What can I substitute for cocoa nibs?
In this brief article, we are going to answer the question, “What can I substitute for cocoa nibs?”, and discuss what cocoa nibs are along with a brief description of the substitutes for cocoa nibs.
What can I substitute for cocoa nibs?
Chocolate chips, dark chocolate, cocoa beans, cocoa powder, callets, carob chips, toasted walnuts, toasted almonds and toasted hazelnuts, along with chocolate liquor, and vanilla beans can be substituted for cocoa nibs. The substitutes are used based on the other ingredients used in the recipe.
Chocolate chips
Chocolate chips are a good alternative to be used instead of cocoa nibs. They can be used in cooking and also when baking dough or batters. Chocolates have less amount of cocoa butter which helps them to hold their shape and prevents melting when used in the baking process.
The quantity might need to be adjusted when using chocolate chips because they are bigger in size than cocoa nibs.
Cacao beans
Cacao beans have a similar bitter taste as cocoa nibs. The beans can be sprinkled on yoghurts, cereals and other bakery products.
Cocoa powder
The texture of the cocoa powder is different from that of cocoa nibs, but is considered to be a good substitute because it has a similar taste to cocoa nibs as both of them are made from cocoa. Cocoa powder is formed from cocoa beans which have been pressed, fat removed in the process and turned to powder. They are ideally used for cakes, brownies and cookies.
Callets
Callets are also formed from 100% pure cocoa, but are semi-sweet. Callets can easily blend with other ingredients.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is a healthy alternative that can be substituted for cocoa nibs. The high levels of cocoa in dark chocolate makes the taste bitter, but still pleasant. However, sugar can be added for sweetening.
Carob chips
Carob chips are produced from carob powder and have a similar taste to cocoa making it a good alternative to be used in preparing bakery products.
Toasted walnuts
As the name suggests, the walnuts are toasted to enhance the taste. These toasted walnuts have a nutty flavour making them suitable in sour as well as sweet meals.
Chocolate liquor
Although it is in liquid form, chocolate liqueur can be used as a substitute as the taste is similar to cocoa nibs. Also chocolate liqueurs are made from chocolate which is made from cocoa beans.
Vanilla beans
The taste of vanilla is not the same as chocolate but they can be substituted for cocoa nibs. The sweet smoky flavour with a pleasant scent makes them ideal to be used as a replacement.
Other nuts and walnuts
Other roasted and chopped nuts apart from walnuts, such as almonds and hazelnuts can also be used as a substitute as they tend to blend well in bakery recipes, in terms of flavours.
Finely ground coffee would provide a similar profile, in terms of some nutrients, colours, aroma, and flavours. Using coffee would provide less fat of course.
Semisweet chocolate chips can also be used as an alternative to cocoa nibs.
What are cocoa nibs?
Cocoa nibs are the beans of cocoa that have been finely roasted as well as separated from cocoa husks and are broken down into smaller pieces. Some of the cocoa nibs are not roasted and are termed as raw cacao nibs.
These raw cocoa nibs are used for cooking purposes. The purpose of cocoa nibs is to make the chocolate crunchy and provide a subtle flavour of chocolate to bakery items.
Cocoa nibs are low in sugar compared to other products made from cocoa. Also, sweeteners are not added to cocoa nibs, and so they provide a raw natural taste.
Cocoa nibs are full of nutritious compounds which provide health benefits such as enhanced immunity and reduced risk of inflammation in the body.
Adding cocoa nibs reduces the use of roasted nuts or chocolate chips. The non-availability of cocoa nibs, to try different tastes of the recipes, and chocolate allergies are some of the reasons that substitutes of cocoa nibs have to be used.
Other FAQs about Cocoa that you may be interested in.
Can I use hot cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder?
Conclusion
In this brief article, we answered the question, “What can I substitute for cocoa nibs?”, and discussed what cocoa nibs are along with a brief description of the substitutes for cocoa nibs.
