What Is The Best Vegan Chocolate?
Whether you’re 100% vegan or you’re making an eco-conscious attempt to move to a more plant-based diet, you’ll be keen to ensure that quality chocolate is still on the menu.
All those who move over to a vegan diet have at least one food item that must have a decent substitute. I’ve heard some say they are grateful every day that vegan mayonnaise has got so tasty and others have been rescued with a Beyond Burger when the meat cravings have hit. However, for quite a few of us, the ability to stick to a plant-based diet is all about whether vegan chocolate is good enough.
Is Chocolate Vegan?
Some chocolate is vegan. Chocolate is made from cacao beans and so in essence is entirely plant-based. However, many chocolatiers add milk during the cooking process to enhance that creaminess. In fact, the words so often associated with chocolate - velvety, smooth, silky, creamy - are often a result of milk having been added. However, that’s not to say that vegan chocolate is no good. In fact, vegan chocolate has come so far in terms of taste that many non-vegans are enjoying it too.
Does Vegan Chocolate Taste Good?
Without cow’s milk added, the rich beautifully bitter taste of the cacao bean is more prominent. Vegan chocolate, such as Seed & Bean, tastes more like dark chocolate so chances are, if you’re a fan of dark chocolate then you’ll probably enjoy vegan chocolate.
If your preference is less intense then there may still be a vegan chocolate option for you. H!P, for example, use oat milk to make their chocolate lighter and creamier.
So, whether you’re buying chocolate for a vegan friend, needing vegan chocolate for Veganuary, or are plant-based but still haven’t found a brand of vegan chocolate that sets your taste-buds tingling, we’ve selected a few of our favourites here as a guide to the best vegan chocolate.
Fetcha Chocolates
One criticism of vegan chocolate is that it’s too crumbly. That, without the milk to cream the cacao beans, the texture fails to be properly smooth. Fetcha Chocolates hand make their chocolates in Scotland and produce the tastiest range of flavours. Their classic Trio is my favourite. Why? With fillings of non-dairy milk chocolate mousse, a diary free milk chocolate salted caramel and cocoa butter with honeycomb, these chocolates are not only delicious they also look great and are super ethical. This chocolate combo makes this vegan chocolate dessert worthy.
Seed & Bean
Seed & Bean’s packaging may look summery but we find this the best vegan chocolate for those dark winter nights. It’s rich, hard and flavourful. Seed & Bean chocolate is 100% organic and mostly fairtrade. They are a company built on being as ethical as possible, so it’s no wonder they boast a varied vegan range.
There are a number of unique and delicate flavour combinations to suit both a sweet and sophisticated pallet. We love the Lemon and Cardamom vegan chocolate for an unusual warming citrus taste, and the Raspberry and Coconut comes with a soft coconut creaminess and pleasantly sharp aftertaste.
The flavourings offset the natural bitterness of the dark chocolate which is brittle yet firm both in texture and taste. Seed & Bean’s vegan chocolate is not the type you scoff at in front of Netflix, but rather the type of luxury chocolate you break off and indulge a little in each evening, because the intensity of taste means a few squares is all you need to satisfy.
H!P’s Oat Milk Chocolate is the closest tasting to the cow’s milk chocolate rivals we can find. We dare non-vegan chocolate consumers to tell the difference. If you’re not a big fan of darker chocolate, this one is for you. It also comes in totally biodegradable packaging. What initially looks like a plastic wrapper inside the box is actually made from compostable wood pulp.
Using oat milk, H!P has managed to produce a dairy-free, palm-oil free, gluten-free delicious vegan chocolate in sustainable packaging. Due to its growing popularity, you can also find H!P chocolate in many supermarkets.
So, I’m guessing you’re after our flavour recommendations? Well, the classic is great, especially if you’re looking for something akin to non-vegan chocolate. If you’re looking for something a little bit different then reach for the Salty Pretzel chocolate because, as if salt and cacao wasn’t enough of a great combination, H!P has taken it into elevated territory with added pretzel pieces.
And that’s our short but sweet guide to the best vegan chocolate, in our humble opinion. But don’t take our word for it. Go ahead and make it your mission to try as many varieties of vegan chocolate as you can and make sure you report back to us. Besides, most vegan chocolate is lower in calories and in sugar so why not indulge? Purely for research, obviously!
Pssst - are you a hot chocolate lover? Check out our new Calm Cocoa drinking chocolate, with guided meditation included!