White chocolate is a type of confectionery that is typically made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids. It is pale ivory in color and lacks many of the characteristics of conventional chocolate. White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, which are the primary non-fat constituent of conventional chocolate liquor. During manufacturing, the dark-colored solids of the cocoa bean are separated from its fatty content, as with milk chocolate and dark chocolate, but, unlike with other forms of chocolate, no cocoa mass is added back; cocoa butter is the only cocoa ingredient in white chocolate. White chocolate contains only trace amounts of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine, which are present in the cocoa mass but not the butter. Flavorings such as vanilla may be added to white chocolate confectionery.

To be marketed as "white chocolate," a product must contain at least 20% cocoa fat, at least 3.5% milk fat, and at least 14% total milk solids. Most white chocolate contains only the legal minimum of 20% cocoa butter, meaning that the rest of the mass is made up of sugar and high-fat milk powder. White chocolate is the type of chocolate containing the highest percentage of milk solids, typically around or over 30 percent, while milk chocolate has only around 25 percent.

In summary, white chocolate is a type of confectionery that is made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter, but no cocoa solids. It is pale ivory in color and lacks many of the characteristics of conventional chocolate. White chocolate contains only trace amounts of the stimulants theobromine and caffeine, which are present in the cocoa mass but not the butter. To be marketed as "white chocolate," a product must contain at least 20% cocoa fat, at least 3.5% milk fat, and at least 14% total milk solids.