Is Chocolate Vegan? A Comprehensive Guide to Vegan Chocolate (2024)

• What Makes Chocolate Vegan?
• What Types of Chocolate Aren’t Vegan?
• Ingredients to Avoid on Chocolate Labels
• Things to Look for on a Vegan Chocolate Label
• Is Vegan/Dark Chocolate Healthy?
• Is There Vegan Milk Chocolate?
• Where Can I Buy Vegan Chocolate?
• Our Vegan Chocolate Flavors
• Helpful Resources

Chocolate bars usually contain sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla which are all vegan-friendly. Dark chocolate is usually vegan as it shouldn’t contain dairy or other animal products. The best quality dark chocolate contains more than 50% cacao content and uses only a few ingredients. However, some brands will sneak in non-vegan ingredients that you’ll need to be on the lookout for (more on that below).

What Types of Chocolate Aren’t Vegan?

Most chocolate falls into one of three categories: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. While dark chocolate is usually vegan-friendly, milk and white chocolate typically are not.

• Milk Chocolate, as the name implies, contains dairy, making it not vegan, unless it is made with a nondairy milk like oat milk or almond milk.
• White Chocolate also frequently contains dairy products. There’s also quite a bit of debate[1] as to whether white chocolate technically qualifies as chocolate because it doesn’t usually contain cocoa solids.

As a rule of thumb, your safest bet is to choose a dark chocolate to your liking that contains vegan-approved ingredients.

• Contains milk
• Whey (milk derivative)
• Casein (milk derivative)
• Lactose (milk derivative)
• A cholesterol level greater than 0%, since this is only found in animal products[2]

• Caramel
• Toffee
• White refined sugar

• Refined sugar
• Honey, which is avoided by some vegans since its production can include exploitation of bees

• Cocoa butter that is extracted from cocoa beans
• Vegan certification[3]
• Fair Trade certification[4]

• Improve heart health
• Improve brain function
• Reduce stress
• Balance the immune system

Is There a Vegan Milk Chocolate?

By substituting cow's milk with milk alternatives, you can achieve a taste and texture that closely resembles traditional milk chocolate. Among these alternatives, nut milk is a commonly favored choice among vegans. Nut milk is produced by straining liquid from crushed nuts and imparts distinct flavor notes depending on the nut variety. However, if you aren't a fan of nutty flavors, consider oat milk chocolate as a delightful alternative!

Chocolates crafted using oat milk offer a superb substitute for dairy or nut-based milk chocolates in the vegan realm. Oat milk chocolate boasts a natural, creamy texture reminiscent of classic milk chocolate.

Oat milk tends to have a gentler flavor profile compared to nut milks, allowing the inherent cocoa bean nuances to shine through. Due to the presence of oats, some may detect subtle undertones of malt and cereal in the chocolate.

Further reading: Learn About Dairy-Free Oat Milk Chocolate

Where Can I Buy Vegan Chocolate?

Nowadays, most health food stores offer a variety of vegan options. And if you’re buying online, the options are nearly limitless! These online retailers are approved by the Fair World Project, an organization that advocates for fair trade practices globally:

• Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate
• Alter Eco
• Chocolate and Love
• Divine Chocolate
• Equal Exchange
• Theo Chocolate
• Lake Champlain
• Alter Eco
• Purdys

• Salted Whole Almonds
• Salted Almond Butter
• Roasted Whole Hazelnuts
• Crunchy Hazelnut Butter
• Salted Dark Chocolate
• Smooth Coconut Praline
• Cool Peppermint Cream

Oat Milk Chocolate

• Hazelnut Butter
• Golden Milk Chai
• Mocha Latte

• View our vegan, fair trade Magic All-One Chocolate
• How we make our chocolate
• Our journey to implementing regenerative cocoa
• Frequently asked questions
• Further reading on fair trade