Back to the Cocoa Powder Guide
Natural cocoa powder is cocoa that has not been treated with an alkalizing agent (non-alkalized). It is mildly acidic, lighter and reddish-brown, sharper in flavor, and it reacts with baking soda.
Dutch-process cocoa powder has been treated with an alkali, such as potassium carbonate, which raises its pH toward neutral, darkens the color, mellows the flavor and lowers the flavanol content. Natural cocoa sits at a pH of about 5.3 to 5.8; Dutch-process runs from about 6.5 to above 7.6, depending on how heavily it was alkalized. Neither is better in every kitchen: choose natural for recipes leavened with baking soda and for drinks where you want to taste the cocoa, and Dutch-process for recipes that use only baking powder or need a very dark color.
The name comes from a Dutchman. In 1828 Coenraad van Houten patented a press that squeezed the butter out of cacao, and his family’s firm went on to treat the resulting powder with alkaline salts to make it darker, milder and easier to mix with water. Two centuries later that one extra step still divides every cocoa on the shelf into two camps, and knowing which camp your tin belongs to saves a great deal of wasted batter. Here is what Dutch-processing does, how to tell the two apart, and when each one will let your recipe down.
What is the difference between natural and Dutch-process cocoa?
Both start the same way: fermented, dried and roasted cacao beans are ground and pressed to remove most of the cocoa butter, and the remaining cake is milled into powder. Dutch-processing adds one step, washing the cocoa with an alkaline solution, and that single step changes four things at once: the acidity, the color, the flavor and the flavanol content.
| Natural (non-alkalized) | Dutch-process (alkalized) | Black cocoa (heavily alkalized) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | about 5.3–5.8, mildly acidic | about 6.5–7.6 | above 7.6 |
| Color | light, reddish brown | deep brown | near black |
| Flavor | bright, fruity, more assertive | smooth, mellow, rounded | very mild |
| Flavanols, 2008 average | highest | lower | lowest |
| Usual leavening partner | baking soda | baking powder | baking powder |
| Label wording | natural, non-alkalized, or just cocoa | processed with alkali, Dutch-processed, alkalized | black cocoa; alkali in the ingredients |
The pH groups and flavanol averages come from a 2008 analysis of commercial cocoa powders by Miller and colleagues, which sorted alkalized powders into light (pH 6.50–7.20), medium (7.21–7.60) and heavy (7.61 and higher) treatment, and found flavanol content falling as the pH rose.
Is cocoa powder acidic or alkaline?
It depends on processing, not on the word cacao or cocoa on the bag. Natural cocoa is mildly acidic, a long way from lemon juice but acidic enough to matter in a batter. Lightly alkalized cocoa sits close to neutral, and heavily alkalized cocoa is slightly alkaline. A powder sold as cacao can be alkalized too, so the ingredient list is the only reliable guide; the labeling side of that question is covered in cacao vs cocoa, and the chemistry in more detail in is cocoa powder acidic. To decode the wording on the tin, see what processed with alkali means.
Why does alkalizing lower flavanols?
Flavanols such as epicatechin are unstable in alkaline conditions, so the further the pH is pushed, the less of them survives the bath. In the 2008 analysis, natural cocoa powders averaged several times the total flavanols of heavily alkalized powders. The alkalizing is done for good reasons, a darker color and a rounder flavor that many people prefer in a cake, but it is a trade, and if flavanol content is part of why you buy cocoa, non-alkalized is the word to look for. Our guide to high-flavanol cocoa powder explains what else affects it.
Why does swapping them change how a cake rises?
Because in many cocoa recipes the powder is part of the chemistry, not just the flavor. Baking soda needs an acid to release the gas that lifts a batter, and natural cocoa supplies it; Dutch-process cocoa has had that acid neutralized and cannot. Iowa State University Extension puts the rule simply: if a recipe uses baking soda and has no other acidic ingredient, use natural cocoa; if it uses only baking powder, which carries its own acid, use Dutch-process. Put Dutch-process into a baking-soda recipe and you get a denser crumb and sometimes a soapy taste from soda that had nothing to react with; add an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk or yogurt to compensate. Put natural cocoa into a baking-powder recipe and it usually works fine, with a lighter color and a brighter flavor. Recipes with both leavenings are buffered and swap easily, and recipes with no chemical leavening, brownies, drinks and frosting, let you choose purely by flavor and color. Ratios, sifting and the mistakes behind flat or cakey results are in baking with cocoa powder.
