Cacao vs Cocoa: What Is the Difference and Which Is Healthier?

Cacao and cocoa come from the same bean, the seed of the Theobroma cacao tree. The difference is processing: brands usually say "cacao" for powder and nibs made from unroasted or lightly roasted beans, and "cocoa" for powder from roasted beans, sometimes also treated with alkali (Dutch process). Less processing keeps more of the bean's flavanols. In one survey, natural cocoa powder held 34.6 mg of flavanols per gram, while heavily alkalized cocoa held 3.9 mg (Miller et al., 2008). This guide compares cacao powder, natural cocoa and Dutch-process cocoa side by side: how each is made, flavanols, caffeine and theobromine, minerals, and heavy metals.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Same bean, different processing: cacao and cocoa are both made from cacao beans; roasting temperature and alkali treatment make the difference (Payne et al., 2010).
• Dutch processing strips flavanols: average flavanols fell from 34.6 mg per gram in natural cocoa to 13.8, 7.8 and 3.9 mg in lightly, medium and heavily alkalized cocoa (Miller et al., 2008).
• Heat matters too: epicatechin, a main cacao flavanol, dropped distinctly once bean temperatures went above 70°C (158°F) during roasting (Payne et al., 2010).
• Both have theobromine and a little caffeine: a tablespoon of natural cocoa powder has about 111 mg of theobromine and 12 mg of caffeine (USDA FoodData Central).
• Check for heavy metal testing: in 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products tested over 8 years, 43% exceeded California's Prop 65 daily level for lead and 35% for cadmium in a serving (Hands et al., 2024).

Cacao vs Cocoa: What Is the Difference?

Every cacao and cocoa product starts as the seeds of the cacao pod. After harvest the beans are fermented and dried, then usually roasted, shelled into nibs and ground. Pressing the ground nibs separates the fat (cacao butter or cocoa butter) from the solids, which are milled into powder (Payne et al., 2010).

The names are mostly about how far that process goes. Products sold as cacao powder or cacao nibs are usually made from beans that were not roasted or were roasted at lower heat. Cocoa powder is usually made from roasted beans, and Dutch-process cocoa is also treated with an alkali to darken the color and mellow the taste. In the FDA's standards for cocoa products, cacao nibs are the shelled, cracked beans, and cocoa powders are defined by their fat content and by whether they were processed with alkali, which must be named on the label (21 CFR Part 163). Neither standard sets a roasting temperature, so the word on the bag tells you less than how the product was made.

	Cacao powder	Natural cocoa	Dutch-process cocoa
Roasting	None or low heat	Roasted	Roasted
Alkali treatment	No	No	Yes, labeled "processed with alkali"
Acidity	Acidic	Acidic, pH 5.3 to 5.8	Neutral to alkaline, pH 6.5 and up
Color	Lighter brown	Medium brown	Darker, red-brown to near black
Flavanols	Highest when unroasted	About 34.6 mg per gram	About 3.9 to 13.8 mg per gram

pH ranges and flavanol averages are from a survey of commercial cocoa powders (Miller et al., 2008); the roasting row follows the processing study (Payne et al., 2010).

Why flavanols matter: in a randomized trial of 3,562 older adults, a cocoa extract providing 500 mg of cocoa flavanols a day did not improve memory across the whole group after a year, but it did improve memory in people whose usual diet was low in flavanols (Brickman et al., 2023).

How Processing Changes the Flavanols

Flavanols (also called flavan-3-ols) are the plant compounds that most cocoa research focuses on. One study followed them through each step of processing (Payne et al., 2010):

• Fermentation: fermented beans had more than 80% less epicatechin and catechin than unfermented beans.
• Drying: had little effect.
• Roasting: epicatechin fell distinctly once bean temperatures went above 70°C (158°F).
• Dutch processing: compared with natural cocoa powder, alkali treatment cut epicatechin by up to 98% and catechin by up to 80%.

The survey of commercial powders found the same pattern on the shelf: the more alkali a cocoa had been treated with, the lower its flavanols, polyphenols and antioxidant score, in a straight line (Miller et al., 2008).

Is Cacao Healthier Than Cocoa?

For flavanols, less processed is better: unroasted cacao and natural cocoa keep far more than Dutch-process cocoa (Miller et al., 2008). Cocoa flavanols are what most human studies of cocoa have measured; our guide to cocoa extract benefits covers what that research found.

For everyday nutrients, the gap is small. Per tablespoon (5.4 g), unsweetened cocoa powder provides about 2 g of fiber, 27 mg of magnesium and 0.75 mg of iron (USDA FoodData Central). Dutch-process cocoa is close: about 1.6 g of fiber, 26 mg of magnesium and 0.84 mg of iron (USDA FoodData Central). Cacao powder is the same ground bean, so expect similar numbers.

What makes the bigger difference is what comes with it. A spoon of unsweetened cacao or cocoa in a drink is a very different thing from a sweetened chocolate mix, so read the sugar line.

For what cacao offers and how much to have a day, see cacao benefits.

Caffeine and Theobromine in Cacao and Cocoa

Cacao and cocoa are not caffeine free. Their main stimulant is theobromine, a gentler relative of caffeine, with a smaller amount of caffeine alongside it. USDA data per tablespoon (USDA FoodData Central):

Per tablespoon (5.4 g)	Theobromine	Caffeine
Natural cocoa powder, unsweetened	About 111 mg	About 12 mg
Dutch-process cocoa powder, unsweetened	About 142 mg	About 4 mg

Our guide to theobromine vs caffeine explains how the two feel different, and the theobromine ingredient page covers the compound itself. If you are cutting back on coffee, our list of coffee alternatives compares cacao drinks with other swaps.

