Cacao and cocoa come from the same plant, Theobroma cacao, and the difference between them is mostly processing and labeling: "cacao" usually marks less processed products (raw or lightly roasted), while "cocoa" usually means roasted at higher heat and often alkalized, also called Dutch-processed. US food standards don't define "cacao powder" or "raw," and they set no roasting temperature, so read the ingredient list: "processed with alkali" means Dutch-process cocoa, whatever the front of the bag says.
We sell only whole cacao paste, but this guide covers everything on the shelf: powders, nibs, paste, butter and chocolate, and how to read the label.
Cacao vs cocoa: what each word means
Both words point to the same tree and the same beans. The difference is in how they are used:
- Cacao is the plant and its beans. On packaging, it tends to mark products that were processed less: raw or lightly roasted nibs, paste and natural powder.
- Cocoa is the usual name for the pressed powder and the drink made from it, typically from roasted beans and often alkalized.
Even US food law uses both words. The federal standards for cacao products (21 CFR Part 163) talk about cacao beans and cacao fat, name the pressed powders cocoa, breakfast cocoa and lowfat cocoa, and let the same cracked beans be sold as "cacao nibs" or "cocoa nibs." Scientists switch too: a 2022 review of cocoa processing describes the plant as "cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)" (Goya et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences).
A store label such as "baking cocoa" is not one of the names in those standards, so it tells you no more than any other label word: read the ingredients and look at the form.
How cacao and cocoa are processed, step by step
Cacao and cocoa start the same way, with fermenting and drying. The paths split at roasting, pressing and alkalizing.
| Step | What happens | Sold as "cacao" | Sold as "cocoa" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fermenting | Beans ferment in their own fruit pulp, usually for 4 to 7 days, which builds flavor precursors | Yes | Yes |
| 2. Drying | Moisture drops from about 60% to about 7%, so the beans keep without molding | Yes | Yes |
| 3. Roasting | Usually 120 to 150°C (248 to 302°F) for 15 to 45 minutes, for flavor, aroma and color | Raw (unroasted or low heat) or roasted, depending on the maker | Roasted |
| 4. Pressing | Ground beans are pressed to separate the cacao butter from a pressed cake, which is milled into powder | Powder: yes. Nibs and paste: no | Yes, all cocoa powder is pressed |
| 5. Alkalizing | An alkali raises the pH to about 7 to 8, for a darker, milder powder | Usually not | Often (Dutch-process) |
Typical ranges from the 2022 review of cocoa processing (Goya et al.). The "sold as" columns describe common labeling, not a rule, and real products vary.
Roasting
Roasting develops the familiar chocolate flavor, aroma and color, dries the beans further and loosens the shells. It also lowers some of the bean's natural plant compounds: the review notes that roasting reduces total polyphenols and epicatechin.
Pressing
Pressing is what turns cacao into powder, whichever name it gets. Under US standards, cocoa keeps at least 10 but less than 22 percent cacao fat, breakfast cocoa at least 22 percent and lowfat cocoa less than 10 percent, against 50 to 60 percent in the unpressed paste.
Alkalizing
Alkalizing, or Dutch processing, mixes the cacao with an alkali to raise its pH to about 7 to 8, which also helps the powder disperse in water. US standards for cacao nibs, chocolate liquor and breakfast cocoa require the words "processed with alkali" (or the name of the alkali) alongside the name of the food.
Cacao powder vs cocoa powder
Cacao powder and cocoa powder are made the same way, so the question that matters in your kitchen is not cacao or cocoa. It is natural or Dutch-process.
Taste and color
Natural powder, whether it says cacao or cocoa, tastes sharp, bitter and a little citrusy, and it is reddish brown. Dutch-process cocoa is smoother and softer in flavor and noticeably darker.
Baking chemistry
Natural powder is acidic, so it reacts with baking soda, and that reaction is what lifts many cakes and cookies. Dutch-process cocoa has been neutralized, so recipes written for it usually rely on baking powder instead.
