0.5 grams of total fat
  • 2.1 mg of iron
  • 0 mg of phosphorus
  • 6.4 mg of calcium
  • 0 mg of magnesium
  • 75 mg of potassium
  • 8 mg of caffeine

(Reference: Hershey’s Cocoa)

1 tablespoon (6g) of cacao powder contains:

  • 3.2 grams of carbohydrates
  • 0 grams of sugar
  • 2 grams of dietary fiber
  • 1.6 grams of protein
  • 0.6 g of total fat
  • 0.8 mg of iron
  • 14 mg of calcium
  • 42.4 mg of magnesium
  • 120 mg of potassium
  • 19.6 mg of caffeine

(Reference: Navitas Organics Cacao powder)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute cacao for cocoa powder?

Yes, but you’ll probably want to use less of it because it tastes stronger and more bitter. Cacao powder is also more absorbent, so increase the measurements for all liquid ingredients you’re using. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take away, so increase bit by bit until your desired consistency is reached. When cooking with cacao, use baking soda instead of baking powder as a leavening agent. Baking soda reacts with cacao powder because of the acidity, but less so with cocoa powder since it’s stripped of its acidity. That’s why you’ll see recipes with cocoa powder call for baking powder instead of soda.

How do you use cacao powder?

The simple answer is whenever you want to increase the chocolate flavor in a dish. But it’s not just for desserts. You can add it to smoothies and hot chocolate and some even use in meat rubs. It’s a great ingredient when you want something rich and chocolatey but not completely unhealthy.

Which is healthier, cacao or cocoa?

Cacao is generally considered healthier than cocoa because it undergoes less processing, preserving more of its natural antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Cacao is rich in magnesium, iron, and flavonoids, which offer various health benefits, while cocoa often contains added sugars and fats, reducing its nutritional value.

Is cacao just dark chocolate?

Cacao is not the same as dark chocolate; it refers to the raw, unprocessed beans from the cacao tree, which retain more nutrients and antioxidants. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, is made from processed cacao beans mixed with sugar and sometimes other ingredients, resulting in a less bitter taste and different nutrient profile.

What is Dutch-processed or Alkalized Cocoa?

There is also Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa to reduce acidity. According to Cooks Illustrated, typically an alkaline solution like potassium carbonate is added to the chocolate liquor during the refining process, bumping up the pH to between 5.7 to 7.2.  The result is a powder that’s less bitter, sweeter, slightly darker in color, and more soluble when added to liquids.

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Jessica Gavin

I'm a culinary school graduate, cookbook author, and a mom who loves croissants! My passion is creating recipes and sharing the science behind cooking to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.

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52 Comments Leave a comment or review

  1. Diane says

    Thank you for this great information! I bought cacao and have been substituting it with just hope, and I’m going to try one of those “wacky cakes” without eggs or dairy so I wanted to make sure it would have the proper leavening reaction, and this had all the information I was looking for and more.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      I’m thrilled to hear that the article was helpful to you, Diane! Let me know how your dessert turns out.

  2. M Stevens says

    You do realize, of course, that what you call “Cacao Powder” and describe as being processed at low temperatures (i.e. low or no-roast) means that the product has never undergone a “kill step” that is necessary to make the product safe for human consumption (i.e. killing bacteria inherent to cocoa beans such as e-coli and/or salmonella). As a long-time professional in the industry (since 1982), I wouldn’t eat it.

  3. Jennifer Ward says

    The US FDA standard identity 163 titled “Cacao products” designates the name “cocoa”
    as the standardized name for “cocoa powder” in part 21 CFR 163.113.
    §163.113 Cocoa.
    (a) Description. Cocoa is the food that conforms to the definition and standard of identity, and is subject
    to the requirements for label declaration of ingredients for breakfast cocoa in §163.112, except that the cacao
    fat content is less than 22 percent, but not less than 10 percent by weight, as determined by the method
    prescribed in §163.5(b).
    (b) Nomenclature. The name of the food is “cocoa” or “medium fat cocoa”.
    FDA refers to “cacao” for products seemingly minimally processed from the cacao tree
    to broken cacao beans (nibs) such as cacao tree, cacao beans, cacao nibs.
    However, in the trade, we see variations of uses of the name % cacao or % cocoa to
    express the % total cocoa solids present in the product sold; such as the sum of
    chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder in a consumer product as served.
    However, these terms are not officially defined by FDA. It is the responsibility of the
    owner of the consumer label to justify any use of the terms chosen.
    In Canada and or Europe, cacao and cocoa are merely the French and English
    equivalents.
    We invite our customers to carefully read the disclaimer

    Hope that helps. Raw cocoa has a real pathogen risk and large companies like Hershey’s are certainly selling a heated powder.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      That’s for sharing! It definitely helps to review the specific brand’s product for their actual use of the cocoa/cacao products.

  4. Diane Johnson says

    Hello Jessica
    Just following a truffles recipe (never made them before) and added some cacao powder together with the required dark chocolate and the cream. The result was not a ganache as required but something more like a curdy mix with the butter seeping round the edge of the bowl. Is there anything I can do to help it smooth out a bit before I make it into balls. Tastes very chocolaty but doesn’t look very appetising. What can I do?
    Help! I’m trying to make chocolate sprouts. Agggh!
    Diane

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Is it the cocoa butter separating or from the cream? Did you overheat the cream? YOu might have to strain the mixture if it’s curdled cream. Are you making truffles rolled in something? The ganache should be thick enough to roll into balls, and the appearance shouldn’t matter as much if you roll in in chopped nuts, sugar, or cocoa powder.

