No matter your dietary restrictions, chocolate is essential. Whether you eat chocolate every day (like yours truly) or enjoy it as a once in a while treat, finding satisfying, unique bars is crucial. There are more chocolate bar options for vegans and those with dairy allergies now than ever before. This slew of options makes weeding out the best vegan chocolate bars hard. To make finding fulfilling chocolate bars a little easier, I've compiled list of the best vegan chocolate bars—and yes, non-vegans will enjoy them too.
#SpoonTip: Some of these bars are produced in facilities that use milk and eggs in other products.
1. Endangered Species: 88% Dark Chocolate
If you're looking for simple, solid dark chocolate that's rich without being too bitter, this is the bar. Oh, and 10% of profits are donated to protect wildlife, hence the name. Win-win.
2. Hu Kitchen: Cashew Butter and Pure Vanilla Bean
The chocolate from Hu Kitchen is probably my favorite. These bars are not only free of dairy, but they're also refined sugar-free. Whether or not the coconut sugar actually makes them healthier is up for debate, but the sweet, filled squares of this Cashew Butter and Vanilla bar are undeniably delicious.
3. Theo: Salted Almond Dark Chocolate
Almonds and chocolate are a classic combination, and this bar certainly does this iconic duo justice. The addition of salt perfectly balances the sweetness of the chocolate.
4. Loving Earth: Salted Caramel
For a long time, the creative flavors of these vegan chocolate bars were only available overseas, but now you can order the most popular bars online. This bar combines cashews and coconut milk for the ultimate sweet, creamy treat. Finding vegan imitations of milk chocolate can be tricky, but the salted caramel tastes just like the rich milk chocolate you grew up eating.
5. Chocolove: Crystalized Ginger in Dark Chocolate
Ginger might be one of the most versatile foods. It's a great addition to cupcakes, warm drinks, salad dressing, and yes, chocolate. The combination of spiciness and warmth adds a whole new dimension to this vegan chocolate bar.
6. Ocho: Coconut Filled Dark Chocolate
While dark chocolate is delicious, vegans don't need to be confined to the basics. Ocho makes both vegan and non-vegan chocolate candy bars, but this awesome coconut-filled dark chocolate one, which is basically a vegan Mounds bar, is perfect for both.
7. Vosges: Matcha Green Tea & Spirulina Super Dark Chocolate
With the combination of matcha green tea, spirulina, dark chocolate, and cacao nibs, this bar sounds like it could be too bitter, but it's not. It gets bonus points on its crunchy texture, courtesy of the cacao nibs.
8. Alter Eco: Deep Dark Quinoa Crunch
Full of crunchy quinoa, this is the dairy-free answer to Hershey's Crunch bars. This vegan chocolate bar is just as delicious (if not more so) as this the Halloween favorite.
9. Raaka: Coconut Milk
Made in Brooklyn, this bar is sweet and smooth, just like its name suggests. If you're craving a dairy-free version of milk chocolate, this is the way to go.
10. Chocolove: Raspberries in Dark Chocolate
Out of all the bars on this list, this was the first one I tried. I have memories of nibbling squares of it in elementary school, but I don't think it's just nostalgia that makes it taste so good. This bar is rich and filled with dehydrated raspberries, so it tastes like raspberries dipped in chocolate (and this is a really good thing).
11. Green & Black's: 70% Dark Chocolate
Like the Endangered Species bar, this solid dark chocolate is simple, rich, and delicious. At 70% cacao, this vegan chocolate bar is perfect for baking. This is my go-to bar whenever I need chocolate chunks, like in these gluten-free almond flour cookies.
12. Raaka: Ghost Pepper
"Spicy" chocolate bars often end up disappointingly mellow, but this ghost pepper dark chocolate actually packs a punch. Not only is the packaging beautiful, but this little bar perfectly balances the sweet and spicy flavors we crave.
Hopefully this list will make it easier for you to eat more chocolate. With the recent rise in veganism, we can expect to see even more incredible vegan chocolate bars in the future, but for now, these are some of the best around.