Cocoa powder is what is left of a cacao bean after most of its fat is pressed out. The beans are fermented, dried, roasted and cracked into nibs, which are ground into a paste. A press squeezes out the cocoa butter, and the dry cake that remains is ground into powder.
With the fat gone, a level tablespoon (5.4 g) has only 12 kcal (calories), yet 2 g of fiber. At 37 g of fiber per 100 g, cocoa powder ranks first among the 109 foods on this site for fiber.
The flavanols behind most cocoa research, a group of plant compounds, are easily lost. A survey of commercial powders found natural cocoa averaged 34.6 mg of flavanols per gram. Powders treated with alkali held less: 13.8 when lightly alkalized, 7.8 when medium and 3.9 mg when heavily alkalized (“Dutch-process”). Two tins on a shelf can differ about ninefold, and the label rarely makes that obvious.
Cocoa powder also carries mild stimulants. A tablespoon has about 111 mg of theobromine, a relative of caffeine, and 12.4 mg of caffeine.
Most flavanol trials below used cocoa extract capsules or specially made flavanol-rich drinks, not a spoonful from the grocery shelf. Several were paid for or supplied by Mars, the food company. The cards say so wherever the paper does.
Health benefits of cocoa powder
The top findings from 30 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★★★Cocoa flavanols help arteries widen normally (EU claim)The EU food safety agency found that 200 mg of cocoa flavanols a day helps keep arteries widening normally, for products that supply that amount. Pooled trials found artery widening (flow-mediated dilation) up by 1.34% across 42 trials.
- ★★Slightly lower blood pressureIn pooled trials, the top number fell by 1.76 mm Hg across 35 trials, and by 2.7 mm Hg across 25 trials. In people with high blood pressure it fell about 4 mm Hg, but not clearly in people with normal pressure.
- ★★No clear effect on total heart eventsIn 21,442 older adults, cocoa flavanols (500 mg a day, capsules) did not clearly cut total cardiovascular events (0.90 times the risk, possibly chance). Cardiovascular deaths were 27% lower, but heart attack, stroke and death from any cause did not clearly differ.
- ★★Lower triglycerides and slightly higher HDLAcross 19 trials, cocoa flavanols lowered triglycerides (blood fats) by 0.10 mmol/L and raised HDL by 0.06 mmol/L. Fasting insulin and insulin resistance fell too.
- ★★No clear effect on memory or thinking skillsIn three parts of the COSMOS trial, cocoa extract capsules did not clearly improve memory or global thinking in older adults. Memory gains appeared only in subgroups, which need confirming.
All 30 studies, strongest evidence first
EFSA: 200 mg of cocoa flavanols daily helps maintain normal vessel widening
This opinion by EFSA, the EU’s food safety agency, answered an application from Barry Callebaut and is the basis of an EU health claim. In a 12-week study, fasting flow-mediated dilation (how much an artery widens) rose. In another, the effect grew with dose and appeared after one week. Two supporting studies were also weighed. The 200 mg could come from 2.5 g of high-flavanol cocoa powder or 10 g of high-flavanol dark chocolate. The claim covers products that supply that amount, not cocoa powder in general.
Cocoa extract missed its main goal, but cardiovascular deaths were 27% lower
The COSMOS trial gave 21,442 older US adults capsules with 500 mg of cocoa flavanols a day, including 80 mg of epicatechin, or a placebo. Over 3.6 years, total events were 410 on cocoa extract and 456 on placebo (0.90 times the risk), a gap that could be chance. Heart attack, stroke and death from any cause did not clearly differ. People who took the pills as directed had a lower risk of total events. Mars Edge, part of Mars, gave a grant and donated the capsules. The paper says neither Mars nor Pfizer had a role in the trial design, data analysis or manuscript.
Flavanol-rich cocoa lowered systolic blood pressure by 1.76 mm Hg
This Cochrane review pooled 35 randomized trials of 2 to 18 weeks in mostly healthy adults, 1,804 in the main analysis. It covered cocoa and chocolate products rather than powder alone. Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) fell 1.76 mm Hg too. Systolic pressure (the top number) fell about 4 mm Hg in people with high blood pressure, but not clearly in people with normal pressure. Trials differed in ways the authors could not explain, so they rate the evidence moderate. Leaving out trials with authors employed by the sponsoring industry slightly shrank the effect.
