Yes and No.
White chocolate is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla. There is no chocolate liquor (chocolate solids) present, so, can you really call it chocolate? Perhaps not.
However, there is a legal definition for white chocolate to separate it from other “white stuff,” so perhaps yes.
According to U.S. regulations, white chocolate needs to be at least 20% cocoa butter and at least 14% total milk solids.
Beware – there are white chocolate look-a-likes out there!
If white chocolate doesn’t contain cocoa butter then it is made with a vegetable fat like partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil. A product containing this type of fat is called white confectionery coating and cannot be called white chocolate. White confectionery coating can also be called white almond bark or white candy coating.
I think white chocolate looks and tastes remarkably different than white confectionery. Compare these two items sometime, side by side, and you’ll understand what I mean.
Look at the difference. The first thing you will notice is that white chocolate looks pale yellow when compared to white confectionery. This color difference is due to the cocoa butter which is naturally more yellow in color than other vegetable oils.
Taste the difference. The cocoa butter in white chocolate provides a subtle, but distinct “chocolate” flavor which is lacking in white confectionery coating. More often than not, white confectionery coatings are sweeter and less milky tasting than white chocolate.
Now that you know the difference, which do you prefer?