In most recipes you can swap one powder for the other, one for one. The catch is leavening: in a recipe with baking soda or baking powder, crossing between natural and Dutch-process changes the rise unless you adjust the soda or powder. For the exact swaps, see can I use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder.
Nutrition: what USDA's numbers show
USDA FoodData Central lists natural cocoa powder and Dutch-process ("processed with alkali") cocoa powder separately, along with unsweetened baking chocolate, the closest USDA match for 100% cacao (ground cacao with its butter still in). USDA names both powders cocoa, so for a natural powder sold as cacao, use the natural column.
| Per 100 g | Natural cocoa powder | Dutch-process cocoa powder | Unsweetened baking chocolate (closest USDA match for 100% cacao) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 228 | 220 | 642 |
| Fat | 13.7 g | 13.1 g | 52.3 g |
| Protein | 19.6 g | 18.1 g | 14.3 g |
| Fiber | 37.0 g | 29.8 g | 16.6 g |
| Magnesium | 499 mg | 476 mg | 327 mg |
| Iron | 13.9 mg | 15.5 mg | 17.4 mg |
| Potassium | 1,520 mg | 2,510 mg | 830 mg |
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened; cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, processed with alkali; baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares. Reference values, not lab results for any one product, ours included.
- The two powders are close on most lines. Calories, fat, protein, magnesium and iron land near each other. Fiber looks lower in the Dutch-process record (29.8 against 37.0 g), but neither powder's fiber figure comes from lab samples in USDA's records, so do not read much into that gap.
- The biggest gap is potassium. Dutch-process cocoa lists about 1,000 mg more per 100 g, which fits with how it is made: potassium carbonate is one of the alkalis US standards allow.
- The unpressed column is the outlier. Baking chocolate has nearly four times the fat and nearly three times the calories of either powder, because its butter is still in it. That butter dilutes the solids, so gram for gram the powders list more fiber and magnesium. Iron does not follow that pattern, and USDA's iron values rest on only 3 to 9 lab samples per food.
What the panel leaves out: flavanols
USDA's standard records for these foods do not list flavanols, the main polyphenols in cacao, yet processing changes them a lot. The 2022 review of cocoa processing (Goya et al.) notes that polyphenols generally drop as fermentation goes further and that roasting lowers them again, and it summarizes alkalizing studies that found losses of more than 60 percent of total polyphenols and up to about 98 percent of epicatechin. So on flavanol content, natural, non-alkalized powders usually measure higher than Dutch-process ones, whichever word is on the bag. The authors also say more data are still needed, so read these as directions rather than figures for any one product.
Beyond powder: nibs, paste, butter and chocolate
Powder is only one branch of the bean. Nibs and paste keep all of the fat, butter is the fat itself, and chocolate is built from the paste.
Nibs: the cracked bean
Nibs are the shelled, cracked bean, and US standards allow three names for them: cacao nibs, cocoa nibs or cracked cocoa. They are bitter and crunchy and do not dissolve, so they work as a topping rather than a drink.
Paste: the ground bean
Grind nibs finely and you get a solid or semi-soft paste, also called cacao mass or cacao liquor (there is no alcohol in it). US standards call it chocolate liquor, also sold as unsweetened or baking chocolate, with 50 to 60 percent cacao fat; the same standard allows extras such as salt, spices or alkali, so check the ingredients.
Butter: the pressed-out fat
Cacao butter, or cocoa butter, is the fat the press takes out of the paste, and it goes into chocolate and cosmetics.
Cocoa vs chocolate
Chocolate starts from the paste. Under US standards, sweet chocolate is chocolate liquor mixed and ground with sweeteners, milk chocolate adds milk ingredients, and both may include extra cacao butter. Cocoa, by contrast, is the pressed powder, which is why a mug of hot cocoa comes out thinner than real drinking chocolate. Our guide to ceremonial cacao vs regular chocolate covers chocolate in more detail.
