What is chocolate bloom?

Chocolate Bloom

The whitish layer is what is known as “chocolate bloom.” There are two types of chocolate bloom: fat bloom and sugar bloom. The chocolate bar in the photo above shows only a very slight bloom: the dusty areas of what should be a shiny milk chocolate bar are patches of cocoa butter. Chocolate bloom can also look quite dramatic and the whole bar will be discolored.

Fat bloom is by far the most common type of bloom. It is usually caused when the chocolate is exposed to high temperatures – such as being left in your car on a sunny day – and then allowed to re-set. A warm environment will cause the cocoa butter to melt and separate from the rest of the ingredients in your chocolate, then rise to the surface of the bar creating an off-white “bloom.” Fat bloom can also be the result of improperly tempered chocolate. The best way to avoid fat bloom is by storing your chocolates in a cool place, preferably one where the temperature is consistent.

The second type of bloom is sugar bloom. This can be seen in chocolates that have a speckled appearance, rather than an even layer of white on their surface. It is caused by an excess of moisture that actually causes the sugar in the chocolate to crystallize. This is less common than fat bloom and can usually be avoided by storing your chocolates in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate that has bloomed is still safe to eat and still safe to bake with. It may not have the “snap” and silky-smooth texture of well-tempered chocolate, but the flavor will be just fine. I prefer to bake with chocolate that has bloomed because once you melt it down, it returns to its original condition and texture and you will never be able to tell that your cake, cookies or brownies started with a bar of bloomed chocolate.


  1. Oh wow, I’ve always wondered what that was!

  2. i just learned about “blooming” recently. also, the not-baking-with-wax-paper thing…i’m still a new student!!!

  3. My friend once gave a chocolate that has a whitish and he asks me if it’s still safe to eat, I just answer him I think yes! And he reply again, what do you call that whitish in my chocolate? Then I said, I don’t know! All I know is that I love chocolate and I want to eat his chocolate even with whitish on the surface. I think I should say to him that “CHOCOLATE BLOOM” is the whitish on the chocolate that he gave me last time. Thanks, your topic really gave a brilliant information which I can share with my friend.

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