The Ultimate Guide to the 12 Best Dairy-Free Chocolate Bars

Sweet tooths everywhere Iove a bit of chocolate to sink their teeth into, but for those that live a dairy-free lifestyle, the standard chocolate bars and sweets that line most candy aisles don’t meet the mark.

When milk chocolate reigns supreme in most chocolate bars and chocolate-coated snacks, it can be discouraging trying to find truly exciting dairy-free alternatives.

As more and more Americans switch to dairy-free or vegan diets to avoid health complications or because of dairy production’s high environmental costs and impacts, the chocolate lining the grocery store shelves doesn’t always reflect all customer’s needs or values.

But a dairy-free diet doesn’t have to mean a life without chocolate. No matter the reason you’re searching for dairy-free options, our curated list of 11 dairy-free chocolate bars — ranked by cacao content — and tips on how to choose them will help you find your new favorite chocolate indulgence.

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Chocolate Bars

1. Taza Chocolates Organic Toasted Coconut & Wicked Dark Chocolate Bar

2. Alter Eco – Sea Salt Deep Dark Organic Chocolate

3. Theo Chocolate – Organic Fair Trade Orange 70 % Dark Bar

4. Madecasse – Salted Almond 63 % Dark Chocolate Bar

10 pack, 2.64 oz each

Madecasse Salted Almond 63 % Dark Chocolate Bar has a very high nutritional value, is moderately processed, and is estimated to have a very low carbon footprint and a moderate water footprint.

Allergen info: May contain traces of milk & other tree nuts.

Ingredients: Organic Cocoa Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Almond Nibs, Organic Almond Flour, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt

• 63% cocoa
• 84/100 GreenScore® rating

• Good source of iron (10% of the DV per serving)

5. Hu Kitchen – Vanilla Quinoa Qrispy Dark Chocolate

12 pack, 2.1 oz each

Hu Kitchen Vanilla Quinoa Qrispy Dark Chocolate has a high nutritional value, is moderately processed, and is estimated to have a very low carbon footprint.

Allergen info: Contains coconut. May contain traces of almond, cashew, & hazelnut. Product is Certified Gluten-Free. Allergen cleans made prior to production, but beware that product is produced using equipment that also processes tree nuts, soy, peanuts, milk, & wheat.

Ingredients: Organic Cacao, Unrefined Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Fair-trade Cocoa Butter, Organic Puffed Quinoa, Vanilla Bean, Sea Salt

• 70% cocoa
• 84/100 GreenScore® rating

• Excellent source of iron (20% of the DV per serving)

6. Chocolove – Raspberries In Dark Chocolate

7. Endangered Species – Dark Chocolate Bar 55% Cocoa Oat Milk

Chocolate Bites & Snacks

8. Hu Kitchen Chocolate – Covered Sour Goldenberries

9. Undercover Chocolate Co. – Dark Sea Salt Crispy Quinoa Snack

12 pack, 2 oz each

Undercover Chocolate Co . Dark Sea Salt Crispy Quinoa Snack has a high nutritional value, is moderately processed, and is estimated to have a very low carbon footprint and a moderate water footprint.

Allergen info: Manufactured in a facility that processes milk chocolate.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (fair trade cacao beans, pure cane sugar, fair trade cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla beans), organic quinoa, sea salt.

• 83/100 GreenScore® rating

• Good source of iron (14% of the DV per serving)

10. Lily’s – Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

11. Unreal – Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars

12. Theo Organic Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups

12 pack, 1.3 oz each

Theo Organic Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups has a high nutritional value, is moderately processed, and is estimated to have a very low carbon footprint and a moderate water footprint.

Allergen info: Contains peanuts. Made on equipment that also processes tree nuts, milk, eggs, & wheat.