Where ceremonial cacao fits
Ceremonial cacao is cacao paste made for drinking: the whole bean, shelled and ground with all of its cacao butter, so it sits at the whole-bean end of the shelf, with no pressing, no alkali and no sugar. Depending on the maker, it may be lightly roasted or unroasted, and like "raw," the word "ceremonial" is a description, not a standard. Our guide to what makes cacao ceremonial goes deeper.
Because the butter is still in it, ceremonial cacao melts into a thick, full cup where powder makes a thinner one. More on that in how ceremonial cacao differs from cacao powder.
How to read a cacao or cocoa label
- Look for "processed with alkali" or an alkali by name, such as potassium carbonate. If it is there, the product has been alkalized (Dutch-processed).
- Check the form and the fat line. A powder shows far less fat than nibs or paste, which keep all of theirs, about half their weight. Our ceremonial cacao buying checklist walks through the full label check.
Cacao vs cocoa: common questions
Are cacao and cocoa the same thing?
Not exactly. They come from the same plant, Theobroma cacao, and even US food standards use both words, but on a label "cacao" usually signals less processing, while "cocoa" usually means roasted, pressed powder that may be alkalized. The word alone guarantees neither, so check the ingredients.
Is cacao powder the same as cocoa powder?
Nearly. Both are made the same way: ground beans are pressed to remove most of the cacao butter, and the pressed cake is milled into powder. Any real difference comes from roasting and alkalizing. A powder sold as cacao is usually natural rather than alkalized, but look for "processed with alkali" on the label to be sure.
Are cacao beans and cocoa beans the same?
Yes. They are the same seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree under two names: the US standards for cacao products call them cacao beans, while a 2022 scientific review of cocoa processing describes the seeds as "commonly known as cocoa beans." Either name can describe beans that are later sold raw or roasted, whole or pressed.
Which is better, cacao or cocoa?
Neither wins across the board: it comes down to what you are making. For baking, use the type your recipe was written for, natural or Dutch-process, because that decides the rise. For flavor, natural powder tastes sharper and a little citrusy, while Dutch-process is smoother and darker. For drinking, whole cacao paste makes a fuller cup than any powder because its butter is still in it.
What does "processed with alkali" mean?
It means the cacao was mixed with an alkali to raise its pH. That is Dutch processing: it makes the powder darker and less bitter, helps it mix into liquid and lowers its flavanols. US standards require the statement, or the name of the alkali, on alkalized cacao nibs, chocolate liquor and breakfast cocoa.
Is raw cacao really raw?
Not always. The US standards for cacao products never define "raw," and cacao beans are normally fermented for several days and dried before anything else happens. On a label, raw usually means the beans were not roasted, or were kept at low heat. It describes the heat, not the form: raw cacao can be a powder with the butter pressed out, or nibs or paste with all of it.
How Alma Cacao fits in
Alma Cacao is ceremonial cacao: 100% whole cacao paste, shaved into small pieces, with the cacao butter left in and nothing added. In the terms of this guide, it is the unpressed form: traditionally fermented and sun-dried, stone ground in small batches, never made into powder, and with no alkali added. The pieces melt into hot water or milk in about a minute, with nothing to chop or grate.
A daily cup is 10 to 20 g (1 to 2 tablespoons of pieces) whisked into 6 to 8 oz of water or milk at about 180°F, and a full ceremonial cup is about 40 g (40 to 42 g). Our cacao is single-origin, from native communities of the Peruvian Amazon. It is tested for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury) by an ISO 17025 accredited lab and made in a GMP certified facility. The co-op we source from gives 2% back to the producer communities, and we donate another 2% of every sale to For the Love of Mateo.
If you have only ever baked with cocoa, try the whole bean in a cup: the ½ lb Starter of Alma Cacao makes about 20 daily cups, and US orders over $99 ship free.
