From the land involved to the waste produced, conventional dairy production has a huge environmental impact. Not only is conventional dairy not great for the planet, it’s not so great for you. You can do yourself and your body a favor but cutting back on or cutting out the dairy in your diet.
Whenever folks learn that I don’t eat dairy products, there are certain questions they seem to always ask. One of the most common is:
But don’t you miss chocolate?
The assumption is that chocolate has to contain milk, and that’s just not true at all. What makes chocolate….chocolate…is cocoa butter which despite its name is a plant ingredient. There are tons of companies making great dark chocolate that is 100% vegan and 100% delicious!
Finding vegan chocolate is as easy as taking the time to do a bit of label-reading. While you might not be able to just grab a Hershey bar, you don’t have to live a chocolate-free existence, either. Here are just a few tasty options:
- Many varieties of Ghirardelli dark chocolate are vegan, including their semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Dagoba makes some really tasty dark chocolate. Watch out, though. Since they were bought by Hershey’s a few years ago, I’ve noticed some milk ingredients creeping in. A little label reading is definitely in order here.
- While it’s on the pricier side, Vosges makes amazing dark chocolate.
- Most of Whole Foods’ 365 brand dark chocolate is vegan.
- Sharffen Berger makes a mean dark chocolate bar! And by mean, I mean delicious.
- Not only are there cute critters pictured on every package, Endangered Species’ dark chocolate is 100% fair trade. Recommended: 72% dark chocolate bar with raspberries.
This is hardly a comprehensive list! With a little label reading, you’ll discover lots of other vegan chocolate options out there. Cocoa powder is usually vegan, too, which means you can add chocolate to your soy- or almond milk or to baked goods. Do you have a favorite brand of dark chocolate? I’m always looking for new sorts to try out!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by nicubunu
About Becky Striepe
oops lolz just read the label again it says beet sugar..im dislexic..if you cant tell from my spelling sorry
No problem!
Is it organic beet sugar, by any chance?
it does kinda i mean my mom wont let me become a vegan until i leave the house cuz im already a pain with being a vegetarian lolz..so i guess im ok as long as its just milk..do you know if the sugar is processed with bone char or not..its kind of a stupid question but i just want to be thuro
the endangered species candy wrapper says its processed on equipment that also produces candy with milk in it..so is it still vegan?? just wondering im a vegitarian im thinking about switching to being a vegan
That’s a good question, and one personal to many vegans. I’m OK with chocolate produced in the same factory as non-vegan chocolate, as long as the bar I’m buying doesn’t contain animal ingredients in the recipe.
I guess it depends on your reasons for going vegan and how strict you want to be. Rather than punish Endangered Species Chocolate for being unable to afford a separate, vegan facility, I’d prefer to reward them for creating so many vegan chocolate bars, but other vegans are not OK with that. For me, it’s about voting with my wallet and supporting companies that produce vegan foods, but if your goal is to completely cut out any trace of animal products, you’d want to avoid chocolate with that kind of labeling.
I hope this helps! I almost feel like it raises more questions than it answers!
Rose – Oh no! That’s a bummer about Ghiradelli.
I just checked the allergens document on Ghirardelli’s website, and it indicates that their semi-sweet chocolate chips now contain dairy. I’ll double-check when I visit the grocery store today–I’m really hopeful to find some accidentally vegan brand there, as the prices for the brands sold at the health food stores are a little high for me now. (I don’t have a Whole Foods near me with its own cheaper, generic brand.)
It seems to me from Jennifer’s unstintingly positive comment and link that she totally works for Alter-Ego.
Rescue Chocolate is 100% vegan, down to the sugar!
“Peanut Buter Pit Bill” is heaven on earth.
All net proceeds go to animal rescue groups, check it out.
Great list Becky. I’m not vegan, but I have friends who are and now I can surprise them with a chocolate desert next time they’re over for dinner. Thanks.
I had no idea there were so many vegan chocolate options! I have tried a lot of the ones you mentioned and had no idea. Good to know.
Theo chocolate in Seattle has awesome vegan-friendly chocolate! They’re also fair trade and organic.
I hit up Whole Foods this evening to hunt for Alter Eco, but the one by me seems to be out! Boo. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out…the Twist bar sounds amazing!