What is vegan chocolate?

People who choose a vegan (or plant-based) diet firmly refuse to eat anything derived from animal exploitation. A vegan person eats 100% plant-based food. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, and vegetable fats form the basis of a vegan diet.

Vegan and vegetarian people share a strong commitment:

• Ethical in favor of animal life, and
• Ecological, as plant-based farming generally produces fewer greenhouse gases than animal farming.

To summarize, a vegetarian person does not eat animals but may consume products derived from animals, such as eggs or butter. A vegan person goes further by not using any animal-derived products. They do not eat eggs, butter, cow's milk, or even honey.

This activist lifestyle does not, however, prevent indulging. On the contrary! Vegan recipes, whether sweet or savory, are full of flavors, spices, and colors. And chocolate definitely has its place in a vegan diet.

It is perfectly possible to make vegan chocolate. Dark chocolate is a great example! Some dark chocolate recipes focus on a high cocoa content with few additional ingredients. For example, Leonidas Dark Spread and Leonidas Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa Bar are naturally vegan: they contain no animal products.

Making vegan chocolate simply requires expertise and creativity to skillfully replace certain traditional ingredients. Vegan chocolate relies on the raw flavors of cocoa, dried fruits, citrus, or even spices to create new, delicious experiences.

Our Master Chocolatiers are always curious to explore new possibilities and bring joy to as many people as possible. That's why Leonidas has created a range of vegan pralines! They are made with exclusively plant-based ingredients and with a sustainable approach, without palm oil (pure cocoa butter). These four varieties filled with caramel offer an explosion of flavors: Guérande salt, caramel cream, bergamot, and candied orange peel.

There are several reasons to fall for vegan chocolate, all of which aim to offer the joy of chocolate to as many people as possible.

When a chocolatier chooses to work with vegan chocolate, they also help reduce their carbon footprint by favoring plant-based products and respecting a certain ethic in favor of animal life.

By primarily working with pure cocoa butter chocolate without palm oil, Leonidas produces sustainable Belgian chocolate. Vegan chocolate is therefore another step in our commitment to making quality chocolate that respects the environment.

A chocolate free of all animal products, mainly butter and milk here, is also a more digestible product that meets the needs of people looking for lactose-free chocolate.

Leonidas offers a range of pralines and chocolate treats adapted to people with food allergies. Do you need to avoid sugar, lactose, nuts, or eggs, for example? Rest assured, there are chocolate treats for you in our vast range.

Creating a vegan praline requires shaking up habits. For a chocolatier, it’s a perfect opportunity to express creativity and explore other ways to enhance chocolate.

Leonidas' Master Chocolatiers respect traditions and love to reinvent them. It’s a true pleasure for us to continually search for new recipes that will awaken your chocolate cravings.