Vegan Dark Chocolate Bars. Best Brands & Easy DIY Recipes. Healthy Choices to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
Chocolate’s reputation as a flavorsome snack for sweet tooths globally is unarguable. Therefore, topics like the best vegan dark chocolate bars may appear odd to most, considering our reputation as vegans. Consequently, one of the first questions you have to answer from the top of the bar is the possibility of it all.
Is Chocolate Vegan?
Yes, that yummy rich taste comes from a purely vegan source! In fact, chocolate results from processing cacao beans, which are fruits of the cacao tree. As such, you would be correct to say that chocolate bars are originally vegan.
However, the vegan status of this candy remains pure only when the processing method doesn’t include animal milk and other non-vegan ingredients. Animal milk? Does that suggest that there are other milk sources for chocolate apart from animal dairy?
Is There a Vegan Milk Chocolate?
Yes, once again! Good news for me because God knows how much I love the delicious taste of milk chocolate. Various plants provide milk that may replace animal dairy in chocolate production.
What’s better? Plant milk is typically creamier and tastier than cow milk. As such, you aren’t only eating better, but you’re also getting even more sweetness — talk about a win-win. Coconut milk, oat milk, and almond milk are famous examples of milk usable for vegan chocolate.
Best Vegan Chocolate Brands and Options
Chocolate fosters love and affection; therefore, it’d rather be un-chocolatey of me to let you do all the heavy lifting when making your vegan chocolate selections. To help, I consulted fellow vegans with similarly keen affection for chocolates and drew up the list below. Let’s hear what your favorite brand is after reading through the following options.
1. Vegan Kitkats
Nestle announced the introduction of Kitkat V in February as a response to the leading request of fans across the Internet. According to the company, this product is 100% vegan and a baby of the Nestle Cocoa Plan. Kitkat V comes after Kitkat Chocolatory Caco Fruit Chocolate, the first product to use only cocoa beans and pulp as ingredients.
2. Ritter Sport
Ritter Sport started its vegan chocolate lines in 2017 with Amaranth and Quinoa chocolate bars featuring Nicaraguan Cocoa and Hazelnut cream. The company then launched the Accidentally Vegan line in January this year with four different products. These candies are the Marzipan (dark chocolate and California almonds), the Peruvian 74% Intense Dark Chocolate, the Nicaraguan 61% Fine Dark Chocolate, and the 50% Dark Chocolate.
3. Hu Chocolate
Hu Chocolate claims that it started production because it couldn’t find the chocolate flavor that it wanted. That may sound cheeky, but rest assured the brand has done well for the health nut. All Hu Chocolate products are okay for anyone on a paleo, gluten-free, or vegan diet. A simple visit to the Amazon homepage offers you various delicious vegan chocolate desserts, such as the Hu Simple Dark Chocolate, Hue Almond Butter + Puffed Quinoa, Hu Chocolate Vanilla Crunch, and Hu Crushy Mint.
4. Alter Eco
Alter Eco is a remarkable presence in the vegan chocolate industry. The brand has repeatedly produced enjoyable dairy, gluten, and soy-free chocolate bars. You may get these tasty chocolate candies at Amazon, examples including the Alter Eco 60% Cacao Quinoa Crunch, Alter Eco 70% Cacao, Burnt Caramel, and Alter Eco 85% Classic Blackout.
5. Compartes
Compartes doesn’t win my heart only due to my decadent tooth, but I must commend its beautiful artistic branding too. A Compartes bar appeals to you even before unwrapping the packaging. Satisfy your mood with numerous vegan Compartes flavors, including the stunning Old Hollywood Smoked Sea Salt, the California Love Pretzel, the pink-coated Matcha Raspberry Reishi, and the flaked coconut-dusted Tropical Paradise.
6. Lindt Vegan Bar
Does whisking melted chocolate tickle the fancy of your taste buds? I’m betting every Lindt commercial leaves you drooling! Lindt produces a couple of excellent vegan chocolate bars that I trust to blow you away. Examples of Lindt vegan chocolate desserts on Amazon are Lindt Excellence 90% Dark Supreme Chocolate and Lindt Excellence Dark Caramel and Sea Salt Chocolate.
7. Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Bar
Did you long for Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory as a kid? The monumental Ghirardelli factory is your best opportunity to make that dream come true. There are a variety of chocolate snacks to pick from as you scroll the company’s website — examples include the 72% Premium Baking Chips, the 100% Baking Chips, the 72% Cacao Twilight Delight, and the Double Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa mix.