Regular cocoa and chocolate intake raised flow-mediated dilation by 1.34%
This meta-analysis (a study that pools earlier trials) combined 42 short randomized trials of chocolate, cocoa or flavan-3-ols in 1,297 people. The trials lasted up to 18 weeks. A single dose raised dilation by 3.19%, and the insulin resistance score (HOMA-IR) fell 0.67. Diastolic pressure fell 1.60 mm Hg, while LDL (“bad”) and HDL (“good”) cholesterol changed only marginally. The authors rate the evidence low to moderate quality and call for larger, independently funded trials.
Cocoa flavanols lowered systolic pressure by 2.7 mm Hg in 25 trials
This updated meta-analysis pooled 25 randomized trials (1,167 people) with daily flavanol doses from 10.6 to 1,680 mg. Flow-mediated dilation rose 1.3% and diastolic pressure fell 1.8 mm Hg. Pulse wave velocity, a measure of artery stiffness, fell 0.2 m/s. The authors rate certainty as moderate for systolic pressure and limited for the rest. Most authors work for Meiji, a food company that makes cocoa-containing foods, and say it had no role in the analyses.
Cocoa flavanols raised flow-mediated dilation by 1.17%, best at a middle dose
This meta-analysis pooled 15 articles (18 intervention arms) in which people got 80 to 1,248 mg more flavanols than controls. The effect peaked at about 710 mg of total flavanols, 95 mg of epicatechin or 25 mg of catechin a day. That is a middle dose, not the highest, so the dose curve had an inverted U shape. Results varied widely and most studies had risk-of-bias concerns.
Cocoa flavanols lowered triglycerides and raised HDL in 19 trials
This meta-analysis pooled 19 randomized trials (1,131 people) with 166 to 2,110 mg of flavanols a day for 2 to 52 weeks. Triglycerides (blood fats) fell 0.10 mmol/L and HDL rose 0.06 mmol/L (mmol/L is a unit for blood levels). Fasting insulin fell 2.33 µIU/mL, the insulin resistance score (HOMA-IR) fell 0.93 and CRP, an inflammation marker, fell 0.83 mg/dL. Most other markers did not change. Three authors report support from Mars Symbioscience for a cocoa flavanol trial.
Cocoa extract capsules did not lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
This COSMOS analysis followed 18,381 older adults without diabetes at the start for 3.5 years. They took 500 mg of cocoa flavanols a day (including 80 mg of epicatechin) or a placebo. There were 801 new self-reported cases, and the risk was 1.04 times that on placebo. Sex, weight, diet quality and baseline flavanol status did not change the result. Two authors report investigator-initiated grants from Mars Edge.
Cocoa extract did not lower overall risk of new high blood pressure
This COSMOS analysis followed 8,905 older adults free of hypertension (high blood pressure) at the start for 3.4 years. Rates were 7.1 and 7.4 per 100 person-years on cocoa extract and placebo (0.96 times the risk). Among people whose systolic pressure started under 120 mm Hg, hypertension was 24% less common, but not among those at 120 to 139. That subgroup result needs confirming. Two authors report investigator-initiated grants from Mars Edge, which donated the pills.
Cocoa extract did not clearly help memory overall, only in a subgroup
COSMOS-Web tested 3,562 older adults on 500 mg of cocoa flavanols a day for 3 years. The main goal was the memory test at 1 year. Memory was restored among people in the lower thirds of habitual diet quality or flavanol intake, a subgroup finding. A rising flavanol marker went with better memory. Two authors are employed by Mars, and COSMOS is supported by a Mars Edge grant that included donated pills.
Cocoa extract capsules had no effect on global thinking skills
COSMOS-Mind tested thinking by telephone each year for 3 years in 2,262 older adults. They took cocoa extract containing 500 mg of flavanols a day or a placebo. The change in the global score was 0.03, small enough to be chance. The multivitamin arm of the same trial did show a small benefit. The capsules came from Mars Edge, which the authors say took no part in the trial design, analysis or write-up.
