While milk chocolate is obviously not vegan as itโs made with dairy products, one can wonder if dark chocolate is vegan. Whatโs the difference between milk and dark chocolate?
Unfortunately, the answer isnโt simple. Most dark chocolate bars are not vegan since they contain dairy products, but keep reading to learn more โ no animal-based ingredients doesnโt necessarily mean vegan.
What is Dark Chocolate?
Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate that has a darker color than milk chocolate. Thatโs about as much as the chocolate industry managed to agree on as a definition.
Unfortunately, thereโs no international standard on what constitutes dark chocolate, and as a result, the recipes used to make it vary greatly from one manufacturer to the next.
Dark chocolate is commonly made with ะบะฐะบะฐะฒะฐ-ะฐะปะตะน, cocoa solids (roasted nibs or cacao powder) and can then contain sugar, milk, butter, nuts, etc.
Is Dark Chocolate Vegan?
Since thereโs no agreed definition on what ingredients should be in the recipe for dark chocolate, the answer is not as simple as saying that all milk chocolates arenโt vegan and all dark chocolates are.
In fact, the vast majority of dark chocolates use milk solids, making them not vegan.
But a few brands are making openly vegan dark chocolate, and some make accidentally-vegan dark chocolate.
Always read the label to find any non-vegan
Accidentally Plant-Based Dark Chocolates
The following chocolate slabs are accidentally plant-based.
- Cadbury Bournville
- ChocZero Dark Chocolate
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense (72% Cacao and up)
- Lindt Excellence (70% Cacao and up)
- Divine Dark Chocolate
- Trader Joeโs 72% Cacao Belgian Dark Chocolate
However, plant-based doesnโt necessarily mean vegan.
Should I Worry About Traces Of Milk?
A factor to consider is that most dark chocolates are produced on the same manufacturing line as milk chocolate. As a result, it is almost always potentially contaminated by traces of milk and/or honey.
This is often a reason why manufacturers donโt put the Vegan or Vegan-friendly stamp on their products.
Now, this is a debated topic among vegans. Should we care about ะฟะฐััะฝัััะป traces?
Weโve decided not to care about that. As for us, it still means the products we consume havenโt been directly harming any animals. However, it does mean that we are, in a way, supporting a business that does.
ะะปะต veganism is about reducing as much as possible the harm to animals, and having large companies making an effort to make animal-free products is a step in that direction and as a greater benefit.
Chocolate Production & Ethics
The other factor to take into consideration is whether the chocolate is produced ethically.
Have you ever wondered why so many manufacturers mention that their chocolate is ethically sourced, fair-trade, or rainforest-alliance certified?
This is because the cacao industry has a pretty appalling track record:
- Contribution to deforestation and unsustainable production (ะบััะฝััะฐ)
- Using of child labor (ะบััะฝััะฐ)
- Unethical treatment of cacao producers (ะบััะฝััะฐ)
- Corruption (ะบััะฝััะฐ)
So, can dark chocolate be vegan?
The majority of dark chocolates are not plant-based. The majority of dark chocolates are not ethically and sustainably sourced.
True vegan chocolate brands are at the intersection: Ethical, Sustainable, and Plant-Based.
Here are some of the brands making a real effort:
- Hu Kitchen (Simple Dark Chocolate)
- Theo Chocolate (Dark Chocolate)
- Endangered Species Chocolate Extreme Dark, Dark Almond
- Taza Chocolate: All Versions
- Lilyโs Extra Dark Chocolate
- ะัะปัะฝั ั ัะพัะฝั
These brands are made with good cacao beans, sourced and manufactured ethically, and contain no animal products.
They are a treat that can be enjoyed!
How To Spot Non-Plant-Based Ingredients In Dark Chocolate?
Most dark chocolate bars found in stores contain animal-derived ingredients.
Youโll find on the label them under the following names in the ingredient list:
- ะะฐะปะฐะบะพ
- ะฆะฒััะดัั ััััะฒั ะผะฐะปะฐะบะฐ
- Milk Fat or Milkfat
- Milk Powder
More rarely, you might also find the following animal products on the list of ingredients, in particular for dark chocolate with additional toppings like toffee, coffee, nougat, etc.
- ะะฐะบัะพะทะฐ
- ะกััะพะฒะฐัะบะฐ
- ะะฐะทะตัะฝ
- ะฏะนะบั
- ะะฐัะฐะผะตะปั
- ะัะด
The following ingredients are generally vegan-friendly:
- ะัะฐะฝะถะฐะฒั
- ะะฐะบะฐะฒะฐ-ะฟะฐัะฐัะพะบ
- ะะฐะบะฐะฒะฐ-ะฑะฐะฑั
- ััะฝะดัะบ
- ะัะฝะดะฐะปั
- ะัะฐั ัั
- ะะฐััะบะฐั ัะพะปั
- ะะฐะปัะฝะฐ
- ะะฐะบะพัะฐะฒั ััะบะฐั
- ะกะพะตะฒะฐั ะปะตััััะฝ
- ะะดัะพะฑะฝะตะฝั ะบะฐะบะพั
- ะฒะฐะฝัะปั
- Natural Flavors (though you should worry if chocolate needs flavors to taste good)
Is Milk Chocolate Vegan?
Milk chocolate is almost certainly not vegan. Some milk chocolates are made with plant-based milk, but the vast majority are made with milk.
ะฆั ะท'ััะปัะตััะฐ ะฑะตะปั ัะฐะบะฐะปะฐะด ะฒะตะณะฐะฝัะบัะผ?
The base recipe for White Chocolate contains Cocoa Butter (which is often vegan), soy lecithin, sugar, sometimes vanilla, and almost universally, milk solids.
As a result, unless itโs specifically labeled vegan, white chocolate is not a plant-based chocolate.
My favorite Vegan Chocolate Recipes
If you like dark chocolate, youโll love these vegan recipes with chocolate!
ะฟะฐะบัะฝััั ะบะฐะผะตะฝัะฐั