No matter which way you look at it, from a health perspective (dark chocolate) or to delight your sweet tooth there is a reason to enjoy this age-old luscious treat to brighten any moment.
The Aztecs had a belief that cacao seeds are a gift from the god of wisdom (coincidentally dark chocolate is a superfood for your brain!), and so much value was placed upon the seeds, they were literally considered as a form of currency.
Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to give up on chocolate and there are plenty of chocolate brands that are vegan!
You will also find lots of traditional brands which happened to be vegan in this post that can be bought in any supermarket, drugstore or grocery.
How to Select Vegan Chocolate
Most high-quality dark chocolates are completely vegan, as it usually contains a high amount of cocoa without any dairy.
Check for ingredients such as milk, milk solids, milk fat, milk powder, lactose, whey, casein, and butterfat.
A few manufacturers have also started making “milk chocolates” from dairy substitutes such as almond milk or rice milk.
Please note, some chocolate brands may have an allergen disclaimer saying “May contain traces of milk products, etc.” or “Processed in a facility that manufactures milk products”.
This does NOT mean milk is added as an ingredient, but it means they may use the same manufacturing facilities for products that may contain allergens like milk, eggs, tree nuts, etc. For instance, a dark chocolate can be completely vegan but the same manufacturer may produce milk chocolates using the same facility.
This is really meant for people with severe allergies where even the slightest amount of cross-contamination with an allergen could cause them to react.
Six Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
- The nutrition profile of dark chocolates:
-
- Protein 7.8 g (13% of RDA*)
- Calcium 73 mg ( 7% of RDA)
- Iron 90 mg (92% of RDA)
- Zinc 31 mg (35% of RDA)
-
- A superfood for the brain
- Packed with antioxidants
- Improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure
- Comes with good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) improving overall lipid profile.
- Increases insulin sensitivity and lowers the risk of diabetes
*recommended dietary allowance
How Much is Too Much?
To have optimum health benefits of dark chocolates we would recommend keeping it to a maximum of an ounce (28g) per day which may equate to 3-5 pieces of a 100g chocolate with 18 pieces.
But then it’s not a sin to break the rules, ‘occasionally’!
What is The Fair Trade Practice & Certificate?
You may see some vegan chocolate brands carry the Fair Trade Certificate. We feel it is important that you know what it means. Because by buying chocolates which have no animal products with these certificates, you respect the rights of animals, the rights of our fellow humans and support the environment.
Fair Trade Certified products were made with consideration for people and planet. It has rigorous standards that take care of social, environmental and economic aspects to foster safe & healthy working conditions, environmental protection, transparent work ethics, and empower communities for sustainable businesses.
When you’re opting for products with the fair trade label, your purchases support the lives of those communities and conserve the environment as well.
Vegan Dark Chocolate Brands
Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate – 85% Cocoa
Full Review Here
Endangered Species Panther, Natural Dark Chocolate Squares – 88% Cocoa
Full Review Here
Lindt Excellence 70%, 85% and 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate
Full Review Here
Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate
Full Review Here
Raaka Bourbon Cask Aged Organic Dark Chocolate Bar – 82% Cacao
Full Review Here
Other Brands:
- Equal Exchange Organic Extra Dark Chocolate Mint
- Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dark Chocolate – 70% Cocoa
- Alter Eco Americas Organic Chocolate Bar, Dark Blackout – 85% Cocoa
- Plamil – Organic Ginger Chocolate – 60% Cocoa
- Trader Joe’s Belgian Dark Chocolate Bars – 56% Cacao
- Trader Joe’s Mini Super Smooth Belgian Dark Chocolate Bars – 70% Cacao
- Trader Joe’s Belgian Dark Chocolate Bars – 72% Cacao
- Trader Joe’s Organic Super Dark Chocolate Bar – 73% Cacao
- Raaka Smoked Chai Chocolate Bar – 66% Cacao
Vegan Milk Chocolate Brands
Moo Free Original Organic Milk Chocolate Alternative
Full Review Here
Raaka Coconut Milk Chocolate Bar
Full Review Here
Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom Ricemilk Chocolate Bar
Full Review Here
Vegan White Chocolate Brands
Vivani White Nougat Crisp Chocolate Bar
Full Review Here
Vegan Chocolate Truffles
Booja Booja Dairy Free Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Truffles
Full Review Here
Vegan Chocolate for Valentine’s Day
Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate Bar 55% Cocoa
Full Review Here
Other Varieties
- Chocolove Raspberries in Dark Chocolate Bar
- Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate – 55% Cocoa
- Chocolove Cherries and Almonds in Dark Chocolate – 55% Cocoa
- Chocolove Extra Strong Dark Chocolate Bar – 77% Cocoa
- Chocolove Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate Bar
Vegan Chocolate for Easter & Halloween
Moo Free Easter Bunnycomb Egg with Buttons
Full Review Here
Moo Free Original Easter Egg
Endangered Species Bug Bites, Smooth Dark Chocolate
Full Review Here
Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate 55% Dark Minis
Full Review Here
Vegan Chocolate Chip Brands, Cacao Nibs, and Chunks
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Vegan Chocolate Chips
Other Brands:
- Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate Chips
- Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
- Dream Dairy-Free Chocolate Dream Semi-Sweet Baking Chips
- Sweetriot Cacao Nibs Covered In (70%) Dark Chocolate
Vegan Chocolate Spreads
Dark Chocolate Dreams by Peanut Butter & Co.
