As an absolute chocolate-lover, I am a firm believer in the power of cacao to cure all maladies. Feeling under the weather? Peanut butter chocolate crunch is there. Getting over a bad breakup? Caramel toffee to the rescue. Stressed over an exam? Pull out the dark chocolate and mint. Chocolates can do it all, and that’s why they make the perfect holiday gift. But for my sadly lactose-intolerant self, as well as for my vegan friends, most chocolates are temptations that we receive but cannot indulge in. So that’s why I’m here to introduce you to some dairy-free chocolates that will make all your friends happy this holiday season. They’re gooey, gratifying, and oh-so giftable.

5. Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate with Blueberries

Ah, the dangerous combination of dark chocolate and blueberry. The depth of the cacao combined with the tartness of berries makes for a heavenly bar. No company can do it better than Endangered Species, with its environmentally-conscious production process and donations to wildlife conservation. Just be cautious, despite its variety of exotic flavors, the cacao content is high and the chocolate tones are very intense.

4. Amore di Mona Holiday Gift Box

These are the perfect luxury chocolates to gift, with fun holiday packaging and warm textures. The 3-pack contains the perfect trio of flavors: original caramel, original dark chocolate, and caramel with cranberries. The caramel flavor is especially unique, since it is often hard to make vegan, and what screams Christmas more than cranberries? Amore di Mona somehow does it, and does it well. Buy the whole box and just remember to leave one bar for a friend.

3. iChoc Milkless Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate was the hardest thing for me to give up when I figured out I was lactose-intolerant, and I’m sure those who have become vegan agree. That smooth, light taste just can’t be replicated with dark chocolate and other novelty flavors. iChoc comes to the rescue with this creamy milkless milk chocolate, using rice milk as a replacement to satisfy all of us. 

2. Booja Booja Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Truffles

Nutella is unfortunately not vegan, but these hazelnut truffles may just be the next best thing. The truffles are hand-made with hazelnut pieces woven in, and all packaged delicately in a lovely gift-worthy box. They’ll melt in your mouth and be gone before you know it, so order an extra box to hold for a friend.

1. Alter Eco Deep Dark Sea Salt

Not only is Alter Eco the best kind of rich, dark chocolate you want, it is also dedicated to forming relationships with the communities it sources ingredients from. So you can enjoy these bars guilt-free knowing that you are supporting an ethical chocolate company. Sea salt is a personal favorite, since it reminds me of the taste of summer and vacation even in the dead of winter. With beans sourced in Peru and Ecuador and bars produced in Switzerland, gift the enjoyment of international luxury.

Bonus Bar: Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate

I just had to include this even though it’s not marketed as vegan or dairy-free. Cadbury has been around for a long time, but the company recently switched their formula to be milk-free. Now this British staple-sweet is available by consumption for everyone, so make sure to surprise your vegan friends with a hidden gem.

Whichever bar you choose, there’s a chocolate for you to gift. So add a few of these to your shopping list to make your presents just a little bit sweeter (and if you order a few extra boxes for yourself, no one will be the wiser). Treat your vegan friends, your non-vegan friends, and yourself to some of the best chocolate around. This holiday season, there will be many more vegan chocolate wrappers, and much fewer boxes of untouched Ferrero Rocher.