Heavy Metals in Cacao and Cocoa

Lead and cadmium have been found in chocolate and cocoa products. In a study of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products bought in the US between 2014 and 2022, 43% exceeded California's Prop 65 daily level for lead and 35% for cadmium in a serving, while 70 of the 72 were below the FDA's interim reference level for lead. Median levels were below the Prop 65 levels, and products labeled organic were more likely to have higher lead and cadmium (Hands et al., 2024).

The authors concluded that a single serving of most products may not pose an appreciable risk for the average person, but several servings a day, or some of the higher products, could add up (Hands et al., 2024). Choosing brands that test their ingredients and keeping to a serving or two a day is a sensible middle path.

Cacao Nibs, Cacao Butter and Cocoa Butter

• Cacao nibs are the shelled, cracked beans (21 CFR Part 163): crunchy, bitter and unsweetened.
• Cacao butter and cocoa butter are the fat pressed from the ground nibs (Payne et al., 2010). Two names, the same fat.
• Cacao powder and cocoa powder are the solids left after pressing, milled fine.

Which Should You Buy?

• For the most flavanols: unroasted cacao powder or natural cocoa, not Dutch-process (Miller et al., 2008).
• For a mellow, dark color in baking: Dutch-process cocoa. Natural cocoa is acidic and Dutch-process is neutral to alkaline (Miller et al., 2008), so recipes written for one can rise and taste different with the other.
• For a drink: unsweetened powder you sweeten yourself, or a mix with no added sugar.
• Always: look for "processed with alkali" on the label if you want to avoid Dutch-process (21 CFR Part 163), and favor brands that test their ingredients.

Where Mushroom Cacao Fits

Our Mushroom Cacao is a mushroom hot chocolate that uses both: cocoa powder, cacao powder and a high polyphenol, high theobromine cocoa extract, with 500 mg each of lion's mane and cordyceps 8:1 fruiting body extracts per 5 g serving. Each serving has 15 calories and 0g sugar, and it is made with third-party tested ingredients. Stir one rounded teaspoon into 6 to 8 oz of hot water or warm milk, once a day, ideally in the morning or early afternoon, since cocoa contains theobromine and some caffeine. Our lion's mane page, the non-stimulant energy and focus hub and mushroom coffee vs regular coffee have more. Talk to your doctor before adding a new product if you are pregnant, nursing, take medication or have a medical condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cacao the same as cocoa?

They come from the same bean. "Cacao" usually means a less processed product made from unroasted or lightly roasted beans, and "cocoa" means powder from roasted beans, sometimes Dutch-processed (Payne et al., 2010).

Is cacao healthier than cocoa?

For flavanols, less processed cacao and natural cocoa beat Dutch-process cocoa by a wide margin (Miller et al., 2008). Fiber, magnesium and iron are similar across all three (USDA FoodData Central).

Is Dutch-process cocoa bad for you?

No, it is still cocoa, with similar minerals and fiber (USDA FoodData Central). It simply holds far fewer flavanols, about 3.9 to 13.8 mg per gram against 34.6 mg in natural cocoa (Miller et al., 2008).

Does cacao have caffeine?

Yes, a little. A tablespoon of natural cocoa powder has about 12 mg of caffeine and 111 mg of theobromine (USDA FoodData Central).

Can I use cacao powder instead of cocoa powder?

In drinks and no-bake recipes, yes. In baking, natural cocoa and cacao are acidic while Dutch-process cocoa is neutral to alkaline (Miller et al., 2008), so the result can rise and taste different.

What are cacao nibs?

Cacao nibs are the shelled, cracked cacao beans (21 CFR Part 163), before they are ground into paste and pressed into butter and powder.

Is there lead in cacao and cocoa?

Many products contain some lead and cadmium. In 72 US products, median levels were below California's Prop 65 levels, but 43% exceeded the lead level in a serving (Hands et al., 2024). Choose brands that test their ingredients.

Does roasting destroy the nutrients in cacao?

Roasting above 70°C (158°F) lowered epicatechin, a main flavanol (Payne et al., 2010). Minerals and fiber are not lost the same way; roasted cocoa powder still provides magnesium, iron and fiber (USDA FoodData Central).

Sources

1. Miller KB, Hurst WJ, Payne MJ, et al. Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders. J Agric Food Chem. 2008. PubMed 18710243
2. Payne MJ, Hurst WJ, Miller KB, Rank C, Stuart DA. Impact of fermentation, drying, roasting, and Dutch processing on epicatechin and catechin content of cacao beans and cocoa ingredients. J Agric Food Chem. 2010. PubMed 20843086
3. Hands JM, Anderson ML, Cooperman T, Balsky JE, Frame LA. A multi-year heavy metal analysis of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA. Front Nutr. 2024. PubMed 39144282
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (169593) and Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, processed with alkali (169594). USDA FoodData Central
5. U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Part 163: Cacao Products. 21 CFR Part 163
6. Brickman AM, Yeung LK, Alschuler DM, Ottaviani JI, Kuhnle GGC, Sloan RP, et al. Dietary flavanols restore hippocampal-dependent memory in older adults with lower diet quality and lower habitual flavanol consumption. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(23):e2216932120. PubMed 37252983

Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for education only and is not medical advice.