Pure ground cocoa solids and cocoa butter with no sugar at all - roughly half cocoa powder and half fat by composition.
What it does in a recipe: Undiluted chocolate intensity plus the fat that carries it. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Baking chocolate, Chocolate liquor
2substitutes
1close matches
Baking staplescategory
Quick answer
Cocoa powder + fat
1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 3 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp butter, oil or shortening
All substitutes, best first
2 ways to replace unsweetened chocolate
Cocoa powder + fat
Closest match
1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 3 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp butter, oil or shortening
An ounce of baking chocolate is approximately three tablespoons of cocoa solids bound with a tablespoon of cocoa butter, so adding fat back to cocoa powder reconstructs it.
MethodMelt the fat and whisk the cocoa in until completely smooth before adding it to the batter.
Trade-offSlightly less smooth than melted chocolate, but reliable in brownies and cakes.
1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, and reduce the recipe's sugar by 1 tbsp
Bittersweet chocolate already contains sugar, so more of it is needed for the same cocoa content and the recipe's own sugar has to come down.
Trade-offSlightly sweeter and less sharply bitter overall.
BakingVegetarianGluten-freeEgg-freeSoy-free
At a glance
Unsweetened chocolate in summary
Unsweetened chocolate at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
Can I use cocoa powder + fat instead of unsweetened chocolate?
1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 3 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp butter, oil or shortening. An ounce of baking chocolate is approximately three tablespoons of cocoa solids bound with a tablespoon of cocoa butter, so adding fat back to cocoa powder reconstructs it. Slightly less smooth than melted chocolate, but reliable in brownies and cakes.
Can I use bittersweet chocolate (adjusted) instead of unsweetened chocolate?
1 oz unsweetened chocolate = 1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, and reduce the recipe's sugar by 1 tbsp. Bittersweet chocolate already contains sugar, so more of it is needed for the same cocoa content and the recipe's own sugar has to come down. Slightly sweeter and less sharply bitter overall.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.