Cocoa extract capsules did not improve memory, attention or global thinking
COSMOS-Clinic tested 573 older adults in person, and 492 finished 11 cognitive tests at 2 years. The global change was −0.01 standard deviation units. Subgroup analyses, not corrected for multiple testing, hinted at a benefit in people with poorer diet quality. The authors say this needs further study.
Polyphenol-rich cocoa lowered LDL and oxidized LDL, raised HDL in high-LDL adults
In this double-blind trial, 160 people drank hot cocoa daily for 4 weeks. The placebo was a cocoa powder low in polyphenols (plant compounds). The others got one of three amounts of a high-polyphenol powder: 13, 19.5 or 26 g a day. The abstract reports changes from baseline in the 131 people whose LDL was 3.23 mmol/L or higher. That is not a clean comparison with the placebo powder.
Cocoa drinks did not clearly raise HDL, but theobromine alone did
In this randomized trial, 152 healthy adults aged 40 to 70 drank 200 mL a day for 4 weeks. The drink held cocoa (150 mg of theobromine and 325 mg of flavonoids), 850 mg of pure theobromine, both together or neither. Theobromine alone raised HDL by 0.16 mmol/L, and theobromine also raised apolipoprotein A-I (the main protein in HDL) and lowered LDL. The authors suggest theobromine may be the main ingredient behind cocoa’s HDL effect.
A month of cocoa flavanols improved artery widening and blood pressure
In this randomized, double-masked trial, 100 healthy people aged 35 to 60 drank 450 mg of cocoa flavanols twice a day for a month. The comparison was a nutrient-matched, flavanol-free drink. Flow-mediated dilation rose 1.2%, systolic pressure fell 4.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure fell 3.9 mm Hg. LDL fell 0.17 mmol/L and HDL rose 0.10 mmol/L. The flavanols came from a Mars cocoa extract. Mars provided the drinks and an unrestricted grant, and one author is employed by Mars.
More cocoa flavonoids raised artery widening step by step, 6.2% to 8.2%
In this randomized double-blind crossover trial, 20 healthy people tried every version. Each took 10 g of cocoa a day with 0, 80, 200, 500 or 800 mg of flavonoids, for 1 week each. Even 80 mg raised dilation, and office systolic pressure fell 4.8 mm Hg and diastolic 3.03 mm Hg. The EU regulation behind the cocoa flavanol claim cites a study by this group with a near-identical title as protected evidence.
Cocoa flavanols improved artery widening in young and older men
In this randomized, double-masked trial, 42 healthy men drank 450 mg of cocoa flavanols twice a day for two weeks, or a flavanol-free drink. Of them, 22 were under 35 and 20 were aged 50 to 80. Flow-mediated dilation rose from 6.1% to 7.6% in the young men and from 4.9% to 6.3% in the older men. In the older men, the aortic augmentation index, a measure of pressure added by stiff arteries, fell 9% and systolic pressure dropped 7 mm Hg. This was a short trial in men only, and Mars provided the drinks and an unrestricted grant.
Flavanol-rich cocoa raised baseline artery widening by 30% in diabetes
In this randomized, double-masked trial, 41 medicated diabetic patients drank flavanol-rich cocoa three times a day for a month. Each dose had 321 mg of flavanols, against a nutrient-matched control with 25 mg per dose. In a first study of 10 patients, one dose raised dilation from 3.7% to 5.5% after 2 hours. Blood pressure and blood sugar control did not change.
Cocoa flavanols improved artery widening, more so with theobromine and caffeine
These four randomized, double-masked studies had 47 healthy volunteers and measured dilation 2 hours after a drink. The drinks held 0 to 820 mg of flavanols and 0 to 220 mg of methylxanthines, the stimulants theobromine and caffeine. The stimulants alone did not clearly change dilation. Together with flavanols, they raised blood levels of epicatechin metabolites (breakdown products). Cocoa powder naturally contains both groups of compounds.
Theobromine-enriched cocoa raised 24-hour systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg
In this crossover trial, 42 healthy adults aged about 62 took each dairy drink for 3 weeks. Their blood pressure was 130 to 159 over 85 to 99 mm Hg. The enriched cocoa had 979 mg of theobromine, while cocoa with the natural 106 mg changed neither 24-hour nor central systolic pressure. Two hours after the enriched cocoa, central systolic pressure was 4.3 mm Hg lower.
