Chocolate is probably one of those few food items that are liked by a majority of people all over the world irrespective of age group. Whether you have it in the form of a liquid or a solid, chocolate has never failed to please the palate of humans. 

There are many of you who follow vegan diets and do not like to have anything that is even distantly associated with animals. Such people will always wonder whether chocolate is indeed vegan or not. If you also fall in the same category of people, then you will be relieved to know that chocolate is vegan, as it is a plant-based food item. However, how much of it remains vegan after the chocolate-making process completes, is still a major topic of discussion since milk gets added to it.

What Is A Vegan Diet?

In recent times, a lot of diet plans have gained immense popularity all across the world. One of them is the vegan diet. You will find more and more people opting to go vegan for several environmental, health or ethical reasons. 

If you follow the vegan diet properly and strictly, you will be able to enjoy several health benefits in the long run. It will not just help you lose excess body weight, it will also help to improve your blood sugar levels. When you talk about the vegan diet, it basically refers to living in an attempt of excluding all types of animal cruelty and exploitation. 

This not just includes the food that you want but also the clothes that you wear. This is why the vegan diet is absolutely free from all types of animal products such as eggs, dairy, and meat. One of the primary reasons for people to go vegan is to improve their overall health conditions. Just like any other type of diet plan, the vegan diet also comes in various types. 

These include a whole-food vegan diet, raw-food vegan diet, 80/10/10 vegan diet, raw till 4 vegan diets, the starch solution vegan diet, and junk food vegan diet to name a few. As discussed above, a vegan diet can easily help you shed excess body weight and also help to control your blood sugar levels. It can effectively help to keep your heart healthy and also help in cases related to arthritis, kidney problems, some forms of cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

What Do You Mean By Vegan Chocolate?

When you talk about vegan chocolate, it basically means any chocolate which is made without the use of any ingredients obtains from animals. Are you a chocolate fanatic and wish to start on a journey to find good quality vegan chocolates? 

There are some important factors to keep in mind in such a case. First of all, you need to go through the list of ingredients carefully. It will not be a bad idea to start your search with chocolates that come with a minimal list of ingredients. It is important or you to remember that a typical chocolate bar should always include sugar, liquor, vanilla, and cocoa butter. The shorter the list of ingredients, the purer will be the taste of the chocolate bar. 

If you are a vegan, then high-quality dark chocolate will be a great option for you. Always be on the look for that chocolate that comes with a cocoa content of a minimum of 50%. If the cocoa percentage is higher, it will naturally mean that the chocolate content is also higher. If you are not a great fan of dark chocolates, you can also opt for chocolate that comes with dried fruits, almonds, and mint. These will also be good options for vegans. 

It is a good thing to avoid peanut butter, caramel, toffee filled or truffle chocolates, unless it is specified as vegan, since it may normally contain dairy. However, it is good for you to know that not every dark chocolate is made the same way. Different brands add different ingredients to their dark chocolates such as milk or even fillers that are made from dairy, including milk fat. 

Thus, it is always a good idea to check the list of ingredients. Just like any other diet plan, there are different types and degrees of veganism. It may so happen that one vegan may recognize chocolate as a good option whereas, another may find it unacceptable. You will often hear in a vegan community that foods that include refined sugar or honey are considered animal byproducts. Thus, a lot of vegans do not like to have foods that contain such ingredients.

Where to Buy Vegan Chocolate?

Do you follow a vegan diet or plan on starting one soon? You will come across several brands that provide a wide array of great-tasting vegan chocolates for consumers like you. 

You can choose from vegan chocolate gift baskets, vegan-friendly gourmet baking chocolate, and hot chocolate mixes. The brands that provide such vegan chocolate options to their customers use the best-in-class ingredients for their products. 

They are also quite transparent about the way their chocolates are produced. Popular brands of vegan chocolate use sugar, cocoa mass, vanilla, and cocoa butter to make their chocolates. They make sure not to add dairy to their vegan chocolates. 

However, it is important for you to remember that most of these brands use similar equipment that is used to manufacture chocolates that contain milk. Thus, their vegan chocolates being 100% free from milk may not be possible.

Vegan Recipes

Most of you may be looking for some vegan-friendly recipe ideas online or even in recipe books that are available at the stores. 

You will find it quite interesting and fun to use vegan chocolates to prepare dairy-free treats in the comfort of your home. You can prepare cacao soup and butternut squash recipes or you may even prepare no-bake energy bites for your family. 

You will find this dark chocolate sorbet one of the most refreshing vegan indulgences this summer.