Vegan Turkish Delight Hot Chocolate

I genuinely don't know if it's the aromatherapist or the old lady in me that's obsessed with the smell of roses. Either way, the heady, floral, fragrant aroma of this vegan, Turkish delight hot chocolate has the power to make you feel refreshed, relaxed and romantic all at once.

Jump to:

• Recipe FAQ's
• Cooks Notes
• FODMAP Notes
• Shopping Tips
• Free From
• Recipe
• Recipe Video
• Comments

I've been using roses in my beauty regime for years. The water as a toner and the oil for facial massage, but I've never really cooked with it before. Opening the bottle I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia at the memory of biting into an unctuous perfumed piece of Turkish delight on numerous holidays to Turkey during my teenage years.

As someone who's not big on baking it's an ingredient that's just sort of passed me by. In fact, the majority of this bottle was used in a very different type of recipe, namely my poo pourri toilet spray. Well if that's not a cracking endorsement for an ingredient then I don't know what is! But seriously, don't let the fact that I spray this down my toilet put you off from trying it.

Originally I created this luxurious, romantic drink for Valentine's Day. The scent of roses is a well-known aphrodisiac, so be mindful of who you share yours with! Rose is also used in aromatherapy to calm, soothe and rejuvenate.

My preferred chocolate for this is the Aldi brand, Moser Roth, rose creams. They are a seasonal product that usually finds their way back to the shelves in the run-up to Christmas. The great news is they are back in stock now which is why I'm resurrecting this recipe.

They have several other flavours in the Moser Roth range so if you want to swap things up you'll need to double-check that they're vegan and low FODMAP. I've treated myself to a box of the blood orange gin ones this time. I'm planning on stuffing them all in my face hole in front of the roaring log fire on Christmas Eve. Not that I'm counting down the days...

62 sleeps to go!

Recipe FAQ's

Is Turkish delight vegan?

Traditional Turkish delight is intentionally vegetarian and is often also vegan. It's usually made from sugar and cornstarch rather than gelatin. Cornstarch is traditionally used in Turkish delight made in Turkey so that the product is considered halal and can be eaten by Muslims that require a halal diet.

It's always safe to double-check the ingredients as some varieties of Turkish delight, particularly those made in Europe may use gelatin. Gelatin is an animal by-product, most often sourced from pigs. Products containing gelatin are not considered vegan, vegetarian or halal.

There are many varieties of flavours of Turkish delight. Whilst most are made plain or with fruit and nuts and would be considered vegan, some varieties do include clotted cream and would be considered vegetarian.

Does this recipe contain Turkish delight?

No. Despite the title, there isn't any Turkish delight in this hot chocolate. This recipe fuses the traditional flavours of rose and the optional cardamom to give a classic Turkish delight aroma.

If you can find a vegan, chocolate-covered Turkish delight then you could experiment with using it in this recipe.

Can I use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate?

If you're non-vegan, non-FODMAP or in the personalised phase you can swap the dark chocolate for your favourite milk chocolate. Just be aware it will increase the FODMAPs as milk chocolate contains moderate amounts of lactose.

If you can find vegan milk chocolate it will likely have a higher plant milk content and probably taste considerably sweeter than using bitter, dark chocolate. You may wish to do away with the jam to take a touch of the sweetness out of it.

Where can I find rosewater to make this taste like Turkish delight?

Food-grade rosewater can often be found in the baking aisle of the supermarket or specialist baking shops. The cheapest versions are usually available in Indian grocers. It is extremely floral and fragrant and you only need a tiny amount for a huge burst of flavour.

The rest of the bottle can be used in rice pudding, cookies, cakes, homemade strawberry and rose jam, sprinkled on fresh fruit such as strawberries or melon, as an infusion for still or sparkling water, flavoured cocktails, homemade ice cream, ice lollies or granita.

My hot chocolate is too sweet, what should I do?

Depending on the sweetness of your jam and chocolate this recipe may become overly sweet. Always use unsweetened milk and look for dark chocolate with a higher cocoa content as it usually retains a bitter note. 

If the hot chocolate is still too sweet then in a separate cup mix 1 tablespoon of cacao powder with ¼ cup of the hot chocolate and whisk until smooth. Return the cacao mix to the hot chocolate pan and stir into the full batch until fully dissolved.

My hot chocolate is too bitter, how can I make it sweeter?

If the hot chocolate is not sweet enough add sugar or maple syrup to taste and consider using sweetened milk next time. You can also experiment with the cocoa and sugar content of the dark chocolate and the sweetness of the jam that you use.