High-flavanol cocoa sped up Trail Making Test times in older adults
In this double-blind trial, 90 older adults without cognitive problems drank 993, 520 or 48 mg of cocoa flavanols a day for eight weeks. Times on the Trail Making Test, a timed connect-the-dots task, fell by 8.6 and 16.5 seconds. The overall Mini-Mental State score did not differ. Verbal fluency rose 7.7 words a minute on the high dose against 1.3 on the low dose, and insulin resistance and blood pressure also improved. Mars gave a grant and supplied the drinks, and one author is employed by Mars. The low-flavanol drink used highly processed, alkalized cocoa powder.
High-flavanol cocoa improved dentate gyrus function and memory scores
In this randomized trial, healthy people aged 50 to 69 ate a high-flavanol cocoa diet for three months. Brain imaging mapped the dentate gyrus, a part of the hippocampus linked to age-related memory decline, and a memory task was built around it. The abstract gives no group sizes or numbers. The work had funding from the NIH (the US National Institutes of Health) and an unrestricted grant from Mars.
Cocoa flavanols plus fish oil did not improve thinking skills
The CANN trial followed 259 older adults with memory complaints for a year, and 197 finished. It combined DHA-rich fish oil with a flavanol-rich dark chocolate (500 mg of flavan-3-ols a day). Executive function and alertness were worse in the treated group, with a drop in cortical volume. The HDL to total cholesterol ratio rose and triglycerides fell. It tested the combination, so it cannot separate cocoa from fish oil.
A cocoa drink raised self-rated calmness and contentedness in healthy adults
In this randomized double-blind trial, 72 middle-aged people finished. They took a dark chocolate drink mix with 500 mg, 250 mg or no polyphenols once a day for 30 days. After a month, the 500 mg drink raised self-rated calmness and contentedness. Mood did not change after a single dose, and thinking skills did not change at any time.
High-flavanol cocoa powder cut UV skin redness by 25% in women
For 12 weeks, women drank 326 mg of cocoa flavanols a day (high-flavanol powder) or 27 mg (low-flavanol powder) in 100 mL of water. Redness after a solar simulator fell 15% at 6 weeks. Skin blood flow, density and hydration rose too. It tested the skin response to a lab UV lamp, not skin cancer or sunburn outdoors.
A new way of ranking COSMOS events favored cocoa extract over placebo
This secondary analysis of the 21,442 COSMOS adults used a win ratio. It compares pairs of people and ranks cardiovascular outcomes from fatal disease downward. Cocoa won 3.41% of comparisons and placebo 2.87%, a reciprocal win ratio of 0.84. The standard model for the same composite gave 0.90, a result that could be chance, so this result needs confirming.
Men eating more chocolate had a 13% lower cardiovascular death risk
This cohort study (it follows people over time) tracked 27,111 men through 2015. It added a meta-analysis of 21 estimates from cohort studies (908,390 people). That found a lower cardiovascular risk per 5 g a day, 0.98 times the risk. This is chocolate, not cocoa powder, and a link is not proof of cause.
Elderly men eating the most cocoa had half the cardiovascular death risk
This cohort followed 470 men in the Zutphen Elderly Study for 15 years. Cocoa intake was estimated from cocoa-containing foods (median 2.11 g a day among users). Systolic pressure was 3.7 mm Hg lower in the top third, and 152 of the 314 deaths were cardiovascular. Cocoa eaters may differ from others in ways the study could not measure.
Theobromine, a compound in cocoa, suppressed cough in guinea pigs and people
This was mostly animal and nerve-tissue work. Theobromine blocked citric acid-induced cough in guinea pigs, and the activation of guinea pig and human vagus nerve. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in people, it also suppressed cough caused by capsaicin, the chili compound. It tested the pure compound, not cocoa powder.
Cocoa polyphenol extract blocked fat cell formation, cut weight gain in mice
This study used cultured fat cell precursors and 44 male mice fed a high-fat diet for 5 weeks. In cells, the extract (100 or 200 µg/mL) blocked the insulin receptor kinase, an enzyme in insulin signaling. Fasting glucose in the mice was unaffected. This is cell and mouse work on an extract, not a test of eating cocoa powder.
