Find out what brands of white chocolate chips are dairy-free and safe for a dairy-free diet. Plus learn if white chocolate is dairy-free.
Note: I am a proud Amazon, Chomps, MunkPack, and Thrive Market affiliate and am happy to recommend their service and products to you. Please know that as an affiliate, I may receive a small commission on the products you purchase after clicking through my links. For more info, please see my disclosure policy here.
If you love white chocolate and are just getting started with a dairy-free diet or have just remembered your favorite recipe that calls for white chocolate, you may be wondering if adding those white chocolate chips is a good idea.
If you avoid dairy, you know that it seems to be hidden in an overwhelming number of foods in the form of milk derivatives or obvious ingredients like cream or milk fat. It’s everywhere!
In this post, we’re going to talk about the white chocolate chips that you might be wanting to put into your favorite cookies or melt into fondue.
If you love white chocolate, find out what this ingredient is made of, if white chocolate chips contain dairy, and get a list of brands you can shop for dairy-free white chocolate chips.
Next time you’re looking to bake with white chocolate chips, I hope this post helps you to be prepared for what to buy and what to look for on packaging labels and ingredients lists.
What is white chocolate?
White chocolate is a type of chocolate candy that has the same texture of chocolate, but tastes like vanilla and milk. It is ivory in color in contrast to the brown you see in other chocolate candy, and doesn’t contain any cocoa or cacao ingredients at all.
Many folks say that white chocolate shouldn’t even be considered chocolate, because of the lack of cocoa in this product. Whatever side you’re on with this debate, many people love white chocolate for their baking, fruit dipping, and adding flavor to their favorite desserts.
White chocolate can be used as a powder, liquid, bars, or chocolate chips to add to a recipe.
Read on: Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
What is white chocolate made of?
White chocolate is most commonly made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, and vanilla.
While most white chocolate is made with these ingredients, some brands have created options that don’t contain any milk or dairy ingredients at all, which is what we’re going to dive into more here in this post.
What is dairy?
Dairy is a general name for ANY food that is made from milk. Technically, this is any food made from cow’s milk or goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. Any animal milk is dairy.
However, mostly when we’re talking about dairy, we’re talking about drinking cow’s milk, because that’s what is most popular here in the United States.
Is white chocolate dairy-free?
White chocolate almost always contains dairy in the form of milk or milk derivatives. When looking at ingredients lists, look for the terms “milk fat,” “skim milk,” or “dry milk” to identify the dairy in a white chocolate product. Seeing these terms will tell you to avoid them if you follow a dairy-free diet.
Read on: Dairy-free white chocolate: brands & recipes
Are white chocolate chips dairy-free?
Most white chocolate and white chocolate chips are not dairy-free, which is why it’s so important to review packaging before buying this ingredient.
White chocolate generally is made from milk products, so you’ll have to do some research, reviewing ingredients and looking for labels like “dairy-free,” “milk-free,” or “vegan” to know for sure that the product you are purchasing is safe for your dairy-free diet.
I actually haven’t been able to find any dairy-free white chocolate chips at my local grocery stores and have had to buy them online when a recipe calls for it. It may be different for you depending on where you live.
Read on: Is white chocolate gluten-free?
Read on: Are chocolate chips dairy-free?
Read on: Are chocolate chips gluten-free?
How do I know if my white chocolate chips are dairy-free?
Look at the ingredient list (learn how to read ingredient lists) to find any of the common names for dairy. Sometimes it will be under “milk” or “milkfat,” and other times it will be under less common names.
If you find any of the following terms in your chocolate chips, you’ll know they have dairy and you’ll want to avoid them:
- Butter solids
- Calcium caseinate
- Casein
- Caseinate
- Condensed milk
- Cream
- Delactosed whey
- Demineralized whey
- Half & half
- Hydrolyzed casein
- Hydrolyzed milk protein
- Lactose
- Low-fat milk
- Malted milk
- Milk
- Milk derivative
- Milk powder
- Milk protein
- Milk solids
- Nougat
- Skim milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Sweet whey
- Whey
- Whey powder
- Whey protein concentrate
- Whole milk
You can see a full list of names that dairy hides under in my GFDF Take-Along Cards.
One of my little secrets is that I carry around a copy of my GFDF Take Along Cards so that I always have a point of reference when I can sneak a peek at the ingredient list of a food.
>> Get your copy of the GFDF Take-Along Cards to make this easy on you.
If you have a dairy allergy, you’ll want to make sure you don’t see a statement on the packaging that says “processed on equipment that also packages products that may contain milk.” This means there’s a chance for cross contamination and if you’re extremely sensitive to small amounts of dairy, these products will likely give you a reaction.
If you have a dairy intolerance and can handle milk or dairy products at the trace level amount, these types of statements will probably be okay to overlook as long as there are no milk or dairy ingredients in the product itself. You know your body best, so use your best judgment on whether or not you eat foods with these statements.
Read on: Dairy-free chocolate chips guide: brands & options
Brands of dairy-free white chocolate chips
It’s not exactly straightforward to find dairy-free white chocolate chips especially in many major grocery stores, however they do exist and if they aren’t sold locally, you can definitely find them online.
Here are the brands I’ve been able to find that offer dairy-free white chocolate chips for all your favorite baking recipes. Scroll down to see more information about the different dairy-free chocolate chip offerings (including white chocolate chips) from each of these brands.