How can you tell which one you have?
Read the ingredients, not the front of the bag. U.S. rules for cacao products, 21 CFR Part 163, expect alkali treatment to be declared, so look for processed with alkali, alkalized or Dutch-processed. No alkali listed, and the words natural or non-alkalized, mean natural cocoa. Then look at the color: natural cocoa is lighter and redder, and a very dark or near-black powder is almost always alkalized. For a kitchen test, stir a teaspoon of cocoa and a pinch of baking soda into a little warm water; natural cocoa fizzes gently, Dutch-process barely reacts.
When is Dutch-process the right choice, and when is natural?
Choose natural cocoa when a recipe uses baking soda with no other acid, when you want a brighter, fruitier cocoa flavor in hot chocolate, smoothies or oatmeal, or when you want to keep more of the flavanols. Choose Dutch-process when a recipe uses only baking powder, when you want a smoother, milder flavor in something delicate like a buttercream, or when you want a very dark color; for the darkest bakes of all, see black cocoa powder. Alkalized cocoa is not a lesser product. It is a different tool, with a known trade-off in acidity and flavanols, and the only real mistake is using the wrong tool in a baking-soda cake.
Which kind is Grevista’s cocoa?
Natural. The cocoa Grevista distributes is non-alkalized, single-origin Vietnamese Trinitario cocoa with one ingredient, made by VNCACAO CO., LTD (Tbros). It works in baking-soda recipes and in drinks, and it is not the right pick if your recipe calls for Dutch-process. If you bake often, the 17.6 oz (500 g) box is the size that keeps up, and every report is on the Lab Results & Awards page.
Check price: 500 g luxury gift box
Grevista is our own brand: we distribute this cocoa and earn revenue when you buy it on Amazon. Disclosure.
To put this into practice when you shop, see our guide to the best cacao powder, which compares options by processing, flavor and published heavy-metal testing.
Fat content is a separate choice from alkalizing: breakfast cocoa means cocoa with at least 22% cocoa butter, and it can be natural or Dutch-processed.
Frequently asked questions
What does Dutch-processed mean?
It means the cocoa was treated with an alkaline solution to reduce its acidity. The process darkens the color, mellows the flavor and lowers flavanol content.
Is natural cocoa powder the same as non-alkalized cocoa powder?
Yes. Both terms describe cocoa powder that has not been treated with an alkalizing agent.
Can I substitute natural cocoa for Dutch-process cocoa?
In drinks, frosting and most brownies, yes. In cakes and cookies that depend on baking soda or baking powder alone, adjust the leavening or follow the cocoa the recipe was written for.
Is Dutch-process cocoa less acidic?
Yes. That is the purpose of alkalizing. The trade-off is fewer flavanols than natural cocoa.
Is black cocoa the same as Dutch-process?
It is Dutch-process cocoa taken further. Heavily alkalized cocoa has the darkest color, the mildest flavor and, in the 2008 analysis, the lowest flavanol content.
Keep reading
The other half of the choice is natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder, and the darkest option black cocoa powder. Measuring and mixing are in cocoa powder for baking, swapping one for the other in cocoa powder substitutes, blooming in how to use cocoa powder, and what changes before processing in cocoa varieties around the world.
Sources
- Miller KB et al. Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders. J Agric Food Chem. 2008;56(18):8527–8533.
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, AnswerLine. Natural vs Dutch-processed Cocoa, February 4, 2025.
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR Part 163, Cacao Products, checked September 15, 2026.
- Institute of Chemical Technology (Ho Chi Minh City). Epicatechin test report on the producer’s cocoa powder, August 3, 2018. Summarized on our Lab Results & Awards page.
Written by the Grevista Editorial Team. Last updated November 2, 2026. How we check facts: Editorial Policy.