The Best Vegan and Dairy-Free Chocolate Bars to Buy Now

Unwrapping a chocolate bar is a timelessly satisfying experience, but most of the beloved candy bars we remember from childhood have fallen behind the times. Chocolate giants including Mars, Dove, and Hershey’s still mostly offer chocolates made with dairy milk, despite growing interest in more sustainable, dairy-free chocolate. However, there’s no need to worry! Vegan chocolate options are abundant, especially because several brands have adopted plant-based milk into their recipes.Enjoying a chocolate bar is a decadent treat that’s hard to give up, even when adopting a dairy-free diet. But chocoholics can let out a sigh of relief because most chocolate is vegan unless manufacturers add cow’s milk or another dairy to their recipes. So, there are tons of plant-based chocolate options on the shelves.For the most part, dark chocolate is vegan, but it’s important to double-check the labels because sometimes companies will add milk fat, cream, lactose, or whey to the “dark” chocolate. Even though some brands add animal-based ingredients to dark chocolate, it is always a reliable space to start looking for when you need something sweet to eat.Producing cow’s milk is significantly more taxing to the environment when compared to plant-based counterparts. About 87.5 percent of Gen Z shoppers are worried about the environment. More than likely, younger generations will continue looking for sustainable chocolate over longstanding brands that contain milk products.Ditching Dairy is Good for Your HealthMilk is falling out of fashion fast. Nearly half of Gen-Z consumers actively feel ashamed when ordering dairy milk in public, motivated by not only environmental concerns but also health risks associated with dairy. By eating and drinking more cow’s milk, you are increasing your risk of disease, strokes, and heart attacks.Regardless of the milk content, vegan chocolate is still a sugary, indulgent snack. So, plant-based chocolate is not necessarily an excuse to eat more chocolate, but without dairy products, it provides a slightly healthier option to cow milk-based options.The Best Vegan Chocolate BarsOrdering vegan chocolate can be tricky at first, especially when you have long established your favorite brands. But there’s plenty of chocolate for everyone, ranging from new brands specializing in oat milk-based chocolate or reformed recipes from iconic companies such as Lindt.Here’s our guide to the best vegan and dairy-free chocolate available.Awake Chocolate: Dark Chocolate BitesAwake Chocolate is a delectable grab-and-go snack, especially when you need a little boost of energy. These little vegan chocolates contain enough caffeine to get you through the rest of the workday with a clear mind without drinking another cup of coffee. Every chocolate is the equivalent of half a cup of coffee! This chocolate snack is effective and delicious, without a bitter aftertaste.Serving Size: 1Calories 70Total Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 3gTotal Sugars 6gGigantic Butter PecanPerfectly sized, these candy bars bring all of the nostalgia of your favorite childhood chocolate treats with a much cleaner label. Completely vegan and made with just 7 grams of sugar, these candy bars in four different classic flavors are incredibly delicious. The Banana Pecan is a surprising standout, but if banana isn’t your thing, there are 3 other incredible choices. This may just be the tastiest vegan chocolate bar on the market.Serving Size: 8Calories: 210Total Fat 15g, Saturated Fat 4.5gTotal Sugars 7g, Added Sugar 6gHu Simple Dark ChocolateHu’s timeless Simple Dark Chocolate bar provides the classic childhood chocolate bar experience we all want. This organic, healthier version of traditional chocolate bars provides you with a guilt-free, diet-friendly chocolate bar. The recipe is also super allergen-friendly. These tasty chocolates are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and free of soy lecithin. Make sure to moderate how much you consume, because Hu contains 8 grams of saturated fat per serving and one bar contains two servings!Serving Size: 2Calories 190Total Fat 14g, Saturated Fat 8gTotal Sugars 7g, Added Sugar 7gLindt Classic Recipe Oat MilkLindt turned the luxury chocolate world upside down with its OatMilk Classic Recipe chocolate bar. This creamy, smooth chocolate bar is good enough to fool Willy Wonka into thinking it’s made with dairy. The bar comes portioned into tiny squares, making it the perfect chocolate snack to spread out over the day. However, it is important to emphasize that this milk-free chocolate bar is a rich indulgence with 10 grams of added sugar and 5 grams of saturated fat per serving. And every 3.5-ounce chocolate bar contains 9 servings!Serving Size: 3.5Calories 170Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 5gTotal Sugars 13g, Added Sugar 10gTCHO Choco LatteTCHO teamed up with Blue Bottle Coffee to create a plant-based chocolate bar that tastes just like the specialty espresso drink. The plant-based chocolate bar features roasted coffee beans, cashew butter, and cacao butter, providing chocoholics with a creamy chocolate bar that you wouldn’t know wasn’t vegan unless someone told you. With notes of caramel and coffee, this delectable chocolate bar can be enjoyed any time of day or night. However, for the heart-conscious, take note that this bar contains 5 grams of saturated fat per serving!Serving Size: 3Calories 130Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 5gTotal Sugars 7g, Added Sugar 7gTCHO Dark DuoTCHO’s “distinguished cacao experience” lives up to the hype. This smooth dark chocolate is an indulgently sweet treat with only 6 grams of sugar per serving. The Dark Duo features an intense flavor from cocoa sourced from Ghana without a bitter aftertaste typical of dark chocolates. And next time you want to bake cookies, these plant-based chocolate bars are the perfect ingredient for chocolate chunk cookies. Enjoy this bar in moderation because it contains 7 grams of saturated fat per serving.Serving Size: 3Calories 120Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 7gTotal Sugars 6g, Added Sugar. 6gTony’s Choconely ClassicOpening one of Tony’s fair trade chocolate bars feels just like a classic Hershey bar. The socially-responsible chocolate brand offers several plant-based chocolate bars with its dark chocolate selection with the exception of its dark milk pretzel toffee flavor. But Tony’s Choconlonely Dark Almond Sea Salt offers an amazing blend of salty and sweet richness rare in plant-based chocolate. This is also a great choice when you’re looking for a low-sugar option!Serving Size: 6Calories 160Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 5gTotal Sugars 12g, Added Sugar 12gTrader Joe’s Oat Chocolate BarsSmooth and rich, if you’re missing milk chocolate but want to hold the milk, this Trader Joe’s chocolate bar will hit the spot. Dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and kosher, this bar is a good allergen-friendly choice as a treat for kids. If you’re in search of a no-frill yet decadent and creamy chocolate bar, this one is it. Serving Size: 3Calories 140Total Fat 10g, Saturated Fat 6gTotal Sugars 11g, Added Sugar 8g 



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