Ingredients: cocoa beans organic fair trade, cane sugar organic fair trade, peanut butter roasted peanuts organic, cocoa butter organic fair trade, raspberry filling organic tapioca syrup organic, cane sugar organic, water, raspberry juice concentrate organic, citric acid, pectin, powdered sugar organic, cane sugar organic fair trade, cornstarch organic, peanut flour organic, sea salt, rosemary extract organic used to ensure freshness. adds no flavor, ground vanilla bean organic.

• 55% cocoa
• 78/100 GreenScore® rating

• Contains fiber

How to choose dairy-free chocolate

Here are some things to keep in mind when searching for dairy-free chocolate:

• Dairy-free does not equal vegan. Dairy-free products, while not containing dairy, are not inherently void of animal products and don’t always qualify as vegan. The Food and Drug Association (FDA) does not have a regulatory definition of the term dairy-free, so check the ingredients as well as the labels if you’re looking for a 100% dairy-free or vegan product (1).

• Sugar content & cacao/cocoa content. Cacao beans — the beans that give chocolate its distinct flavor —  are naturally bitter, and it’s no surprise that most chocolates use sugar to neutralize their strong flavor. Some chocolate bars, though, can pack an excess of unnecessary added sugars. When purchasing chocolate, a higher cacao percentage means there’s more cacao content like cocoa solids and cocoa butter in the chocolate and less room for added sugars. Eating chocolate made from anything around or above 60-70% cacao beans will help you avoid a mighty sugar crash. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends an added sugar intake of less than 6-9 teaspoons per day (2, 3).

• Fair Trade. Fair Trade is a problem with a multitude of commonly imported crops like coffee and bananas, and chocolate is no exception. Specifically, child labor is a major issue in the production of cocoa. There are a variety of Fair Trade certifications and organizations you can buy products from to ensure your money is supporting ethical practices and is in line with your values. However, because not all fair trade labels are held by the same standards, it’s always helpful to do your research on the practices behind different chocolate brand’s production to get an accurate understanding of its ethics before blindly trusting the label (3, 4).

• Palm oil. Palm oil is an ingredient frequently found in chocolate, especially types made with fillings like nougat and peanut butter. The palm oil industry has raised numerous concerns about its ethical practices in regards to ongoing human rights issues and unsustainable production practices, including extensive deforestation. Check the ingredient list to ensure the dairy-free chocolate you purchase aligns with your views (10, 11).

Key takeaways for choosing dairy-free chocolate

Chocolate is an indulgence many love and one you shouldn’t have to forgo because you’re eating dairy-free. There are plenty of delicious chocolates that can satisfy your craving for a chocolate-y flavor, but there are a few things to look out for.

Dairy-free chocolate isn’t as hard to find as you may think, but sometimes the label can be misleading. Dairy-free chocolate isn’t synonymous with vegan and sometimes isn’t even completely dairy-free. Read the labels to find sneaky dairy-related ingredients and other ingredients that may conflict with your dietary restrictions and needs.

Like any other sweet treat, dairy-free chocolate can contain excess added sugar to combat the bitterness of cacao beans’ natural flavor and make up for low-quality ingredients.  Keep an eye out for chocolate with around 60-70% cocoa content for the richest and healthiest chocolate, but also keep in mind it won’t be as sweet.

Chocolate can also pose ethical and environmental challenges in its production, so when choosing, look out for Fair Trade certification and palm oil content to guide your search, but do your own research to ensure the label’s certification — as well as its ingredients — truly holds up its end of the bargain and matches your values.

Chocolate should never be complicated. With our list of tips and top picks, your dairy-free chocolate search will go faster than it takes to eat it.

There are 1,000s of food products that won’t be right for you

Let GreenChoice find the ones that are

Tell us your dietary needs & values and we’ll show you foods that match!

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GreenChoice, PBC has evaluated and rated more than 340,000 food & beverage products across hundreds of attributes related to diet, health, and sustainability. Easily find the best products for you, the planet, & your budget. Sign up to access the GreenChoice marketplace, the first carbon-neutral online grocery marketplace for healthy, climate-friendly shopping.

Katherine

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Merve

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