8. Theo Chocolate Organic Dark Chocolate Vegan
Theo is one of the very few chocolate companies that tick every box imaginable. The brand is conscious of fair trade regulations and sources all ingredients organically. Theo has an extensive range of Vegan chocolate products, such as the 70% Cacao Mint Organic Bar, the 55% Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pack, the Vanilla Cocoa Nib, and the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.
9. Trader Joe's Belgian Dark Chocolate Bars
Delight your cravings with the vegan milk chocolate on offer at my favorite tiki-themed brand. Trader Joe’s may have introduced its Almond Beverage Chocolate Pack last year, but there are sufficient varieties to suffice for all enthusiasts. Pound Plus Dark (which tends to last for days) and Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans are popular vegan chocolates at Trader Joe’s.
10. 365 Brand by Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods is one of the few brands on this list that doesn’t restrict production to chocolates only. The brand also produces pizza and mac and cheese, but here’s the good news. You may find a vegan version of nearly everything at the store! This general interest in veganism ensures that I always pick up a side snack whenever I shop for the store’s famous 57% Cacao Dark Chocolate and the Dark Chocolate 365 Covered Raisins.
11. Ibarra Chocolate
Chocolates at Ibarra aren’t very enjoyable when you eat them straight. They aren’t poor either, but they taste best when paired with champurrado or your preferred non-dairy milk. The bars at Ibarra comfort your sweet tooth using only essential organic ingredients, namely cacao paste, cinnamon, and sugar. A famous product at this Mexican brand is the 19 oz Ibarra Mexican Chocolate.
12. Tony's Chocolonely
Are you lonely? Tony’s Chocolonely will keep you company for a sufficient amount of time. I prefer to refer to the chocolates at Tony’s as bricks instead of bars due to their massive size. You’ll have a delicious, vegan-friendly day with any of the desserts at Chocolonely (excluding the Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee). Some of their best products include the Dark Almond Sea Salt and the Dark Pecan Coconut-flavored.
13. Green and Black's Organic
Veganism extends past just vegan-friendly chocolates to include fair trade and sustainability regulations, and Green and Black keeps to both. Therefore, I feel good about my purchase whenever I get any of the delicious bars offered at the store. The grocery offers Raspberry Hazelnut, Ginger, and Mint Dark Chocolate flavors, which all taste nice. I avoid this struggle by sticking to the Dark Chocolate Maya Gold — thanks to its subtly noticeable touch of spice and citrus.
14. Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is another chocolate factory that introduces a bit of veganism in other products. The VT-based brand offers numerous vegan dark chocolate varieties, such as the Traditional Hot Chocolates, Mocha Hot Chocolates, 72% Chocolates Extra Dark Bar, and the Holiday Bar. However, the company is improving its vegan game, thanks to the vegan-only menu available online and the recent launch of vegan truffles for Valentine.
15. Chocolove
Did you know that the only thing tastier than chocolate is an intriguing chocolate pairing? Chocolove is one such brand that wants you to explore other tastes with every bite you take. The recent Strong Dark Chocolate Chile Molé offers orgasmic pleasure with a combination of chili and chocolate. You can also stick to only dark chocolate containing sea salt, whole nuts, and whole fruit or find other tasty vegan options available at the store.
16. Lily's
Vegan chocolate typically uses less sugar, and Lily’s takes it even lower with the desserts that it offers. Lily’s doesn’t use processed or refined sugar, preferring to sweeten things botanically using stevia. The vegan options at Lily’s include all Extra Dark Chocolate bars containing 70% and above Cacao, for example, the Sea Salt Extra Dark Chocolate and the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.
17. John Kelly
John Kelly may have its reason for ensuring that their chocolates aren’t available at any grocery store. Still, I had to mention this pastry boutique upon tasting the dark chocolate bar. The brand provides a wide range of dairy-free options, including numerous fruit boxes and small-batch bars candied in chocolate. You may buy tasty Habanero and Jalapeño bars and the Espresso on the shop’s website or drive to their headquarters in Beverly Hills.
18. Beyond Good
The signature lemur mascot symbol at Beyond Good is synonymous with outstanding vegan chocolate bars. Beyond Good produces all products using single-origin Uganda or Madagascar cocoa (all are surprisingly vegan-friendly). Vegan chocolate aficionados have nine flavors to choose from, but the Nibs, Sea Salt, and Toasted Coconut often makes the shopping list.
19. Dandelion
I’ll make it clear that Dandelion doesn’t even put on the vegan tag, but dairy-free chocolates are what you get when your process is pure and simple. This chocolatier makes all bars with cacao beans and sugar, with the different flavors coming from the beans’ source. Some taste smokey, others fruity, and some earthy — pretty much like coffee.