      • Diane Johnson says

        Thank you so much Jessica. I think I may have overheated the cream so I made a second batch using just chocolate bars. I then slowly worked in the cacao mix so ended up doubling the quantity and it had a good consistency. I ended up making 38 sprouts and gifted them out. The response was well worth the effort. Wish I could show you how they turned out. It did take me much longer to make them but I now feel confident to do another batch with better experience. X

  5. David Zhang says

    Why does Hershey’s Cocoa says that’s it’s 100% Cacao? Is the Hershey’s powder actually Cocoa or Cacao powder?

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Great question! Here is Hershey’s response to that question found on their website: “Hershey’s Cocoa is 100% cocoa powder which means, it is also “100% cacao”. “% cacao” refers to the total percentage of ingredients in the products that come from the cocoa bean. These ingredients include chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder.”

      • Ron says

        Isnt it the processing difference, then only we called cacao or cocoa? Cacao seems to be more whole food to me with enzyme inside

        • Julia says

          It seems to me that Hershey’s is incorrectly labeling their cocao product as cacao. Since they haven’t addressed how it is processed. Processing does make a difference. Low temp processing preserves nutrients like magnesium that are stripped out at high temps.

  6. Jessy says

    I just made a cake using cacao in place of cocoa powder, didn’t change anything in the recipe, and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.

  7. Becky says

    I can’t have chocolate due to GERD diet but need my chocolate which can I use? Any? I’m already anti inflammatory gf df sf (sugar free) lifestyle

  8. Monica says

    Hi Jessica! Thanks for the information! I’m wondering if I will ruin a chocolate cake by using cacao instead of cocoa- is the baking soda a 1 to replacement for powder? And how much more liquid do I add- if I use less cacao then I would cocoa should it even out the liquid requirements? I’m making a cake for a kid and don’t have access to cocoa and don’t want to ruin her birthday with a bad cake.

  9. therese says

    Hi Jessica
    Thank you for explaining all about cacao and cocoa

    I recently have had surgery and was looking for ingredients rich in certain trace elements and vitamins to stimulate healing

    I much appreciate your educating the public

  10. Joan Hill says

    Thank you so much for the information We are so lucky to have knowledgeable people to help us along. I am about to try to make keto icecream but without an ice cream maker. Really needing a spoonful of something like that for a little treat ??

  11. André says

    I make my chocolate with cacao powder (not cocoa). I use melted coconut oil with honey and add the cacao powder and stirs until it gets a good consistency and spread in a pan and put it in the fridge. It has to be put in the fridge otherwise it won’t get hard.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Hi there- All three are different. The article covers all of the differences in processing and flavor.

  12. Carol S Carlson says

    Can I replace cocoa powder with cacao powder to make keto ice cream? I will be churning it.
    thanks
    Carol

    • Jessica Gavin says

      Yes, you can substitute with cacao powder, it might taste slightly different. Let me know how it goes!

  13. Paul says

    Great article thanks for this. When substituting cacao powder for cocoa, how much baking soda should you use (vs BP)? Is it a 1:1 replacement of BS for BP? Or should you use less BS than the amount of BP called for in the recipe? Please advise. Thanks

    • Nilaakshi says

      I have the same problem too Paul. We have trouble getting hold of raw cocoa in Australia. It’s alwasy dutch processed that i see. But i do have cacao powder at home.

  14. edna says

    I am a cacao farmer and I do want to process my harvest into powder, for a change of name or flavor as some people here in our country processed our cacao into tablea, glad to read your post, very informative.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      The taste may be slightly different but I think you can use cacao as a substitute for the unbaked brownies. Are there sweeteners in the recipe?

    • Jessica Gavin says

      I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps the additional processing may degrade some of the iron, even though minerals are much more stable than vitamins. Would love to hear thoughts from others!

    • Jessica Gavin says

      I haven’t tried that particular brand. I like Navitas for raw cacao high in antioxidants and it has a good flavor.

    • Jessica Gavin says

      All cacao powder is made from cacao, but if it has been heat treated it will often be called cocoa powder, or dutch processed if treated with alkali.

  15. Jose Grande says

    Where did you get those nutrition facts from? When I look at cacao powder, I see nutrition profile similar to that listed under cocoa per 1 tbsp. I think you’re misinformed on the serving size above. That’s probably 2.5 tablespoons of cacao.

  16. Sophie says

    This is a great read but there are a few things that might be helpful to understand. Cacao is actually just the Spanish name for Cocoa, I think the ingredient you’re meaning is raw cocoa powder, or raw cacao powder if Spanish.
    When the beans have been fermented they have a sour and bitter tone, roasting the beans develops the flavour we think of as chocolate. Either raw or roasted the beans are ground into a paste which is called liquor, the liquor is then pressed to extract the cocoa butter, leaving the drier, reduced fat powder.
    Because the volatiles haven’t been roasted out raw cocoa powder is most acidic, natural cocoa powder is somewhat acidic where alkalised cocoa powder is less acidic.
    You should find that raw and natural cocoa powder work well with baking soda based recipes.

  17. wien says

    I’m glad to read your blog Jessica, giving me more knowledge. Never thought that there was a difference between cacao and cocoa powder. Thank you for sharing the knowledge. You are awesome