Is Dark Chocolate Vegan? Brands You Need To Know

If you follow a vegan diet and love your sweets, you already know that sweets and desserts —including chocolate — aren’t the most vegan-friendly. 

While milk chocolate obviously isn’t vegan, it can a bit harder to tell with dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate is a great source of nutrients like fiber, iron, and magnesium to name a few, and it’s also rich in antioxidants that may regulate blood pressure and promote heart health. Other health benefits include increased brain function and some studies show eating a modest amount of dark chocolate may even lift your mood (1, 2). 

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So, is dark chocolate vegan?

In general, dark chocolate is vegan.

Chocolate is produced from cacao beans that grow on cacao trees, which makes chocolate inherently plant-based. But some varieties and blends of dark chocolate contain dairy, not just milk chocolate

Any chocolate with the label “milk chocolate” contains milk and isn’t vegan, as you might have guessed. When it comes to dark chocolate, it’s more often vegan, but it isn’t always.

Though dark chocolate shouldn’t contain milk in its ingredients, processing milk and dark chocolate on the same machinery may leave traces of milk and cause cross-contamination. 

Lower quality and cheaper brands of chocolate labeled “dark chocolate” may also contain milk to make up for its poor quality and flavor. 

Now that you know that most dark chocolate is vegan, here’s a breakdown on how to choose the best vegan dark chocolate for you, plus 13 of our top selections to pick up next time you’re craving something chocolatey. 

How to choose vegan dark chocolate

Here are a few items to look out for what searching for vegan dark chocolate:

• Sugar and cacao content. Cacao beans — the beans that give chocolate its distinct flavor —  are naturally bitter, and most chocolates use sugar to balance their taste. Higher quality chocolate with over a 70% cacao percentage is usually considered dark, and the higher cacao percentage means there’s more cacao content in the chocolate and less room for added sugars. Choosing a dark chocolate variety may mean less sugar, but still consume in moderation and remember The American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommendation of an added sugar intake of less than 6-9 teaspoons per day (3, 4).
• Dark chocolate isn’t always dairy-free. While most don’t expect dark chocolate to have milk contents, chocolate with a lower cacao content often DOES have milk. High-quality dark chocolates with higher cacao percentages usually don’t contain milk, low-quality dark chocolate may contain milk or milk fat in its ingredients to enhance its flavor. To ensure the dark chocolate you reach for at the store is vegan, always check the label to be sure.
• Fair Trade. Fair trade is an issue with many commonly imported crops including chocolate. Child labor specifically is a major issue in cocoa production. There are a variety of Fair Trade certifications and organizations you can buy products from to ensure your money is supporting practices in line with your values. Not all Fair Trade labels are held to the same standards, however, and it’s always good to research the practices behind different brands’ production to get an accurate understanding of its ethics before trusting the label (5, 6).

GreenChoice Top Picks

1. Alter Eco Blackout Deep Dark Organic Chocolate

Alter Eco Blackout Dark Chocolate is vegan, organic, and fair-trade certified. This vegan dark chocolate contains 85% cacao and provides 11% of the daily value of fiber and 15% of the daily value of iron. It contains 10g of saturated fat – 50% of DV – and only 4g of added sugar – 8% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info: Made on equipment shared with milk, hazelnuts, almonds, coconut, and soy. Individuals who are allergic to these should not consume this product.

More vegan dark chocolate

2. Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate

Chocolove Organic Dark Chocolate contains 55% cocoa which is certified Rainforest Alliance. This vegan chocolate is a great source of iron offering 20% of the daily value per serving. Also, it contains 6g of saturated fat – 30% of DV – and 13g of added sugars – 26% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info: Contains soy. May contain traces of milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, or other nuts.

3. Scharffen Berger Maker Semisweet Dark Chocolate

This semisweet dark chocolate contains 62% cacao and their cacao is Rainforest Alliance certified. It includes 3g of fiber – 9% of DV -, 6g of saturated fat – 32% of DV -, and 11g of added sugars per serving.

4. Theo Chocolate Organic Coconut 70 % Dark Bar

Theo 70% Coconut Dark Chocolate is made with cocoa beans, cane sugar, coconut, and cocoa butter. All of the ingredients are certified organic and Fair-trade. Also, this vegan dark chocolate is a good source of fiber providing 3g – 11% of DV – per serving. It contains 7g of saturated fat -35% of DV – and 8g of added sugars – 16% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info: Contains tree nuts (Coconut). Made on equipment that also processes milk, wheat, & other tree nuts and in a facility that handles peanuts, eggs, & sesame.

