Top 10 Best Sugar Free Chocolate Brands On the Market Today

(Last Updated On: February 18, 2022)

The idea of sugar free chocolate might seem like an oxymoron but is a booming product buoyed by an ever-increasing number of health-conscious chocoholics. The multiple benefits of the cacao seed, where chocolate comes from, have also come to light, sanitizing its reputation among healthy foods. Consequently, there is mounting pressure to reduce the caloric weight that comes with chocolate so we can keep enjoying the treat.

We compiled a list of sugar free chocolate brands that we feel have managed to deliver the best of both worlds. They help fight cravings and also have a balance of ingredients, making them tasty without loading calories. We will even show you how to identify sugar free chocolate and highlight the benefits.

The Best Sugar-Free Chocolate Brands in The Current Market

1. Pascha Organic 85% Dark Chocolate Bar

These sugar free dark chocolate bars only have four ingredients and are free from common allergens, including nuts, soy, gluten, and dairy. They are 85% cacao with a rich flavor that is also pleasantly mild than you would expect from this level of cacao purity. These beans, known as the aroma beans, are grown in 4 regions in Peru along the foothills of the Andes. They are light and mild.

They are kosher, vegan, verified non-GMO, and certified organic by the USDA. The extra cocoa butter adds to the richness and smooth texture instead of emulsifiers that might add unnecessary calories.

The sugar free chocolates are also UTZ certified. This is a standard used for cacao, coffee, tea, or hazelnut products which confirms the materials were grown using sustainable farming methods that meet criteria set by independent certification bodies.

2. Endangered Species 88% Dark Chocolate Bars

These healthy, sugar free candy bars provide an opportunity to give back to the environment and your body at the same time. The brand donates 10% of its annual net profits to finance various conservation efforts for endangered wildlife.

Their 88% cacao content is also great for your body because it provides many antioxidants that fight free radicals associated with illnesses. Hints of fruit and spice from high-quality clean and natural ingredients, including chocolate liquor, soy lecithin, and vanilla, complement the rich cacao flavor. They are non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan.

3. Montezuma’s Absolute Black Dark Chocolate

This chocolate bar is 100% cacao specially blended for flavor consistency. It comes in many flavors, like orange and mint, which tone down the bitterness you expect from concentrated cacao. It is free from soy, dairy, or gluten, which reduces the possibility of triggering allergic reactions.

You can use it as part of a recipe, and pure cacao is great for keto diet recipes that rely on alternative sweeteners.

4. Chocolat Madagascar Single Origin Fine Dark Chocolate

This multi-award-winning chocolate is super dark at 100% cacao, derived from the locally grown beans of Sambirano, Madagascar. The beans are finely ground for a consistent texture and infused with subtle hints of citrus and raisin.

Besides being sugar free, it is also free of additives, making it a healthy choice for your chocolate indulgence.

5. Ohso Good Chocolate 70% Dark Chocolate

This sugar free chocolate is unique because it has live cultures. It delivers the live bacteria directly to your gut to help digestion, making this treat a more effective probiotic than dairy products which rely on the digestive process to work for their impact to be felt.

These Ohso bars are dairy and gluten-free, meaning you can even enjoy them if you’re lactose and gluten-intolerant or have a celiac disorder.

Most of their flavor comes from the 70% cacao concentration, and their natural sweeteners account for only 2%. You can choose between dark and raspberry, and each bar only contains 64 calories, allowing guilt-free indulgence.

6. Guylian Intense Dark 84% Belgian Chocolates

This dark chocolate sugar free candy bar has 84% cacao content and is sweetened using stevia. Stevia has antioxidant qualities which help the body lower its cholesterol without adding any notable calories to the chocolate.

Each 100g pack has four 25g bars which greatly assists in portion control. Their nutritional value is commendable as they come loaded with carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.

7. TAZA Chocolate’s Sea Salt and Almond Organic Dark Chocolate

These chocolate bars are for you if you are into a slightly grainy texture; the cacao beans are stone ground. They constitute 80% of the chocolate bar, which also has roasted almonds for that extra bold flavor.

