Welcome chocoholics, vegans, and chocolate-loving vegans! Are you tired of scouring the shelves for vegan chocolate bars that not only satisfy your sweet tooth but also align with your ethical beliefs?
Well, look no further! I’ve scoured the UK for the plant-based cream of the crop when it comes to vegan chocolate bars (it’s a hard life I know), and I’m here to share my findings with you.
And no, I know what you are thinking. I’m not going to be talking about those raw health food bars that are supposed to replicate chocolate but taste absolutely nothing like chocolate. No, this is all about the real good stuff. Be it dark chocolate, vegan white chocolate, or vegan milk chocolate. I’ve got your chocolate cravings covered.
So go make yourself a cup of tea with your favourite plant-based milk, sit back, relax, and get ready for some chocolatey goodness that won’t leave you feeling at all guilty for supporting the dairy industry.
Why trust my guide to vegan chocolate bars? Well, I’ve eaten a lot of them. The good, and the bad. In fact, most vegan chocolate bars that you get hold of when I first went vegan back in 2015 were bad. So I’m always one of the first to try out new vegan chocolates that are brought out. And I love all kinds of chocolate, so you can be sure to see a wide range of options here.
My top picks
- Best vegan Kinder Bueno: LoveRaw
- Best oat milk chocolate: Happi
- Best luxurious vegan chocolate: Pico
- Best flavour combinations: HiP
- Best allergen-free: NOMO
- Best childhood favourites: Buttermilk
- Best organic: Rhythm 108
- Best ethical: Well&Truly
- Best gift option: Dirty Cow
Why aren’t all chocolate bars vegan?
Not all chocolate bars are vegan because some manufacturers use ingredients derived from animals, such as milk, in their production. Especially in milk chocolate bars. Additionally, some chocolate bars may be processed using equipment or in facilities that also handle animal products, making them not suitable for vegans.
Quite often, dark chocolate bars can be suitable for vegans but do make sure to check the label. Alternatively, opt for a vegan-labelled chocolate bar like LoveRaw, Happi, or Pico.
What bars of chocolate are vegan?
Whilst many of your traditional chocolate bar brands still heavily rely on dairy to produce their products, there are now thankfully many bars of chocolate that are not only suitable for vegans but made by fully vegan brands. This includes LoveRaw and its amazing Kinder Bueno alternatives, Happi and its deliciously smooth oat milk chocolate, and Buttermilk with its Mars bar and Crunchie alternatives.
Here are the best vegan chocolate bars in the UK
All of the following chocolate bars are made by brands that I know and love. I can vouch for every single one of these!
Each brings something different to the table. Be it a replica of an old favourite chocolate bar or something unique. The best bit? These are all 100% vegan brands. No dairy is needed.
LoveRaw
LoveRaw is a fully vegan family-run chocolate company. They started out in 2013 with a mission to prove just how incredible vegan chocolate could be, but replicating non-vegan chocolate bars like-for-like.
Their chocolate bars are made using sugar, which helps them to be similar to their non-vegan counterparts. I commend them for this, because whilst there is an increasing demand for healthier treats using sweeteners, this is not what I am after when buying a chocolate bar. I’d rather buy a sugary one every couple of months than a sweetener version every other day.
Their vegan chocolate bars include variations of a kinder bueno, but you can also pick up some peanut butter cups and ferrero rocher alternatives too.
Happi
Happi is a fully vegan chocolate company producing oat milk bars that are sure to satisfy any cravings for dairy milk.
They use oats to add creaminess to their chocolate, which is a much more sustainable crop than soy. And on top of this, they use eco-friendly packaging. The cardboard sleeve can be recycled and the film can be put in your home compost bin.
Happi is very transparent about its cacao source which comes from Colombia.
But it doesn’t stop there. Their chocolate bars are quite simply some of the best. They are lovely and smooth with a great bite, and the silky chocolate just melts away in your mouth.
