Can Vegans Eat Chocolate? – Is Chocolate A Vegan-Friendly Treat?

Last updated on December 4th, 2023

Can vegans eat chocolate? – Yes, vegans can eat chocolate, this is the quick and easy answer.

But if you’ve read any of my other posts you’ll know that the answers are rarely quick and easy. So, if you’re new in the vegan world and trying to figure it all out I’m going to fill you in.

Vegans can eat chocolate but not all types, so let’s get into it. And I know if you’ve been a vegan for a while this may be obvious but this post is to help all the new vegans out there.

Please note that this page contains affiliate links. While I only recommend products that I believe in, I may benefit financially, at no extra cost to you, from any purchases you make.

Yes, there are so many types of vegan-friendly chocolate available. Don’t panic, there really is a world of options for us these days. And a lot of them are really good, I might even go as far as saying great! And it’s not just dark chocolate I’m talking about, like the old days. Vegans can eat milk chocolate, white chocolate and even indulge on a big box of luxury chocolates.

Absolutely yes! A vegan person can eat chocolate. But you just need to check that it’s vegan-friendly. And don’t stress there’s plenty out there – one of my favourites is Nomo.

Chocolate comes from a plant, the cacao tree, so naturally, this part is vegan. But when it becomes confectionery, like the bars that we all love to eat, there’s one main reason that means vegans can’t eat chocolate. And that’s because it has milk in it.

Using dairy milk is the most common way that chocolate is made. So, unless it actually says vegan on it you should always check the ingredient list to see if it contains milk.

Now, you’re not just looking for the word milk, it could also say lactose, whey powder, and casein, all of these probably come from milk.

So, you got the milk thing down? Yeah?

Cool, let’s move on to the egg thing. Yes, you read it right, the egg things!

Yes, chocolate can also contain egg!

Not often, but sometimes. Lecithin is a common and often important ingredient in chocolate, sometimes it’s vegan-friendly if it comes from soy, rapeseed oil, or sunflower oil but often commercially used lecithin comes from eggs.

And in another sad discovery of mine in my early vegan days, sugar isn’t always vegan either, and of course, you can find this in chocolate. Refined sugar that comes from sugar cane isn’t usually vegan because bone char is used in the decolourisation process – find out what I’m talking about here – Is Sugar Vegan? All vegans need to know about sugar.

So, sugar is another thing you need to double-check when looking for vegan chocolate.

If, by regular chocolate, we mean milk chocolate, then no, vegans can’t eat regular chocolate. However, these days there are so many alternatives to regular chocolate that vegans can consume. And some of them are pretty darn tasty now.

Yes, Cadbury currently has two vegan chocolate bars called Plant Bars. They were launched in 2021, along with a marketing campaign by Cadbury saying ‘Sorry it’s taken this long’. If you want to know more about Cadbury’s vegan chocolate you can here.

But, only two of their bars are suitable for vegans, so if you’re following a vegan diet don’t just pick up the first Cadbury’s bar you can find and start shovelling it into your face. If you want to get your hand on Cadbury Plant Bar Bar here it is.

No, vegans can’t eat dairy milk chocolate because it comes from the milk of a dairy cow and vegans avoid all products that come from animals.

In the most conventional sense, no vegans can’t eat milk chocolate, simply because regular chocolate is made using the milk from a cow. Which vegans don’t consume.

But, hang on, don’t panic! Dairy milk is far from the only milk available these days. Hmm…let me think…we’ve got…. soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, pea milk, hemp milk, cashew milk and the list keeps growing

So, with all these weird and wonderful milk options out there, it seems dairy-free milk chocolate is becoming a popular option for vegans.

• NOMO – Caramel & Sea Salt Chocolate Bar
• Monty Bojangles Vegan Cocoa Dusted Truffles Cocoa Nibs
• Cadbury Plant Bar Vegan
• M:LK® CHOC CRE&M® WAFER BARS

Yes, dark chocolate is vegan, this is where vegans have the most choice, so many types of dark chocolate are vegan-friendly.

Now, I don’t want to lull you into a false sense of security, it’s not just every single bar you see.

in my experience, I’d guess about 50% of the bars of dark chocolate I pick up are suitable for vegans. The other 50% do contain milk, so make sure to check the ingredients.

It’s usually the higher the cacao percentage the more chance it is of being vegan-friendly.

• Tony’s Chocolonely Dark Chocolate 51% Almond
• Vivani Orange Dark Chocolate
• Lindt EXCELLENCE Dark 90% 
• Vegan Chocolate Bar – Ombar Coconut 60% Dark Chocolate

This is similar to milk chocolate, in the conventional sense, no, white chocolate isn’t suitable for vegans this is because it usually contains dairy milk. In fact, it typically has quite a bit more dairy milk than milk chocolate.

But, as I said about milk chocolate, with all the dairy-free milk options available it means there are so many more types of vegan white chocolate available.

• Happi Vegan White Chocolate Bar
• iChoc White Vanilla

Vegans can eat many types of dark chocolate and many types of plant-based milk and white chocolate. Vegan chocolate ranges keep growing and the quality is getting better every day.

Some of the types of vegan chocolate sold here in the UK, that I enjoy eating are:

Nomo
Love Raw
Lindt
Cadbury Plant Bar
Hotel Chocolat
iChoc
Topic

So, now you have all the info to answer the question: can vegans eat chocolate? Yes, there are plenty of options out there for us vegans, now get gobbling some almost guilt-free vegan chocolate!

It seems there are questions behind every food type when it comes to veganism. Here are a couple more you might find interesting – Is Sushi Vegan? Everything You Need To Know About Vegan Sushi and What’s The Best Dairy-Free Milk Option?

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Meet the Author

Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living. 

With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
Want to know more? Check out Sinead’s About page here.

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