- Baker’s Choice
- Chocolate Emporium
- Great Value Organic
- King David
- Moo Free
- Nestle Toll House Allergen-free
- Pascha Organics
Baker’s Choice
Dairy-free options: semi sweet mini chocolate chips, semi sweet chocolate chips, chocolate flavored chocolate chips, caramel flavored chocolate chips, nougat flavored chocolate chips, semi sweet maxi chocolate chips, white chocolate flavored chips
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, gluten-free
Allergen statement: “Contains soy. May contain: traces of nuts, peanuts and sesame.”
Where to buy: Amazon, use their store locator on their website
Chocolate Emporium
Dairy-free options: butterscotch, semi sweet, white
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, gluten-free
Allergen statement: “Our chocolate is dairy-free, and gluten-free. If you have any other allergies please give us a call and we will try to accommodate you.”
Where to buy: Chocolate Emporium website
Great Value Organic
Dairy-free options: dark chocolate, semisweet, white
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish and shellfish-free
Allergen statement: “Free from the 8 major food allergens and artificial colors and flavors”
Where to buy: Walmart
King David
Dairy-free options: white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, butterscotch chips
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, vegan
Allergen statement: “Contains soy lecithin. May contain gluten, traces of nuts, almonds, peanuts, and sesame.”
Where to buy: Amazon
Moo Free
Dairy-free options: organic dairy-free chocolate baking drops, organic dairy-free choccy drops, dairy-free vegan white catering chocolate small drops
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free
Allergen statement: “Made in a factory that handles nuts. Dairy free, gluten free and soya free. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.”
Where to buy: Moo Free website
Nestle Toll House Allergen-free
Dairy-free options: allergen-free semi sweet morsels, allergen-free dark chocolate morsels, allergen-free white morsels
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish and shellfish-free
Allergen statement: “Free from the 8 major food allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish.”
Where to buy: Use the “where to buy” option on their website to find a local store
Pascha Organics
Dairy-free options: 100% cacao organic vegan unsweetened dark chocolate baking chips, 85% cacao organic vegan extra bitter-sweet dark chocolate chips, 70% cacao organic vegan bitter-sweet dark chocolate chips with organic stevia, 55% cacao organic vegan semi sweet dark chocolate chips, organic vegan no milk baking chips, organic vegan white baking chips,
Safe for these diets: dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, wheat-free, corn-free, fish-free, sesame-free
Allergen statement: “We’re completely free from all major food allergens, as listed below. These allergens are not in our products, not used on the production lines, are not used in the factory and the factory is actively managed to prevent these allergens entering inadvertently.”
Where to buy: Amazon, Thrive Market, and the Pascha website
If you’ve been looking for a brand of dairy-free white chocolate chips, I hope this list of options has given you some hope that they are available and you don’t have to go without this ingredient even if you’re avoiding dairy.
You may need to look a little harder for this ingredient than a chocolate flavored dairy-free chocolate chip, but they do exist and are worth buying if you use them in your baking often!
If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.
Looking for a few more dairy-free chocolate recipes? You’ll love these posts!
Check out these gluten and dairy-free recipes and posts featuring chocolate.
Dairy-free Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide
Have you wondered: is chocolate dairy-free? Find out if what brands are dairy-free, where to buy dairy-free chocolate, and more in this ultimate guide!
Are Chocolate Chips Dairy-free?
Wondering which brands of chocolate chips are dairy-free? How do you know if your chocolate chips are dairy-free? Find out in this post, where I’ll share my favorite dairy-free chocolate chip brands.
Dairy-free Hot Chocolate Mix
Homemade dairy-free hot chocolate mix for the cool weather months and holiday season
Dairy-free Peppermint Hot Chocolate
This dairy-free peppermint hot chocolate is festive, sweet, and perfectly minty.
Dairy and Gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
This dairy and gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake is moist, sweet, and super easy to make. Enjoy this chocolate zucchini cake in the summer - or any time of year you have extra zucchini on hand.
Gluten-free Brownies (Dairy-free, Vegan)
Are you a chocolate lover and need to stick with a gluten-free diet? Check out this delicious gluten-free brownie recipe that's also dairy-free and vegan!
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy-free, Egg-free, Vegan)
Try these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that are simple, easy, and come together in 15 minutes! They're dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan too!
50 Gluten-free Dairy-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Are you a fan of chocolate chip cookies, but need a gluten-free dairy-free recipe to suit your diet? Check out this recipe roundup posts with 50 gluten-free dairy-free chocolate chip cookie recipes.
15 Gluten-free Dairy-free Chocolate Cake Recipes
Do you love chocolate cake, but haven’t found any great gluten-free dairy-free chocolate cake recipes? Check out these 15 gluten-free dairy-free 5-ingredient or less chocolate cake recipes, including: chocolate layer cake, crazy cake, paleo chocolate cake, and more!
Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Donuts (Dairy-free, Vegan)
Are you looking for a chocolate donut recipe that's gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan? Try these gluten-free chocolate cake donuts that are super chocolatey, light, and fluffy!
25 Gluten-free Dairy-free 5-Ingredients or Less Chocolate Recipes
Love chocolate? Check out these 25 gluten-free dairy-free chocolate recipes that are 5-ingredients or less!
Dairy-free Nutella
Dairy-free nutella is a perfect treat if you're on a dairy-free diet. Enjoy this chocolate hazelnut spread on toast, on waffles, or straight off the spoon.
Leave a Reply