Can Vegans Eat Chocolate? (is chocolate vegan??)

You’re here because you want to know if chocolate is vegan…

Good news, my friend! Chocolate is vegan! This is because chocolate is made from cacao beans, which grow on trees. Cacao beans are most definitely plant based 🙂

The time when chocolate is NOT vegan is when companies add animal based additives like dairy or butter.

It all comes down to reading labels diligently or making your own vegan chocolate at home.

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What chocolates are vegan?

Here are some vegan chocolate brands for satisfying that craving:

Raaka
iChoc
Hu Kitchen
No Whey Foods
Taza Chocolate
Lindt 90% Dark
Alter Eco
Theo Chocolate
No Cow
Goodio
Eating Evolved

Some companies that aren’t specifically vegan still make chocolate that’s accidentally vegan.

Lindt offers a 90% dark bar and a few others. Check ingredients and you might be surprised!

Can Vegans eat dairy milk chocolate?

Unfortunately, no, they can’t. That’s because dairy milk chocolate contains dairy which comes from cows.

There are always new products though and there are a lot of plant based milk chocolate bars for vegans to enjoy!

Can Vegans eat Hershey’s chocolate?

Yes, but only 2 products that Hershey’s offers are vegan:

Hershey’s Simply 5 Syrup
Hershey’s Cocoa Powder

Are all dark chocolates vegan?

No, not all dark chocolates are vegan. Just because it’s labeled “dark,” doesn’t mean there is no dairy or whey powder added. Scan the ingredients and avoid it if there is:

milk
milk powder
whey powder
mono or dyglycerides
butter
fat from butter or milk
milk solids
milk fat
casein
lactose
lecithin* (can be plant based but usually made from eggs)
refined sugar* (some refined sugar is bleached using charred animal bones)

Are Kit Kats vegan?

No, Kit Kats are not vegan. Even the 70% Dark Kit Kat contains modified milk ingredients.

“milk chocolate (sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder, lactose, soya lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, natural flavour) ,wheat flour, sugar, modified palm oil, cocoa, sodium bicarbonate, soya lecithin, yeast, natural flavour.”

Are M&M’s vegan?

No, M&M’s are not vegan because they contain skimmed milk powder, lactose, milk fat, beeswax and carmine.

M&M ingredients:

“sugar, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder, cocoa butter, lactose, starch, milk fat, palm fat, glucose syrup, shea fat, stabiliser (gum arabic), dextrin, glazing agents (beeswax, carnauba wax), colours (E100, carmine, E132, E133, E150a, E150c, E150d, E153, E160a, E160e, E162, E163, E170), beetroot concentrate, emulsifiers (soya lecithin, E445), salt, flavourings, palm kernel oil, antioxidant (E306). (May contain: peanut, hazelnut, almond). Milk chocolate contains milk solids 14% minimum.”

Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems are a tasty vegan alternative to M&M’s!

Is Oreo vegan?

YES! Oreos are vegan!

“UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, PALM AND/OR CANOLA OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CHOCOLATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR”

Is Nutella vegan?

No, Nutella contains skim milk. There is a vegan alternative though- Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut and Almond Butter.

“SUGAR, PALM OIL, HAZELNUTS, SKIM MILK, COCOA, SOY LECITHIN AS EMULSIFIER, VANILLIN: AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.”

Is peanut butter vegan?

Most peanut butter brands are vegan! Peanut butter is made by grinding peanuts into a butter. Sometimes vegetable oil or salt is added.

There are some brands that add skim milk powder or whey powder- read the ingredients!

Is Lindt dark chocolate vegan?

This is directly from the Lindt website:

“Some of our products are made without any animal products, such as our Lindt Excellence range with 70% Smooth Blend, 70% , 85%, 90%, 95% and 99% Cacao chocolate blocks, are suitable for a vegan diet.”

Accidentally vegan chocolate

There are 2 companies with chocolate bars that are accidentally vegan:

Lindt Excellence collection– 70%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 99%
Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars– Dark Chocolate, 702% Dark Chocolate, Bittersweet with Almonds

Is white chocolate vegan?

Standard white chocolate usually isn’t vegan. That’s because it’s made with cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and sometimes vanilla.

You can buy vegan white chocolate bars or white chocolate chips for baking pretty easily.

It’s also fun to buy cocoa butter and make your own!

Vegan chocolate ingredients

The ingredients in vegan chocolate can vary. If you’re buying one from the store, it will be a lot different than chocolate you make at home!

The basic vegan chocolate ingredients are:

Cocoa
Sugar
Cocoa butter
Milk powder (coconut, almond, cashew, rice, oat, etc.)
Emulsifier (soy, sunflower, rapeseed or vegetable lecithin)
Vegetable fats (vegetable oil, shea butter, palm oil, mango kernel, sal)
Vanilla
Flavorings, colorings, extras

Vegan chocolate chips

Vegan chocolate chips aren’t too hard to find now- you can usually grab them in the grocery store or from Amazon.

Did you know Costco’s brand of chocolate chips are vegan?

Is Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate vegan?

The Ghirardelli 72% Dark Chocolate bar and Intense Dark 72% Cacao Squares are vegan!

Is dark chocolate vegetarian?

Most chocolate is considered vegetarian unless there are additives like gelatin, carmine, crimson lake, cochineal or natural red #4 (these are all from crushed beetle shells), or any meat based flavorings.

Best dairy free chocolate

There are so many awesome dairy free chocolate brands now! Here are a few you can get from Amazon or your local health food store:

Does white chocolate have dairy?

Yes, usually white chocolate will have some form of dairy. If you’re searching for vegan or dairy free white chocolate make sure you look for those words on the package.

Dairy free chocolate brands

Can vegans eat sweets?

Yes, vegans can eat sweets! There is a wide range of sweet treats for vegan available- either by accident or on purpose!

A vegan is someone who avoids all animal products. As long as there are no animal products in the ingredients- vegans can enjoy sweets.

Does chocolate contain insects?

I really wish I hadn’t researched this one…

Yes, chocolate contains insects.

Directly stated from the FDA website:

“The chocolate in six (6) 100 gram subsamples contains an average of 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams.”

This is what is legally acceptable as an industry standard. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be getting a full 60 fragments but it does mean that technically you could.

Is 70% chocolate vegan?

It just depends on the manufacturer. Some companies offer 70% chocolate that has no dairy added while others add dairy. Read labels diligently and you should be fine 🙂