Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?

You have decided to take up a vegan lifestyle. Does that mean you need to give up on having your beloved chocolate chips? No!

The great news is that you don’t have to say goodbye to your indulgence.

In the US alone, veganism has grown 300% in the years 2004 to 2019 as more and more people start reviewing their health and lifestyles. 

Many companies offer vegan chocolate chips to meet the growing vegan market. Here we run you through what to look at when choosing your product and list some of the best brands that you can purchase from. 

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What makes a chocolate chip vegan?

Chocolate comes from the cacao plant, so that means that at the basic level chocolate chips are vegan.

Unfortunately, in the manufacturing process, milk and sugar are added which now contribute animal-based ingredients into the mix. Sugar gets its white color by using bones from cattle (known as bone char). 

To stay on the safe side, look at buying chocolate chips that are made from dark chocolate. This is because dark chocolate (most of the time) doesn’t use milk.

However, always look at the ingredients on the packet to make sure that the chocolate doesn’t contain any milk-based derivatives. Also, make sure that the sugar is organic cane sugar. 

One more thing to consider is the possibility of cross-contamination. Some companies may use the same equipment to manufacture vegan and non-vegan products.

That means that your vegan chocolate chips may contain trace materials that aren’t vegan. Check to see if the company you decide to purchase from thoroughly cleans everything in between the manufacture of vegan and non-vegan products.

To really make sure that you are buying vegan chocolate chips, look for the Vegan certified label from Vegan.org which guarantees that there are no animal-based products contained within the item.

Several companies do answer the vegan’s call for chocolate chips. 

Best Brands for Vegan Chocolate Chips

Chocolate chips are so versatile and can be used for your baking (whether it’s cookies or cakes) or as part of a homemade trail mix to take with you on that next hiking trip.

Plus, as a vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Companies have heard the cry of vegans everywhere and are starting to cater to your needs. 

Here are some brands that have answered the call.

Nestle

Nestle’s Toll House brand offers a range of vegan chocolate chip options. The company’s Simply Delicious range is the best option.

This range is made from only three ingredients:

• Cocoa butter
• Pure cane sugar
• 100% real chocolate

It also doesn’t contain the eight main food allergens. So you can bake and eat with confidence. 

You can grab yourself some online through Amazon 

Enjoy Life

Since 2001, Enjoy Life has been offering “Free-From “ food. It all started when one of the founders couldn’t find many options to help maintain a gluten-free and dairy-free diet that was needed to combat her Multiple Sclerosis.  

Enjoy Life offers Vegan certified chocolate chips that are free from the following allergens:

• Shellfish
• Crustaceans 
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Wheat
• Dairy
• Soy
• Sulfites
• Lupin
• Eggs
• Sesame
• Soy
• Mustard

On top of all that, Enjoy Life’s chocolate chips don’t contain gluten and are Non-GMO Project Verified. They can also be used in kosher and halal baking. 

You can buy the here.

Also, while you are there have a look at the amazing range of other vegan products they have which range from cookies, bars, breakfast options, and chips.

Gerbs Chocolate Chips 

Gerbs makes their chocolate chips using equipment that is solely non-GMO and vegan-friendly.

That means there is no risk of cross-contamination. All the products that the company makes contain no preservatives, trans-fat, or MSG. 

The chocolate chips contain:

• Organic cane sugar
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Non-Dairy cocoa butter

The product is Vegan Certified as well as carrying 12 free labeling (which means that, like Enjoy Life’s product, Gerbs is free of the 14 allergens). 

You can purchase the chocolate chips either through Amazon or directly from Gerbs.

Pascha Organic Chocolate Chips 

If you are not only conscious of the fair treatment of animals but also concerned with looking after the planet and equitable treatment of others then Pascha is the ideal company for you to support with your purchases. 

Not only do they offer vegan certified chocolate chips, but they also are a Fair Trade partner and are part of the Rainforest Alliance. 

It’s incredible to think that Pascha’s Organic Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips only have one ingredient: 100% Cacao mass.

Pick yourself up a packet through Amazon or buy straight from Pascha’s site.

Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

Starting in 2010, Lily’s has been offering no-sugar chocolate to the market. The company sources its products from Fair Trade organizations and is committed to providing botanically sweetened chocolate.

Lily’s Dark Chocolate baking chips contain:

• 55% cocoa
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Erythritol
• Chicory Root Fiber
• Sunflower Lecithin
• Vanilla extract
• Stevia extract

The product is Non-GMO verified and gluten-free. 

You can shop through Amazon or Lily’s site.

No products found.

One thing to be wary about 

Sometimes manufacturers may alter the processes that they use to create their products. This could lead to contamination of the end product. Perhaps an ingredient changes due to lack of availability of an original ingredient. 

Always check out the manufacturer’s website and read the nutritional information carefully. If you are unsure if what you are buying is 100% vegan, ring the company and ask them.

Enjoy your chocolate chips!

As we have seen, companies are catering more toward the vegan market as demand grows for products that don’t contain anything sourced from animals.

Also, companies have been started through the founders’ personal stories in which they have identified a gap in the market. That means that now you can bake, mix, melt and eat chocolate chips that are completely free from contaminants and allergens.

Yet, always look for the Vegan certification which means you can be confident the product meets your lifestyle needs. However, some vegan products don’t carry the certification but are still 100% vegan. 

Enjoy your vegan chocolate chips! 

Please note, as discussed in our ‘Is Sugar Vegan?’ article, not all types of sugar can be considered vegan. It is therefore the responsibility of the reader to make their own inquiries with the manufacturers of these suggested vegan friendly products to determine whether the sugar used in these products are suitable for vegan consumption.