5. Alter Eco Dark Salted Almonds Organic Chocolate

Alter Eco Salted Almonds Dark Chocolate Bar made with 70% cacao, roasted almonds, raw cane sugar, and cocoa butter. This vegan dar chocolate is certified organic and fair-trade, and it’s a good source of fiber and iron providing 11% and 15% of the daily values respectively per serving. Additionally, it includes 7g of saturated fat – 35% of DV – and 8g of added sugars per four sections serving.

Allergen info: Contains almonds. Made on equipment shared with hazelnuts, milk, coconut, and soy. Individuals who are allergic to these should not consume this product.

6. Hu Kitchen Almond Butter & Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bar

Hu Kitchen Almond Butter & Puffed Quinoa Chocolate Bar is packed with cacao, quinoa, and coconut sugar. It’s certified organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Also, it’s a great source of fiber providing 20% of the daily value of iron per half a bar of serving. It contains 7g of saturated fat – 35% of DV – and 8g of added sugars – 16% of DV – per serving.

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

7. Divine – Dark Chocolate With Raspberries 70% Cocoa

Divine 70% dark chocolate combines rich cacao flavor with tangy raspberries. Sugar, cocoa, and vanilla in this bar are traded in compliance with Fairtrade Standards. This vegan bar is a great source of fiber offering 5g of fiber – 20% of DV – per six blocks serving. Also, it contains 12g of saturated fat – 60% of DV – and 11g of added sugars per serving.

Allergen info: May Contain: Milk, wheat, almonds, hazelnuts, coconut.

8. Taza Organic Sea Salt & Almond Dark Stone Ground Chocolate

This 80% dark stone ground chocolate is made with roasted almonds, vanilla beans, and a sprinkle of salt. It’s organic, vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. Also, it offers 6g of fiber – 21% of DV -, 8g of saturated fat – 40% of DV -, and 6g of added sugars – 12% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info:  Contains almonds and traces of cashews, coconut, hazelnuts, and pecans. 

9. Mast Brothers Mini Dark Chocolate Bar

Mast 81% Dark Chocolate bar is made with organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, and organic vanilla beans. This vegan dark chocolate is a great source of fiber providing 7g of fiber – 27% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info: May contain traces of milk and nuts.

10. Theo Chocolate Organic Black Rice Quinoa Crunch 85 % Dark Bar

Theo Black Rice Quinoa Crunch 85% Dark Chocolate combines rich cocoa flavor with crunchy quinoa and black rice puffs. This vegan bar is organic and fair trade certified and offers 4g of fiber – 14% of DV -, 6g of saturated fat – 30% of DV – and only 4g of added sugars – 8% of DV – per serving.

Allergen info: Made on equipment that also processes milk, wheat, & tree nuts and in a facility that handles peanuts, eggs, & sesame.

11. Taza – 95% Wicked Dark With Ginger Organic Chocolate

This super intense 95% dark stone ground chocolate is filled with crystallized ginger. Also, it’s vegan, organic, and a great source of fiber providing 25% of the daily value per serving. Additionally, this bar contains 8g of saturated fat – 40% of DV – and 5g of added sugars – 10% of DV – per half-bar of serving.

Allergen info: Contains traces of almonds, cashews, coconut, hazelnuts, and pecans. 

Key takeaways for buying vegan chocolate

For those who follow a vegan diet and love their sweets, dark chocolate is a great way to indulge, but there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping.

Dark chocolate is a candy, and it’s expected to contain sugar, but low-quality chocolates with less cacao content use sugar to make up for flavor and low-quality ingredients. Gravitate towards chocolate with over a 70% cacao percentage for dark chocolate with less room for sugar but still consume in moderation.

Although dark chocolate is often vegan, like sugar — low-quality dark chocolate may contain milk or milk fat in its ingredients to enhance its flavor. Always read the label to ensure the dark chocolate you choose is vegan.

Lastly, dark chocolate’s production can pose ethical and environmental challenges, so look out for Fair Trade certification but do research to ensure the label’s certification — as well as its ingredients — match your values.

Now that you know dark chocolate is vegan, use your new knowledge to find a tasty dark chocolate that will satisfy both the vegans and non-vegans in your life.

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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Katherine

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Merve

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Sydney W

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