Having been vegan since 2017, I have spent a lot of that time tasting vegan food products. Having a very sweet tooth, a fair portion has been sweet things like chocolate. I wanted to make sure that, this Christmas, I will have chocolate to guzzle that tastes just as good as the chocolate the non-vegans around me are guzzling.
Image: Just a few of the delicious vegan chocolate bars available to chomp on this Christmas.
Choosing products without animal products in can only be a good thing, as it is far better for the environment, and does not support the exploitation of enslaved animals.
If you are unaware of the emotional and physical abuse dairy cows live through, or want to learn more about it, watch this short video.
The Life Of Dairy Cows, In Short
If you imagine this happening to you, you can empathise with how cruel it is: Dairy cows are impregnated over and over again so they produce milk. They have their babies taken away over and over again, so we can steal their calf’s milk. They pine and cry for their babies for many days, over and over again. The baby cries and pines for their mother. If their calf is male, they are killed in any manner of cruel ways, or kept in a crate until slaughtered. If female, the calf is given the same life of misery their mothers had. If you want to be informed, look into dairy industry cruelty further online.
***OUR TOP CRUELTY FREE CHOCOLATE CHOICES***
I’ve tried many vegan chocolate bars in my mission to find ones that are just as sweet, creamy, and melt-in-the-mouth as their non-vegan counterparts. Many times my hopes have been high, only to be dashed. But I have found my favourites. I also have the input of my other half, Steve, and my friend, Helen.
Rapunzel Nirwana Praline
Pros: This praline chocolate bar is not only sweet enough, but it melts in the mouth perfectly. The chocolate tastes really nice.
Cons: The big draw back is that in most areas, this is hard to come by, unless ordered online. It come from Germany. The first time I tried it I had found it in the 8th Day Co-op in Manchester. I sometimes get a slightly bitter aftertaste. However, Steve says he does not experience this.
Galaxy Caramelised Hazelnut
Pros: This bar is sweet enough and the chocolate tastes nice. These are available at Tesco.
Cons: at room temperature, I find it doesn’t melt in the mouth as easily as I’d like it to, but if I warm it with my body heat to soften it a little before eating it, that resolves it. Plus, Steve doesn’t notice this con at all, so it’s not a con for him.
Galaxy Smooth Orange
Pros: This is a lovely orange flavoured sweet and creamy chocolate. These are available at Tesco.
Cons: The same as above.
Galaxy Caramel and Sea Salt
Pros: This is sweet enough, and salty too. It is the favourite out of the three vegan Galaxy bars of Steve and my friend Helen.
Cons: Same as above.
Vivani Or iChoc White Nougat Crisp
Pros: These are lovely and sweet. Although not as easily found as the Galaxy vegan bars, these bars seem to be more commonly found than the Rapunzel Nirwana Praline bars. You can buy them online and in some health food/vegan shops.
Cons: Same as above, and it’s a shame they are not more readily available in more shops.
Bohme Orange Creme
Pros: Although this has a shell of dark chocolate, the sweet orange filling compensates and makes it sweet enough overall. It melts in the mouth nicely too.
Cons: I was really pleased to be able to get these bars fairly cheaply from Home Bargains, but then they just suddenly stopped being stocked, so now I don’t know where to find them. I only hope HB bring them back.
Moser Roth Orange Creams
Pros: These orange cream chocolates have a dark chocolate shell, but the orange cream inside is so sweet that it compensates and makes them sweet enough overall. It melts in the mouth nicely.
Cons: It turns out these are one of the “Special” items that Aldi only gets in stock for a short while. They are all gone out of my Aldi. I can only hope they bring them back.
Go Max Go Thumbs Up Bar
Pros: A final favourite of mine is this bar, available from the AnimalAid online shop. It is both sweet enough, and just the right amount of salty with it. I didn’t notice it having that feeling waxy or claggy in my mouth.
Cons: These bars are expensive for the size they are. They can only be bought online or in some health food/vegan shops. The chocolate on its own is not very nice, as I could tell from trying many of the other bars in the Go Max Go range. Thankfully, there is not much of it on the bar and you don’t notice it.
Nomo Caramel And Sea Salt
Pros: This is another Favourite of Steve’s, but not mine, is Nomo caramel and sea salt, found in some Tesco stores.
Cons: This does not melt in my mouth easily enough and feels waxy, claggy and clumpy. Steve does not really notice it and doesn’t think it’s a con like I do.
If you would like to see how you could have a Christmas without hurting animals, you can find an ethical shopping guide for animal lovers, here, and ways to avoid hurting animals with your Christmas, here. This will all also help the planet too.
