Vegan chocolate survival guide

*IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
Unfortunately, Cadbury have made the questionable decision to add a milk derivative to their Bournville chocolate, meaning it is no longer vegan. We will leave the original text as is with the hope that they will change it back in the future. For now, enjoy the other incredible ALL vegan brands on offer.

Thankfully, you don't have to worry about that if you're a chocolate lover thinking about going vegan. The world of plant based chocolate is, these days, more exciting than ever. Thanks to a host of incredible new products on the market, you can easily satisfy that creamy cocoa craving whenever it calls. There's also a surprising amount of 'accidentally vegan' chocolate out there that you may not know about that's definitely worth checking out.

So, join us as we dissect the world of vegan chocolate. We’ll cover the best new and old dairy free chocolate bars and brands, as well as discuss how to know what chocolate is vegan and what to look out for when shopping for your next bar (or two).

How do you know if chocolate is vegan?

Let’s start with the obvious question – how can you tell if chocolate is vegan? It may not be obvious to you in the store, as not all dairy free chocolate is Vegan Society certified despite containing no animal products.

The main offender in the ingredient list of non-vegan chocolate is milk, milk powder, or any kind of milk derivative, like whey powder. Aside from the occasional appearance of gelatine in sweet-encrusted chocolate, the only thing you’ll need to look for to avoid animal product consumption when buying chocolate is milk.

Simply scan the ingredients list and look for the inclusion of ‘milk’, which should be in bold text as a potential allergen. If it doesn’t contain milk as one of the primary ingredients, it’s probably vegan.

And don’t worry – despite the name, cocoa butter is vegan! It is the edible fat that can be extracted from the cocoa bean, so no cows are abused in the process.

Can vegans eat products that state they ‘may contain’ milk?

Often times, a products ingredients list will include zero animal products, and yet is quickly followed up with a warning that ‘this product may contain traces of milk’. You don’t have to worry about this unless you are allergic to the animal product in question.

This is only included as a disclaimer to those who are extremely allergic to certain food products. A company may manufacture their accidentally vegan products in the same factory as their non-vegan products. Thus, legally, they are required to use a disclaimer in the case that trace amounts of an allergen are found in a product that claims not to include said allergen.

Fortunately, this means you can eat the product in question without guilt as a vegan, as the animal products in question could only appear in your vegan chocolate bar in negligible, trace amounts (like <0.01%). And as this is mostly just a form of legal protection for the company, it’s likely that there’s no animal product inclusion at all in most cases.

What kind of chocolate can vegans eat?


So, if you’re vegan and have a mean appetite for choccy, you just have to avoid the products that include milk. But where does that leave you? Well, fortunately there’s still plenty of options.

Is dark chocolate vegan?

The first choice on your list in our opinion should be dark chocolate. Not only is it often incredibly delicious in a complex, slightly bitter way, but it’s also very healthy in smaller amounts.

Dark chocolate contains healthy fats, as well as nutrients and minerals like iron, magnesium, copper and manganese deriving from the cocoa which is less processed than in milk chocolate. It’s also rich in antioxidants known as flavonoids. Dark chocolate has been purported to have anti-inflammatory effects as well as the potential to reduce blood pressure. But the question remains… is it vegan?

And the answer is… sometimes. Unfortunately, a lot of dark chocolate still contains milk. So, check those labels. Some accidentally vegan dark chocolate bar examples include Cadbury’s Bournville chocolate, some Lindt dark chocolate bars, some Green & Blacks chocolate bars, and some Divine chocolate bars.

Does vegan milk chocolate exist?

Ok, ok, we hear you. You’re not into bitter foods and avoid them at all costs. Don’t worry though, you can still enjoy the creamy, smooth taste of milk chocolate as a vegan.

There are many brands who have begun using milk alternatives in place of dairy milk in their chocolate bars and other products.

And the best part is, they’re almost always healthier than their animal product counterparts (and, needless to say, a whole lot more ethical and environmentally friendly). This is because non-dairy milk alternatives typically contain fewer calories overall, significantly less fat, and oftentimes are fortified with vitamin D and B12.

Some examples of dairy free milk chocolate brands are HiP Chocolate who make delicious, creamy milk chocolate from oat milk, Montezuma*s ‘Like No Udder’ bar, NOMO chocolate’s creamy choc and hazelnot crunch bar, and others.

Is any Cadbury chocolate vegan?

It’s the nation’s favourite for a reason, all credit where credit is due. However, most Cadbury chocolate is unfortunately not vegan due to the inclusion of milk, and this of course includes Cadbury Dairy Milk bars.

However, we can confirm that Cadbury owner Mondelez have openly suggested that a 100% vegan Cadbury Dairy Milk bar is indeed in the works! Consider us extremely interested.

And, as mentioned, Cadbury Bournville chocolate is vegan, as are the incredibly more-ish Cadbury Bournville Fingers.

Where can you buy vegan chocolate?

Choices locked in, warnings understood, you’re ready to dive head-first into the world of vegan chocolate brands. But where’s the destination for this plant based chocolate wonderland?

It seems that there is no single ‘best place’ to buy the vegan chocolate bars we have mentioned thus-far, as many of the brands have exclusivity deals with certain supermarkets.

Whole Foods is a great place to purchase a range of vegan chocolate products, but the locations are sparse throughout the UK outside of London. They are also quite expensive and don’t include many chocolate-based vegan food products like vegan chocolate spread, vegan chocolate popcorn etc.

Sainsbury’s currently stock NOMO and Montezuma chocolate and Cadbury Bournville bars.

Without tooting our own horn too much however, we at My Vegan Hamper are proud to stock some of the finest vegan chocolate bars and other plant based chocolate products available in the UK! We’ve personally researched and reviewed the best tasting, most ethical and sustainable vegan chocolate bars and other vegan chocolate products on the market so you don’t have to.

The Choccy Connoisseur hamper contains a range of the best full-size vegan chocolate bars available. Enjoy handmade salty pretzel-encrusted chocolate form Dirty Cøw, deliciously creamy oat ‘milk’ chocolate from HiP, an exciting lime & sea salt chocolate from Montezuma’s, creamy vanilla white chocolate from Vivani, and an extravagant 85% dark variety from Divine.

Or, if you fancy a more snack-able selection, check out The Choc Box. Enjoy gooey salted caramel bites from Livia’s, Love Raw’s incredibly popular wafer bar and new peanut buttercups, healthy roasted chickpeas covered in dark chocolate from Brave, more-ish chocolate and coconut bites from Ape Snacks, convincing Malteasers alternative Malty Bites, and finally a goji and orange flavour Diddies chocolate bar from Doisy & Dam.

Finally, if you’re cravings demand more, you can try The Vegan Chocolatier. This vegan hamper contains a range of chocolate bars from luxurious 70% dark chocolate, to Bourbon biscuit and honey comb-encrusted bars from Dirty Cøw, as well as addictive vegan chocolate hazelnut spread, award-winning dark chocolate popcorn from Joe & Seph’s, and finally some Fairtrade hot chocolate cocoa powder from Clipper.