Cooks Notes

Placing the milk and chocolate in the pan together and warming slowly on low heat should allow the chocolate to melt nicely into the milk. Avoid adding cold milk to already melted chocolate as this will likely cause the chocolate to seize, (become hard, grainy and doesn't melt).

Cardamom has a strong, acquired taste. As my hubby doesn't like it I left it out but if I was making this for myself then I would have included 1 pod. If you're unsure then I suggest you leave it out to be safe.

FODMAP Notes

Sometimes it's easy to forget to count the FODMAPs in drinks. Be aware that due to the small safe serving of dark chocolate this recipe contains 1 full portion of fructans. This means that to avoid FODMAP stacking it's best enjoyed away from meals, particularly those containing additional fructans.

FODMAP Servings

As written this recipe is FODMAP safe at ½ serving. One serving of this recipe contains approx:

• 1 Fructan Serving - 30g Dark Chocolate
• 0 GOS Serving
• 0 Mannitol
• 0 Sorbitol
• 0 Fructose
• 0 Lactose - All my recipes are vegan and therefore free from dairy and lactose. Yay!

Always refer to the Monash app for current safe serves and FODMAP categorisations.

FODMAP Ingredient Notes

Plant milk

I recommend almond, macadamia or soy protein in the elimination phase as these are the ones that are FODMAP safe at 250ml/1 Cup and have no FODMAPs specified.

My plant milk preference is for oat milk due to its creamier flavour and lower carbon footprint. Unfortunately, according to Monash oat milk here in the UK is high in GOS and has a very small FODMAP safe serving of 30ml or ⅛th cup. Generic oat milk is listed in the Monash app as safe at 125ml or ½ cup.

Once you reach the personalised phase of the diet and know more about your triggers it's important to look at the bigger picture of your food choices beyond their FODMAP content and experiment with including more of your preferred alternatives.

Food Grade Rosewater

Unlisted and untested in the Monash app, use with caution if in the elimination phase. This should be simply water and rose essence. Make sure that there are no added sweeteners.

Strawberry Jam

FODMAP safe serving of 2 Tbsp. Ensure it's a simple FODMAP safe variety.  Often cheapest brands are best, you're looking for basically strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice or citric acid. Avoid mixed fruit jams, high fructose corn syrup, fructose-glucose syrup, fructose, agave syrup, and of course honey if vegan.

Dark Chocolate

FODMAP safe serving of 30g. It contains high amounts of fructans at serving sizes of 125g. If you are vegan or malabsorb lactose then please be aware that not all dark chocolate is dairy-free, always check the label. If you're using non-dairy-free dark chocolate then it also becomes moderate for lactose at a serving of 80g. In this recipe I used the Aldi, Moser Roth rose creams. If you can find vegan, FODMAP safe, rose, Turkish delight or strawberry dark chocolate then I'd recommend it. If you can't find any then plain dark is fine, the Turkish delight flavour will just be more subtle. 

Edible Rose Petals

Unlisted in the Monash app. This recipe only uses a tiny amount purely for decoration if you don't think you will use the remainder in other recipes then this ingredient can be easily omitted without affecting the recipe.

Shopping Tips

• Whitaker's dark chocolate rose creams (150g). If you miss the short season on the Aldi version then these look pretty similar in ingredients and are lower in price.
• KTC rose water (190ml). This is the brand I use. It can usually be found for less than £1 in the supermarket or Asian greengrocers. Don't be put off by the fact that the description only mentions its use as a facial tonic. It's pure enough to use for both cooking and beauty purposes.
• Thursday Cottage organic strawberry jam (340g). This one is a nice, simple recipe containing only organic sugar, strawberries, lemon juice and citrus pectin.
• Hatton Hill edible rose petals (8g). I used these and was very impressed with their colour stability and fragrance. Unless you plan on using them frequently in baking then I wouldn't recommend a much bigger pack size than this.

* We use affiliate links here to help support our work. Purchasing through these links does not affect your consumer rights or the price you pay but may result in The Irritable Vegan receiving a small commission payment. We thank you for supporting us in this way whilst you shop.

Recipe

Recipe Video

https://youtu.be/_pshrhFn2N8

Did you make this recipe?

How did the heady rose aroma affect your mood? Tag us on Instagram @theirritablevegan and #theirritablevegan so we can see your creation and share it with our community.

Please don't forget to rate ⭐, review and pin the recipe. Every single one helps more people, just like you, to find it when they search.