Chocolate is by far one of the most popular, indulgent options to satisfy a sweet tooth and it can be used in so many different ways.
The thing with chocolate is that, in its purest form, it’s suitable for most diets but many manufacturers focus on the production of milk chocolate.
Dark chocolate is defined by a more bitter, tangier taste than creamy milk chocolate and it usually makes for an even richer flavor in baked desserts.
While true, pure dark chocolate contains no milk, there is no general production rule that dark chocolate is dairy-free, and most popular chocolate brands use milk in all their products, including those labeled as dark chocolate. You should always consult the ingredients label if you’re avoiding dairy due to dietary reasons or allergies.
That being said, there are many dark chocolate options out there that don’t contain milk.
Many brands now make an effort to clearly advertise their dark chocolate as dairy-free and there has been a significant rise in companies that cater specifically to vegan chocolate.
To help you familiarize yourself with the possibilities, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best and most exciting chocolate brands that contain no dairy.
What Dark Chocolate Is Dairy-Free?
Equal Exchange Chocolate
Equal Exchange offers several different flavored and unflavored dark chocolate bars which contain no milk.
They also have a coconut milk chocolate which is dairy-free and vegan for those who prefer the taste of milk chocolate but don’t consume dairy.
Endangered Species Chocolate
This charitable chocolate brand not only has many great dark chocolate choices, they also support wildlife conservation through a percentage of profits.
This isn’t an entirely dairy-free brand and some of their flavored bars contain milk. The pure dark chocolate bars, however, contain no milk.
Tony’s Chocolonely
This is a brand that supports the fair trade production of chocolate.
While they have primarily a selection of chocolate that contains milk, the three dark chocolate options they do have contain no milk and are definitely worth mentioning.
They have a plain dark chocolate, one with pecan and coconut, and one with almonds and sea salt.
Cocoa Parlor
This chocolate brand is one hundred percent vegan so you don’t need to worry about the presence of dairy in any of their products.
They offer several dark chocolate flavors and different percentages of dark chocolate. To top it off, the packaging is very whimsical and appealing, perfect for lactose intolerant kids!
Evolved Chocolate
This is arguably the most inclusive dark chocolate brand when it comes to different dietary needs.
All of their chocolate bars are 100% vegan, meaning that there is no presence of dairy even in the “milk” (or mylk as they spell it) chocolate options they offer. Many of their flavors are also friendly for Paleo, Keto, and Gluten-Free diets.
Alter Eco
Alter Eco chocolate is crafted by cacao farmers in South America who are also working to replant rainforests. There are several classic and flavored dairy-free dark chocolate options available. They are sweetened using natural sugar and no artificial ingredients.
Hu Chocolate
Hu Chocolate is all about clean, unprocessed, and healthy ingredients that are ethically sourced. They have several different enticing flavors of chocolate bars and all are 100% vegan and free from dairy.
Ritter Sport
This is the most established and popular brand on the list and while most of the exciting flavors they are known for contain dairy, they have several dark chocolate options that are dairy-free.
They even have a vegan section on their website! The upside to a trusted, popular chocolatier like Ritter Sport is that the price of their chocolate bars is typically a little lower than companies that cater to specific dietary needs.
Dandelion Chocolate
I’ll end the list with what can be easily described as the fine wine of chocolate. I say this because the description of notes of flavors in each of these bars are reminiscent to the label of a wine bottle.
The brand itself even likens their product to wine due to their “single origin” approach. Each Dandelion chocolate bar is produced right where the beans are harvested.
They pride themselves on having chocolate made of only two ingredients: cocoa beans and sugar. You’ll find absolutely no dairy here!
Is Dark Chocolate Generally Low in Lactose?
This is a fairly tricky question because, as mentioned before, dark chocolate should generally not contain any lactose at all.
The above products all fall into the lactose-free category due to their ingredient list and each brand’s dedication to transparent, clean ingredients but the amount of lactose in dark chocolate really depends on the brand.
The other factor that could compromise the lactose-free nature of dark chocolate is cross contamination.
Brands that produce a majority of milk chocolate or otherwise dairy heavy products tend to use the same equipment for everything. So even if they advertise a product as dairy-free it may not be suitable for someone with a serious milk allergy.
The bottom line is that if you are adamant about avoiding dairy for any number of reasons, there are several companies dedicated to providing 100% dairy-free chocolate products.
Brands that are certified vegan are trustworthy in this department but there are so many different dark chocolate products out there that won’t make that distinction.
Reading the nutrition label is always beneficial because you may be surprised at what contains dairy and what does not!