Who should be careful with cocoa powder
Most people can eat cocoa powder freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Caffeine and theobromine. A tablespoon has 12.4 mg of caffeine and 111 mg of theobromine. EFSA says up to 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources is not a safety concern for adults. In pregnancy, the figure is up to 200 mg a day. So count cocoa with your coffee and tea if you are sensitive or pregnant.
- Cadmium and lead. Cocoa can pick up both from the soil, and levels vary by origin. The EU caps cadmium in cocoa powder sold to consumers at 0.60 mg/kg. The FDA sets no limit for cocoa but calls chocolate a minor source of cadmium exposure. In its survey of US retail products, cadmium ranged from 0.004 to 3.15 mg/kg and lead from below detection to 0.38 mg/kg. This is a small concern for most people eating a tablespoon at a time.
How to choose, store and eat cocoa powder
- Natural or Dutch-process: in a survey of commercial powders, natural cocoa averaged 34.6 mg of flavanols per gram and heavily alkalized powder 3.9 mg. By those averages, a tablespoon (5.4 g) holds roughly 190 mg of flavanols in natural cocoa and roughly 20 mg in heavily alkalized cocoa. On the label, “processed with alkali” means fewer flavanols.
- With milk or water: in 9 volunteers, milk barely changed the flavanol metabolites in the blood. Less appeared in the urine, though: 10.5% of the dose against 18.3% with water. The cocoa in that study held far fewer flavanols than the high-dose trial drinks.
- How much: a trial of cocoa powder used 13 to 26 g a day for 4 weeks. EFSA says 2.5 g of high-flavanol powder can supply the 200 mg in the EU claim. A level tablespoon is 5.4 g with 12 kcal, 2 g of fiber and 0.09 g of sugar.
Choose unsweetened powder if you want the nutrition on this page, because hot chocolate mixes add sugar. To avoid the lower-flavanol kind, look on the ingredient list for “processed with alkali” or “Dutch-process”. The FDA survey found higher cadmium in products reported as coming from Latin America than from Africa. So origin is worth a glance when it is printed.
Sources
- Caffeine. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) topic page.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA J. 2015.
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food. Official Journal of the European Union. Annex, section 3.2 (cadmium), row 3.2.15.4.
- Cadmium in food and foodwares. US Food and Drug Administration. 2024.
- Lead in food and foodwares. US Food and Drug Administration.
- Abt E, Fong Sam J, Gray P, Robin LP. Cadmium and lead in cocoa powder and chocolate products in the US market. Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill. 2018.
- 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.
- Mullen W, Borges G, Donovan JL, et al. Milk decreases urinary excretion but not plasma pharmacokinetics of cocoa flavan-3-ol metabolites in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009.
- Baba S, Natsume M, Yasuda A, et al. Plasma LDL and HDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL concentrations are altered in normo- and hypercholesterolemic humans after intake of different levels of cocoa powder. J Nutr. 2007.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to cocoa flavanols and maintenance of normal endothelium-dependent vasodilation. EFSA J. 2012.
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 851/2013 of 3 September 2013 authorising certain health claims made on foods. Official Journal of the European Union.
- Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169593.
History of cocoa powder
The cacao tree was first used in the upper Amazon. Cacao starch grains, theobromine residues and ancient DNA from the Santa Ana-La Florida site in southeast Ecuador date to about 5,300 years ago. The authors call it the earliest evidence of cacao use in the Americas. They point to the upper Amazon as the oldest known center of cacao domestication.
From there the beans moved north. Pottery from Puerto Escondido in Honduras shows cacao drinks were made before 1000 BC. They were probably made from the sweet pulp around the seeds rather than from roasted beans. Residues in Maya vessels from Colha, in Belize, show chocolate was drunk by 600 BC.
Carl Linnaeus later named the tree Theobroma cacao, meaning “food of the gods”. The English word “cocoa” is a variant of “cacao,” probably from confusion with “coco.”
Cocoa powder itself is much younger. In 1828, Casparus van Houten Sr. patented a hydraulic press that squeezed cocoa butter out of the ground bean paste. The method is often credited to his son, Coenraad Johannes van Houten. The press cut the cocoa butter in the paste by nearly half and left a cake that could be ground into powder.
