How to roast cocoa beans？
- Vela Ethan
- Mar 13
- 5 min read
After our Peruvian cocoa beans won gold and silver medals at the World Chocolate Awards, many people were curious and asked us: How should cocoa beans be roasted? To answer this question, we have prepared this guide to share.
Roasting cocoa beans is the first step in handmade chocolate.
Why roast cocoa beans?
In simple terms, this is to enhance flavor, kill bacteria, reduce moisture, and make the shell easier to remove. The process from cocoa beans to chocolate is quite long, and roasting is the most critical step.
There are many ways to roast cocoa beans, and they may involve different equipment. When asked, “What equipment is best for roasting cocoa beans?”, every chocolate maker will likely have a different answer. It depends on your goals, the equipment you have available, and your budget. However, the basic baking techniques are the same no matter what equipment you use.
We hope that this guide has helped you understand the basics of roasting cocoa beans and encouraged you to try this fun process.
Easy way to roast cocoa beans at home:
1.Using a Pan：
• Prepare the tools and ingredients: Get a large pan (preferably non-stick) and your raw cacao beans.
• Preheat pot: Preheat pot on gas stove over medium-high heat. Remember not to add oil, as roasting cocoa beans does not require oil.
• Start roasting: Pour the cocoa beans into the pot and heat quickly over high heat for about 5 minutes. This will help kill bacteria on the surface.
• Adjust the heat and turn the pan over: After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue frying for 20 to 30 minutes. During this stage, you should occasionally turn the cocoa beans with a spatula to ensure that each bean is evenly heated.
• Observe the color and smell the aroma: During the roasting process, the color of the cocoa beans will gradually darken and release a unique aroma. You can also try to listen for a slight popping sound from the beans, which usually means they are close to being done.
• Cooling: Once roasted to desired doneness, pour out the cocoa beans and place on a cool plate or baking sheet to cool. During the cooling process, the beans continue to dry and further develop their flavor.
Storage: After cooling, the cocoa beans should be stored in a dry, cool place away from direct sunlight or moisture.
2. Roasting cocoa beans in a hot air oven：
• Roasting cocoa beans at home in an oven is also a good option, especially for small batches, such as 1-2 kg of cocoa beans.
• Prepare the baking sheet: Choose a flat baking sheet, preferably one with holes to allow hot air to circulate.
• Spread the cocoa beans evenly: Spread the cocoa beans evenly on the baking sheet, trying to put them in only one layer so that each bean can be heated evenly.
• Preheat oven: Preheat to appropriate temperature according to the characteristics of your oven.
• Roasting the cocoa beans: Place the prepared baking tray in the oven and begin the roasting process.
• Turn regularly: During the roasting process, open the oven and gently turn the cocoa beans every once in a while to ensure that they are evenly heated.
• Observation and completion: Judge the degree of roasting based on the color changes and aroma released by the cocoa beans. When it reaches the desired doneness, remove it from the oven.
Cooling: Place the roasted cocoa beans in a cool place to cool. This stops the roasting process and fixes the flavor.
How to roast cocoa beans in bulk：
1. Roasting cocoa beans in a drum oven
The drum roaster is a professional equipment used to roast cocoa beans. Its working principle is to use a horizontally rotating cylindrical chamber to evenly heat all sides of the beans through a heat source.
• Choosing the right drum oven: There are many types of drum ovens on the market, and they vary in size, from small tabletop models to large industrial machines. Choose the right oven for your needs and available space.
• Preparing the oven: Depending on the type of drum oven you choose, it may use a gas grill, electric heating elements, or an open fire. Make sure your oven is properly installed and safe to use.
• Preheat the drum oven: Preheat the drum oven to the proper temperature before adding the cocoa beans.
• Add cocoa beans: Place the cocoa beans in the drum, adjusting the amount of beans according to your roasting requirements.
• Start the roasting process: start the drum oven and allow the cocoa beans to be heated evenly while rotating.
• Monitor the roasting process: judge the degree of roasting based on the color changes and aroma released by the cocoa beans. You may need to adjust the oven temperature or rotation speed as baking progresses.
• Remove and cool: Once the cocoa beans have reached the desired roasting degree, remove them from the drum and place them in a cool place to cool. Roasting cocoa beans using a coffee bean roaster
Roasting cocoa beans using a coffee roaster
When roasting cocoa beans with a coffee roaster, the key is to preheat the roaster to the appropriate temperature and set the appropriate roasting curve. These depend on the cocoa bean flavor you want to achieve, the degree of roasting, and the type of cocoa beans.
Here are some basic steps:
1. Preheating temperature:
- Typically, cocoa beans are roasted at temperatures between 110°C and 140°C.
- First, preheat the coffee roaster to 125°C.
2. Baking curve setting:
- The baking curve describes the change of temperature over time during the entire baking process.
- Rapidly heat up to the set temperature within the first 5 to 10 minutes of baking.
- Keep the temperature relatively stable during the middle stage of roasting, which is a critical period for the beans to develop flavor.
- End of roasting: When the cocoa beans reach the ideal roasting degree, immediately turn off the roaster and take out the beans.
- Cooling: Cooling the roasted beans immediately helps to fix the flavor.
- Storage: After cooling, the beans should be placed in a dry and cool place, away from direct sunlight or humid environment
3. Baking time:
- The entire baking process usually takes 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the desired degree of baking.
Remember, roasting cocoa beans requires careful work and experimentation to find the method that works best for your specific beans and flavor profile. It is recommended to record the temperature and time of each bake to facilitate adjustments and improvements in the process. Different varieties of cocoa beans may require different processing methods, so keeping an open mind and being willing to experiment are the keys to success.
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