They are dairy, soy, gluten-free, non-GMO, and certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

8. Lindt Excellence 95% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar

These dark bars have a nice proportion of 95% cacao with an exceptionally silky feel sourced from world-renowned regions. They come in a case so you can manage leftovers and are pre-portioned into squares to facilitate portion control.

Their application is versatile as you can deploy them with drinks after dinner, use them for baking or get them for a special person as a gift.

9. Lily’s Extra Dark Chocolate Bars

These bars use stevia, a zero-calorie botanical sweetener used as a sugar substitute to add richness and neutralize the bitterness of their 70% cacao content without compromising their sugar free objective. They are consequently low carb and keto-friendly. They are certified gluten-free, and the ingredients used are non-GMO.

10. Hu Salty Dark Chocolate Bar

These 70% organic house-ground cacao bars have been infused with French sea salt to add a savory twist to the flavor without venturing into unhealthy ingredients. The combination with cacao butter and unrefined organic coconut sugar provide subtle caramel notes, making them guilt-free delicious.

All the ingredients are paleo, vegan and organic as well as soy, gluten, and dairy free. There are also no artificial ingredients like emulsifiers, preservatives, or stabilizers employed in their making, and no refined or added sugar, so they are user-friendly to all classes of consumers.

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How Your Body Benefits from Cacao Consumption

This section explores scientifically-proven contributions of cacao beans to health and general wellness. It explains why the health-conscious are no longer in a hurry to quit chocolate.

The Nutritious Value

Cocoa solids provide an abundance of beneficial nutrients. They are rich in fiber and minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, and more.

Antioxidant Qualities

Dark chocolate with 70 to 85% cocoa powder is loaded with biologically active organic compounds like polyphenols, flavanols, catechins, and others which have excellent antioxidant qualities. They will disarm negative free radicals in your body, preventing them from damaging cells and causing health problems.

Cardiovascular Health

Cocoa contains flavonoids that stimulate artery linings, enhancing blood flow and lowering resistance which improves blood pressure, albeit minimally. They reduce the probability of developing insulin resistance that can expose you to complications like diabetes and heart diseases.

The antioxidants at the same time help the body to resist the accumulation and oxidation of bad cholesterol known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This can build up and narrow the walls of your blood vessels, lodging them and pushing your blood pressure up.

The combination of stimulated arteries and resistance to LDL cholesterol buildup should keep the blood pressure manageable and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Beneficial Fat Content

Cocoa’s fatty acid profile is also healthy as it is composed of oleic acid (a heart-healthy fat also found in olive oil), palmitic and stearic acids which are anti-inflammatory agents, support metabolic health, and are also good for the skin.

Skin Health

The improved blood flow to the skin increases its hydration, density, and ability to resist damage from exposure to the sun. This is, however, not a go-ahead to abandon your skincare routine. A qualified dermatologist will advise you better on how effective the cocoa in your system is to your skin health.

Mental Health

Dark chocolate also has stimulants like caffeine and theobromine in moderate levels that won’t keep you awake at night (unlike coffee) but can improve brain function in the short term. The high flavanol content improves blood flow to the brain, enhancing your cognitive ability and verbal fluency.

What Constitutes the Best Sugar-Free Chocolate?

Incidentally, chocolates with higher amounts of cacao solids, between 70 and 100% concentration, also have the lowest sugar and fat content. The higher the concentration, the darker the chocolate is, the richer it is, and unfortunately, the more bitter it becomes. This necessitates some form of sweetening to make it palatable.

The sugar content is replaced by alternative sweeteners like stevia or polyols (sugar alcohols) like maltitol, sorbitol, and erythritol. You should be keen to ensure the sweeteners don’t add the calories you are seeking to avoid.

Stevia is a bushy shrub whose leaves contain sweet components and is often used as a healthy alternative to sugar. It is sweeter than table sugar yet has no carbohydrates, calories, or artificial ingredients. Polyols appear naturally in some fruits or vegetables like apples, apricots, dates, berries, peaches, plums, and figs and can also be derived from the fermentation of wheat or corn starch. They have almost half the calories of added sugar.

Besides the low calories, these refined sugar alternatives also don’t cause cavities and tooth decay making them excellent ingredients for healthy chocolate. They will allow you to enjoy all the benefits of dark chocolate without an artificial sweetener that makes them a health concern.