5 Vegan Chocolate Bars That Are Better Than Dairy
If you’ve switched to plant-based, or are en route to a more vegan lifestyle, chances are you’ve experienced a familiar panic when it comes to finding good quality vegan chocolate. Thankfully these days the shelves are awash with really great-tasting vegan chocolate that really does rival its dairy equivalent. As certified chocoholics, we’ve assembled a little menu of our top vegan chocolate bars to help you along your plant-based way.
Tried & Tested (..on numerous occasions)
From slabs to truffles, imitation/replica bars to bold buttons, the EDEN Treats team have tried and tested the lot. We’ve looked at overall flavour, quality, texture and ingredients when awarding our top spots, and given some delicious extra chocolate brownie points to companies going above and beyond when it comes to innovation and sustainability too.
BEST IMITATION: M:lk Choc Peanut Caramel Bar, Love Raw.
The world of dairy chocolate has some pretty heavy hitters. Let’s be honest, you’d probably award Reese’s with the best peanut butter cups, or Kinder Bueno with the best wafer bar, perhaps Cadbury Caramel or Terry’s chocolate orange would be crowned winners in these areas too. There is one vegan company that’s taking ALL of our dairy favourites and quietly delivering show-stopping results on all fronts we just mentioned. For a decade, Love Raw has been crafting phenomenal chocolates; they’ve even taken on the notoriously difficult Ferrero Rocher hazelnut balls with outstanding results.
Their new M:lk Choc Peanut Caramel Bar is arguably the best we’ve tasted recently. Roasted peanuts, nougat and caramel smothered in their m:lk chocolate is the definition of perfection (or a brilliant imitation Snickers bar!). We devoured the bar in seconds rating its flavour, taste and texture highly.
With a long-standing commitment to creating “great tasting vegan chocolate, that tastes like chocolate chocolate” this really is a company to watch if what you miss are the old classics, but feel it’s time to appreciate them in a modern new way.
BEST DARK DECADENCE: Solomon Islands Guadalcanal 69% Firetree.
The award-winning single-estate chocolate bars from Firetree, use some of the world’s rarest cocoa beans from remote volcanic islands in the South Seas. These rich fertile soils deliver powerful flavour notes enhancing the beans with tasting notes of cherry, lemon, grape, walnut and truffle.
Our favourite dark decadence has been awarded to the Solomon Islands Guadalcanal 69% bar, with tasting notes of red fruits, citrus and plum. Much like a fine wine, or carefully crafted coffee, great chocolate should be savoured, melting slowly in your mouth to deliver its unique flavours.
If dark is for you, we highly recommend you savour a Firetree bar. Plus, as a company they are committed to honouring their farmers by routinely paying an above-market premium for their beans, to ensure the quality, ethical and sustainable standards, the company, customers and farmers are all seeking.
BEST CROWD PLEASER SLAB: H!P
You can’t go wrong with H!P. Their fun flavours, packaging and delicious chocolate are all reasons we keep returning for more! With a goal to revolutionise the mainstream chocolate market by rejecting the dependence on animal products, H!P has created a delicious oat chocolate bar with a beautifully smooth texture, creamy taste and (added bonus) a carbon footprint 50% lower than dairy milk chocolate.
Our favourite is the Salted Honeycomb, which combines their smooth oat milk chocolate with chunks of honeycomb pieces. Delicious! A special mention should also be awarded to their White Berry Crunch bar; sweet, creamy oat milk white chocolate, with freeze-dried blueberries, raspberries and added puffed rice for an extra special texture.
BEST SELECTION BOX: Emergency Vegan Chocolate Gift Box, Nono Cocoa
A simply beautiful box of assorted chocolates that are easy on the eye and a taste sensation for the pallet. With wonderful flavours such as Greek Coffee Cup, Raspberry & Beetroot and Pandan Lemongrass, this colourful collection makes a truly lovely gift. Plus they’re free from all 14 allergens, refined sugars, artificial flavours and colourants too.
These award-winning chocolates also have an ethical core and a commitment to supporting those who are disadvantaged in society. Their chocolates are handmade in small batches by their London-based team who have autism and special needs.
You can enjoy these little works of art not just for their fantastic flavours, but their ethical foundations of honouring the “neuro-diverse” through opportunities and employment. Our team LOVED this innovative company with its quirky flavours, and we feel you will too.
BEST ON-THE-GO BAR: NOMO Chocolate Bars
For almost 25 years, NOMO has been challenging the market with their dairy, gluten, egg and nut-free chocolate bars, and have been awarded the title of the UK’s Vegan and Free-From chocolate brand. With their 32g bar range of super smooth milk chocolate, snacking on the go has never been more enjoyable. Notable mentions go to their Fruit & Crunch bar and decadent Chocolate Caramel bars if you like a little something extra with your dreamy milk chocolate.
Did we list your favourite?
It’s wonderful to have so many fantastic brands and bars to taste test, we hope we’ve captured yours or maybe introduced you to a couple of new treats to try!
Leave us a comment below with your favourite Vegan Chocolate choices...