Carob Powder vs. Cocoa Powder

I get asked a lot about what is the best powder to use when baking. In this post I’m going to briefly talk about the differences in the two and give you nutritional facts from my preferred brand – Chatfield’s Carob Powder & Chatfield’s Cocoa Powder. There are pros and cons to both, so you can make your decision based on your desires/needs.  No matter which phase you are on, you should always limit your use of either of these products.

Carob Powder
url-2I personally prefer to use carob because I like the smooth, sweet flavor it brings. Carob powder is made from the toasted, then ground, pods of the Carob tree.

These pods are edible in their entire, original state and the whole pod is used in making the powder. In the nutritional facts you will notice sugar. This is sugar in it’s natural state and not an added ingredient. Because it is more naturally sweet, you can use less of it than cocoa.

Carob is caffeine free and is more alkalizing for the body. Carob powder is often used instead of cocoa for those with chocolate allergies.

Nutritional Information based on 1 Tbsp. 
Calories 25
Total Fat 0 g
Carbohydrates 5 g
Sugars 3 g **IMPORTANT** this is a natural sugar and not added
Protein 0 g
Fiber >1 g

Cocoa Powder
url-3Cocoa Powder is produced from a cacao bean which is then fermented and dried. Cocoa powder is typically roasted and processed with heat and is usually treated with alkali to produce a dark, mellow-flavored powder. Because of this process, it does make for a dryer product and may need to add more butter or oil in your recipes.

Always limit your intake of cacao. Some people report “side effects” such as headaches and jitteriness when using cacoa. It contains the mood enhancing chemicals caffeine and theobromine which we know can be addicting.

Nutritional Information based on 1 Tbsp. 
Calories 25
Total Fat .5 g
Carbohydrates 2 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 2 g
Fiber 2 g

You can also purchase raw Cacoa powder  – You will find it at most whole food stores or you can purchase online.

6 Comments

  1. Alice Mochel on September 4, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    I have a-fib and if I eat chocolate, or drink hot chocolate, it causes me to have an irregular heart beat with my blood pressure and heart rate being too high. The doctor says that even decaffeinated coffee can trigger them. I am trying to find out if carob could be substituted since if I understand correctly, carob does not contain caffeine.

    • admin on September 4, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      You can try carob and see how you like it.

  2. Tina on January 26, 2015 at 9:01 am

    is this P2 approved?

  3. Archana on January 29, 2017 at 11:27 am

    Is the brand Naked chocolate ( no gluten, no dairy, no sugar) approved?
    Though I think it’s got coconut sugar?!?
    Thank you for your help.

    • shawna culp on January 31, 2017 at 4:18 pm

      for p4 it would be okay to have coconut sugar

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