Other Vegan Chocolate Spreads
- Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Blend
- Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl
- Rawtella – Gourmet Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Spread – Crunch
Vegan Chocolate Syrups
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
You now know when you have your next piece of chocolate that there is hardly anything you miss as a vegan and how it can be healthy if it’s dark chocolate.
Chocolate is also an excellent way to show your non-vegan friends that a cruelty-free lifestyle is not dull by any means.
Note:
If you’re ordering vegan chocolates from online stores, make sure to request the delivery without getting it melted (delivery with insulated bags with ice packs may help).
Related Posts:
- Vegan Chocolate Brands Taste Test & Review
- Dark Chocolate Uses for Vegans
- Best Vegan Ice Cream Brands
- Best Vegan Cookie Brands
- Vegan Milk Brands
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Hey, just another good vegan chocolate recommendation if you’re craving more cocoa. Why not try Cocoa Orange and liven up your day with a tangy orange zing! And if your chocolate craving still hasn’t been satisfied there’s another brand new Double Chocolish Bar. It’s double the chocolatey goodness, but still gluten and dairy-free! Vegan chocolate has never tasted so good, why not try it for yourself?!
I am truly disgusted by the neglect in the use of words without thought. Clearly, the title of this advertisement is “vegan chocolate brands”, and the keyword is “brand”. Just about every company/brand listed sells non-vegan items, and, therefore, is not a “vegan brand”.
As an ethical vegan, buying anything from a non-vegan company, even vegan items, is still promoting the abuse of life, and those promoting such companies or brands fall into the same category, an abuser of life. By transference, your hand may as well be on the cleaver.
Hi Sarah,
First of all, thanks for sharing your thoughts and letting us know your opinion for which you’re well and truly entitled to.
Now let us explain ourselves. There is a big difference between a company and a brand. The company is just the organization that manufactures & markets its products and the brand is the “image” & “personality” perceived by the consumers. For an instance, Procter & Gamble is the company that manufactures a vast array of products with different brand names such as Gillette, Old Spice, Herbal Essences, Olay, Head & Shoulders, etc. Thus, in this case, we were promoting the ‘vegan chocolate brands’ and not necessarily the company.
Do note that we will always champion all the vegan products/brands that are being introduced to the market, and we see that as the right way forward. By doing so we’re sending the right signal to the producers that there is demand if they make an effort to produce ethical products. Most importantly we may just be doing a great favor for the animals in the long run since some of these companies may just change their business strategy and produce more and more vegan products to cater to a growing demand.
Another aspect vegans should understand is that having more vegan products in the market certainly makes a vegan way of living much more attractive & convenient for non-vegans rather than veganism being presented as a more extreme and difficult to follow lifestyle.
We believe veganism should always be about doing our best to cause the least harm and there is a good reason why Vegan Society defined veganism “as a way of living which seeks to exclude, ‘as far as is possible and practicable’…”
In light of the above points, we highly recommend you to read these two posts from the renowned vegan author Tobias Leenaert who has shed light upon such topics
>> Unilever buys Vegetarian Butcher to make more money. That’s not a problem, but a good thing
>> Is Ben and Jerry’s vegan ice cream “veganwashing”?