Back شوكولاتة بيضاء Arabic Белы шакалад Byelorussian Бял шоколад Bulgarian Xocolata blanca Catalan Bílá čokoláda Czech Hvid chokolade Danish Weiße Schokolade German Λευκή σοκολάτα Greek Chocolate blanco Spanish Txokolate zuri Basque
 White chocolate tablet | |
| Type | Chocolate |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Switzerland |
| Created by | Nestlé |
| Invented | 1936 |
| Main ingredients | Cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids |
| Ingredients generally used | Vanilla |
White chocolate is a form of chocolate made of cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Unlike milk and dark chocolate, it does not contain cocoa solids. Among some members of the public, it is controversial whether white chocolate should be called chocolate and it only became recognized as chocolate in the United States during the 21st century. It is made by a process of mixing, refining, conching, standardizing and tempering.
Of the three main types of chocolate, white chocolate is the newest; first commercially sold by Swiss company Nestlé in 1936 and manufactured and nationally distributed in the United States in 1984. In the 21st century, manufacturers in the United Kingdom began marketing white chocolate to adults and worldwide began producing higher-quality white chocolate. c. 2005, a variant, blond chocolate was invented, produced by slowly cooking white chocolate across multiple days.
Like milk and dark chocolate, white chocolate is used to make chocolate bars and as a coating in confectionery. It has an ivory color, and can smell of biscuit, vanilla or caramel, although it can also easily pick up smells from the environment, and become rancid with its relatively short shelf life. In 2022, white chocolate made up ten percent of the chocolate market. As of 2024, the market for white chocolate was projected to grow by around five percent for the next few years, driven by an increase in consumption of premium white chocolate, particularly in Europe.