The Van Houtens are also credited with treating the powder with alkaline salts, potassium or sodium carbonates, so it mixed more easily with water. The result was darker and milder, and it became known as Dutch-process cocoa.
The cost shows up in the lab. In a 2008 survey, heavily alkalized powders averaged 3.9 mg of flavanols per gram, against 34.6 mg in natural cocoa.
Today Ivory Coast leads. In 2024 the world grew about 5.8 million tonnes of cocoa beans, 38% of them in Ivory Coast, followed by Ghana and Indonesia.
Sources
- Zarrillo S, Gaikwad N, Lanaud C, et al. The use and domestication of Theobroma cacao during the mid-Holocene in the upper Amazon. Nat Ecol Evol. 2018.
- Henderson JS, Joyce RA, Hall GR, Hurst WJ, McGovern PE. Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007.
- Hurst WJ, Tarka SM Jr, Powis TG, Valdez F Jr, Hester TR. Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization. Nature. 2002.
- 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.
- Cocoa bean. Wikipedia.
- Dutch process cocoa. Wikipedia.
- Coenraad Johannes van Houten. Wikipedia.
Frequently asked questions about cocoa powder
Is cocoa powder good for you?
For most people, yes, in ordinary amounts. A level tablespoon (5.4 g) has 12 kcal, 2 g of fiber and 0.09 g of sugar. It also gives 27% of the Daily Value (the daily target on US food labels) for chromium.
Most heart research used flavanol-rich drinks or cocoa extract capsules. The largest trial, COSMOS (21,442 adults), did not clearly cut total cardiovascular events (0.90 times the risk). Still, cardiovascular deaths were 27% lower.
Is natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder healthier?
Natural cocoa keeps far more flavanols. In a survey of commercial powders, natural cocoa averaged 34.6 mg per gram. Lightly alkalized cocoa averaged 13.8, medium 7.8 and heavily alkalized 3.9 mg.
Dutch-process cocoa is darker and milder, so it can suit baking. No study on this page compares the two for health outcomes.
Does cocoa powder have caffeine?
Yes, a little. A tablespoon (5.4 g) has 12.4 mg of caffeine and 111 mg of theobromine, a related stimulant. EFSA says up to 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources is not a safety concern for adults. In pregnancy, the figure is up to 200 mg a day.
Does cocoa powder lower blood pressure?
A little, in trials of flavanol-rich products. A Cochrane review of 35 trials found systolic pressure fell 1.76 mm Hg. An updated analysis of 25 trials found 2.7 mm Hg.
In COSMOS, cocoa extract capsules did not lower the overall risk of new high blood pressure (0.96 times the risk). If you take blood pressure medicine, keep taking it.
How much cocoa powder can you eat a day?
None of the sources used here sets an intake limit for cocoa powder. A trial of cocoa powder used 13 to 26 g a day for 4 weeks. EFSA says 2.5 g of high-flavanol powder can supply 200 mg of flavanols. Each tablespoon is only 12 kcal, but it also adds 111 mg of theobromine and 12.4 mg of caffeine.
Does cocoa powder contain lead and cadmium?
It can contain both, and levels vary by origin. The FDA tested cocoa powder and chocolate on US shelves. Cadmium ranged from 0.004 to 3.15 mg/kg, and lead from below detection to 0.38 mg/kg. The EU caps cadmium in cocoa powder sold to consumers at 0.60 mg/kg.
The FDA calls chocolate a minor source of cadmium exposure. The EU regulation sets no lead limit specific to cocoa powder.
Is cocoa powder high in fiber?
Yes. Cocoa powder has 2 g of fiber per tablespoon, 7% of the Daily Value. Per 100 g it has 37 g, the highest of the 109 foods on this site. The fiber comes with only 12 kcal per tablespoon.
Is cocoa powder low in carbs?
Yes. A tablespoon (5.4 g) has 1.1 g of net carbs, 1.1 g of protein and 0.7 g of fat, with 0.09 g of sugar. These numbers are for unsweetened powder; hot chocolate mixes add sugar and carbs.