20. Dylan's Candy Bar
The truth? I find Dylan’s Candy Bar collection disappointing due to its low stock of vegan treats. Most of the products at this high-class yet fanciful dessert brand come with traces of animal products. I conceal this disappointment with the delicious, simple dark chocolate bar, although I want more and still consider writing an email to the store requesting extra vegan choices.
Melting Vegan Chocolate
Melting describes the process of melting your vegan chocolate from its solid form to a liquid state. Some of us always prefer our desserts soft and mushy, while others switch between both states from time to time. It’s whichever works at the moment for me!
Anyway, I’ve eaten chocolate so much that I know the best ways to meet your bar (pats my shoulder). You may melt vegan chocolate using a double boiler or the oven.
Steps to Melt Vegan Chocolate in a Double Boiler
- Fill the boiler’s bottom pan with water
- Place your chocolate bar in the top pan
- Melt over low-average heat
- Stir continuously as the bar melts
Alternatively, you may heat water in a large pan with a smaller vessel holding your chocolate inside the pan as the water heats. You have to be careful, though, as water mustn’t touch the chocolate directly. It makes the whole thing thick and grainy.
Steps to Melt Vegan Chocolate in the Oven
- Place your dessert in the microwave
- Microwave the chocolate in recurring 30-second intervals until you achieve the desired state
- Remember to stir frequently to avoid burning
Tempering Vegan Chocolate
Tempering is the process of heating and cooling your chocolate to ensure its glossy finish doesn’t melt before it gets to your tongue. I pay extra attention to tampering; melting chocolate can be messy in certain situations. You’ll need a thermometer for an excellent result.
Steps to Temper Vegan Chocolate
- Heat your chocolate to a temperature of 100° F using the double boiler method highlighted above
- Put the chocolate bowl in a container of chilled water until the temp comes down to 82°F
- Place the bowl back in the boiler and re-heat to 90°F
- Use as directed in your recipe and leave to cool at room temp. Don’t freeze or refrigerate
4 Vegan Chocolate Recipes
Some occasions may require chocolate desserts different from all options we’ve mentioned above. Or you may no longer enjoy the taste of the particular bar you’ve been chewing. Here are four easy-to-make recipes I prepare at home!
Chickpea Chocolate Shake
Are you a big fan of protein and fiber? Look no further than the Chickpea chocolate snack.
Ingredients:
- Cooked chickpeas
- Rice milk
- Roasted hazelnuts
- Coconut cream
- Maple syrup
- Raw cacao powder
- Bananas
How to Prepare:
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth
- Add more milk if necessary
- Serve in a jar
Vegan Double Chocolate Stew
Intense and gooey. Have you tasted this addictive chocolate sauce?
Ingredients:
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Non-dairy milk (cashew or coconut)
- Maple syrup
- Pure vanilla extract
How to Make:
- Heat your milk until it’s hot but not boiling
- Put your vanilla, syrup, and chocolate bars in a bowl and stir as you pour your milk until everything is liquid
- Keep for a while to gain some thickness
- Pour on pancakes or waffles
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Hummus
Impress your craving with these delicious chocolate balls.
Ingredients:
- Chickpeas
- Agave
- Peanut butter
- Chocolate chips
- Vanilla extract
- Brown sugar
Steps to Prepare:
- Collect and process all ingredients in your high-power food processor
- Freeze the result for 1 hour to solidify the hummus
- Delight your taste buds
Vegan, No-churn Chocolate Ice Cream
Savor one of the creamiest homemade recipes you’ll ever find. It may take lots of time, though, so that you know.
Ingredients:
- Almond butter
- Pure vanilla extract
- Coconut cream (refrigerated for 12 hours before time)
- Unsweetened cocoa butter
- Unsweetened pumpkin puree
- Vegan condensed milk
How-to:
- Boil a mixture of sugar and your preferred non-dairy milk in a saucepan and leave to simmer for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for two hours
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and roast almond for at most 10 minutes, depending on the power of your processor
- You may prepare your pumpkin puree now or buy a canned one
- Separate water from cream in your refrigerated coconut cream and whip in a bowl until it’s stiff. Introduce other ingredients to the bowl and fold with a spatula
- Pour mixture in an airtight container and freeze until solid
- Ready to enjoy!
Wrap Up
Chocolate may be one of the most delicious snacks worldwide, but that doesn’t make it forbidden for vegans. There are more brands apart from the twenty best vegan dark chocolate bars we’ve shortlisted above and their inability to make this list doesn’t mean they’re unhealthy or poor in taste. Shop with these stores or make your homemade vegan chocolate recipes for extra sweetness and enjoy improved health.
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