Pico
Pico is a fully vegan chocolate brand that is certified organic and produced in Switzerland, which is renowned for its chocolate.
They pride themselves on using only natural fair trade ingredients in all their products. Meaning, no palm oil or emulsifiers.
Their packaging is very classy and so is the chocolate inside. It is complimented with classic flavours like mint and sea salt. But you can also buy their super dark chocolate bar if this is more to your taste.
You can tell it is made by experts as it truly melts away in your mouth.
HiP
HiP is a very vibrant vegan chocolate brand specialising in oat milk chocolate bars with exciting and fun flavour combinations.
The brand is owned by James Cadbury whose great-great-great grandfather was John Cadbury, the man who set up the Cadbury company! So chocolate must be in their blood.
Their chocolate comes inside eco-friendly packaging and the flavours are delicious, my favourite being pretzel.
Whilst the brand is 100% vegan, the founder does also own a non-vegan chocolate company. Meaning I do prefer to buy other oat milk chocolate bars, but if I am craving chocolate I will still buy this!
NOMO
NOMO are probably one of the biggest vegan chocolate brands on the market meaning they are also one of the most widely available. You can pick them up from pretty much any large supermarket in the free-from section.
The best thing about these bars is that they are on the more affordable side of things and they are also free-from loads of different allergens. They do a fruit and nut bar which is actually nut-free, but does have the taste and texture of it!
On the flip side, the ingredients aren’t as simple and the chocolate itself can taste a little artificial at times. But this comes as no surprise as it is owned by a large non-vegan brand, Kinnerton. So once again, this is something that may sway your decision on buying it.
Buttermilk
Despite its name maybe suggesting otherwise, Buttermilk is a fully vegan chocolate brand. They focus on making versions of all our old favourite chocolate bars. This includes mars bar, crunchie, and snickers.
I find their vegan crunchie bar to be the most realistic I’ve tried! They get the size and balance of ingredients just right. The vegan milk chocolate is also silky smooth.
That being said, if the milk chocolate was on its own I would say that it is a bit artificial tasting. But since it is mixed with other elements, it is hard to tell!
These can be found in many different supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco, and the Co-op. I always pick up a few whenever I’m browsing the free-from section at the Co-op.
Rhythm 108
Rhythm 108 is a vegan Swiss treat brand which is female-founded. Their range includes biscuits, cookies and chocolate.
They pride themselves on making silky smooth chocolate that is as decadent as non-vegan versions.
They create large bars as well as single bars. The chocolate is ‘conched’ for three days and is then filled with smooth centres. The centre filling is made using some of the most delicious flavours including hazelnut truffle, roasted almond butter, and chocolate orange.
These are really easy to buy online but they are also available in many different supermarkets, like Sainsbury’s, in the free-from section.
Well&Truly
Well&Truly is a really fun vegan snack company making savoury puffed corn snacks and vegan chocolate bars.
When it comes to their chocolate bars, they use oat milk to achieve a silky creaminess. The cacao itself comes from Colombia and they are really transparent about the people and the farming methods behind this. They welcome emails with any questions!
They make their vegan chocolate bars in a range of flavours including cocoa nibs, crispy quinoa, salted caramel, caramelised hazelnut and plain oat milk chocolate. My favourite is the crispy caramelised hazelnut topping which adds a lovely bite to the chocolate.
Dirty Cow
Dirty Cow is a fully vegan chocolate company specialising in plant-based cream liqueurs and inventive chocolate bars.
Their chocolate bars come as slabs and many are coated in delicious ingredients. Think Hotel Chocolat slabs, but vegan. Some of the amazing flavours include cinnamon churros, cookies, pretzels, popcorn and cherries.
They also do a plain vegan chocolate bar but it is made using soy which I don’t find compliments cacao as well as oat milk. So I prefer to buy their chocolate slabs with flavours added on top.
These make for a great gift for the vegan foodie in your life.
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