Healthier Sweets: Unraveling the Benefits of Vegan Chocolate

We know that sweets and chocolates aren’t thought of as healthy. To be honest, they rarely are. But in a world of unhealthy snacks and treats, there’s always the vegan section - full of deliciousness and far healthier alternatives just waiting for you.

Is vegan chocolate healthy, though? We admit that there are brands out there that simply want to get the “vegan” label without putting much thought anywhere else. Other chocolates and sweets come riddled with preservatives, colorings, artificial flavorings, and even fats. 

We prefer to omit those ingredients in our diets. Good and healthy vegan chocolate, if you find the right kinds, is the best because it tastes phenomenal without those icky ingredients. They let the naturally delicious ingredients shine as they are!

Benefits of Vegan Chocolate

Better Ingredients

If you’re trying to lose weight, then one of the things you watch out for is calories. Regular milk chocolate often contains more calories and fats because it’s milk that gives it its smooth texture and creaminess. Plus they may contain a smattering of other fats (apart from dairy fats) and artificial ingredients as well.

So why not make those calories count? We know we’ve got to have cheat days. Just take a look at Happi’s Oat M!lk Chocolates. Not only are their ingredients familiar, but they even have the same creamy texture without the need for any dairy. Even their standard “Plain” bar is as rich, or even richer, than other milk chocolate bars out there. 

Even the big brands can go dairy-free. If you simply must snack on your fave brands, why not simply opt for their vegan alternative? Take Kit-Kat’s Vegan Chocolate Bar. They offer the same smooth and luxurious chocolate experience and crisp wafer center… Only this time, no cows were even disturbed when making them!

Smarter Sugar

We try to cut back on refined sugars whenever we can - but we don’t cut the sweets! We know how sugary sweets are, hence the name. But vegan-friendly treats are made with way less sugar than you think. Vegan chocolates also have to sweeten their chocolates smartly. They can’t just use any kind of sugar. Did you know that certain refined sugars may contain ground animal bones? Yikes!

A great example of a smarter sweet is Hu’s Simple Dark Chocolate Bars. They skip refined sugar, cane sugar, sugar alcohol, dairy, and soy. Every bar is still guaranteed to be tasty and decadent - exactly how chocolate should be!

Can you cut back on sugar completely and still have good chocolate? Of course. Equal Exchange’s Organic Dark Chocolate Bars are made with pure and simple ingredients. Zero sugar, preservatives, or sulfites ever touch the recipe!

Allergen-Friendly

We know that dairy is the usual culprit when it comes to chocolate. The benefit of vegan chocolate, however, is that they often skip the other common allergens as well! That being said, we feel more comfortable packing vegan chocolates in lunchboxes for that extra bit of peace of mind. 

No matter how easy chocolate bars are to snap off, we think that chocolate snacking could be easier! We get bags of Pascha’s 100% Cacao Organic Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Chips to snack on and bake with (That’s what chocolate is good for!). They’re made with 100% Organic Cacao Mass. That’s it. That means they’re free from peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, and emulsifiers!

If you prefer white chocolate, then there’s always Pascha’s White Baking Chips. It satisfies any chocolate cravings just as easily as any other. Plus, they’re so easy to portion out and pack in lunch boxes. 

More Sustainable

It’s no secret that more and more brands are trying to be more eco-conscious. We may be biased, but we think vegan brands tend to do it better. A lot of vegan brands are conceptualized with people and the planet already in mind. They wouldn’t think of making chocolates, for example, if they didn’t come from sustainable sources.

Speaking of people and planet, check out Evolved’s Organic Chocolate Keto Cups. These help people with their keto and low-carb needs and they use sustainable and organic cacao in their recipe. 

Another one worth mentioning is Ombar. All their Oatmilk Chocolate Bars are made with organic and Fair Trade Certified cacao. If they taste good, it’s because they naturally are. They have the quality you can taste!

Check Out - 9 Healthy Vegan Snacks Ideas To Satisfy Every Craving

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Is Out There!

… Or rather it’s right here at Vegan Essentials. All the chocolates we raved about and more can be found here. Chocolates and sweets for snacking, baking, and everything you could possibly want are all in one, ever-so-convenient place.