The ultimate round up of healthy cacao powder recipes to make all your chocolate dreams come true! Muffins, quick breads, cookies, brownies, smoothies and beyond.

Want to make a smoothie? Add cacao. Want to make a dessert? Start with cacao. Want to make a savory pasta dish? Recipes with cacao powder to the rescue!
What's the difference between cocoa and cacao powder?
There must be no way cacao powder is good for you if it tastes so amazing, right? Wrong. While the word may sound like the cocoa powder for baking you buy at the store, the two are quite different both in processing and in nutrition.
They both come from the cacao plant but cacao is closest to the raw state after harvesting the seed while cocoa has been processed with high heat. Now the cocoa powder you know and love still contains great nutrients, just not nearly as many as raw cacao does.
Cacao contains a high concentration of phytochemicals, the potent anti-cancer compounds found in plants. The most abundant antioxidants in our diet today come from flavonoids.
Lucky for you and me, these anti-inflammatory gems help combat damage by free radicals and improve cardiovascular health, thus preventing chronic disease.
Can you use cacao and cocoa powder interchangeably?
Not always, but in my recipes it's a sure YES, so feel free to use cacao in all the below recipes! If a recipe calls for dutch processed cocoa, I would not sub cacao.
Eat more plants. Decrease inflammation. Reduce risk of disease. Easy! Moving on from all that science stuff... I always buy this cacao powder because it's organic, affordable, and because Terra Soul is a family run company that I love.
Time for recipes with cacao powder!
Denise says
Alexis! CONGRATULATIONS on baby boy #2. Very excited for you, Jeff and Max:)
On a foodie note.....Please know, I would absolutely LOVE IT if you published a cookbook that included all of your delicious recipes! I would buy multiple copies for myself, family and friends:)
Val says
Love this recipe roundup so much!! And also LOVE Terra Soul cacao! The only one I use and the flavor is so, so good and one of those bags lasts a while which is so nice! I can say (with PRIDE lol) I've made every single brownie recipe on this list! 🙂 They're all unique in their own way but all legit amazing - I love that it gives flexibility to whatever you have on hand and then no matter what you choose, it's a guaranteed hit! Can't wait to see what brownie you come up with next!!
Alexis Joseph says
Hahaha this is the best! And YES isn't that cacao everything?!
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome!
Dylan says
All of these recipes are so good! Definitley keep these in my rotation, and always have cacao powder on hand!
Alexis Joseph says
Yay Thanks!!
Alexis Joseph says
Agree!
Doreen says
no chocolate cake or chocolate frosting recipes?? the horror ;D
Alexis Joseph says
LOL I need to make some!
Nanci says
Oh my goodness!! Every single recipe looks AMAZING!!! I’ve been so good waiting for December to bake and I’ll start with #1 and I’ll work my way down your list. YUM!! Thank you!!!!!
Happy Holidays!!
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, thank you!
NancyHope Major says
I am looking forward to trying several of these recipes.
looks yummy
Andy Bishop says
Wow, Alexis! The pictures look amazing! I can't wait to try these recipes. Thanks for sharing!
Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says
Umm...this round-up was meant for me!!!! YUM. I've tried many of these recipes in the past...the flourless zucchini brownies, chocolate banana muffins, double chocolate cookies, fudgy no bake bars...seriously love all of them!! 🙂
Alexis says
Yessssss enjoy!
Alexis says
Yayyy enjoy!
Alexis says
Chocolate sisters from another mister!