Is Milk Chocolate Vegan? Vegan Milk Chocolate Alternatives

Milk chocolate is mostly non-vegan as it is made using cocoa solids, milk products, and sugar. While cocoa is vegan in its raw form, milk and sugar usually make white chocolate non-vegan. Vegans can have white chocolate made using plant-based milk and organic sugar (sugar processed without bone char).

Vegan Milk Chocolates 

Vegan chocolate lovers are in luck. Many vegan milk chocolate brands offer creamier, sweeter, and cruelty-free alternates compared to dairy white chocolates. Here are some of the popular and PETA-approved vegan substitutes for milk chocolates.

Lindt Oat Milk Classic Recipe Chocolate Bar

Lindt is a famous chocolate brand. You can have its oat milk classic recipe chocolate bar and crunchy salted flavor. Both these variants are 100% vegan, tasty, creamy, and fulfilling, like non-vegan chocolates.

Hershey’s Signature Oat Made Creamy with Almonds

Who doesn’t know about Hershey’s? The popular chocolate brand’s oat milk chocolate is an excellent alternative to non-vegan milk chocolate. It is perfect for many vegan recipes that call for melted chocolate because it is creamier than many vegan chocolates.

Purdy’s Vegan Mylk Chocolate Bar

Purdy’s offers three vegan chocolates. Its chocolates are made with rice powder and cocoa butter. Moreover, all the other ingredients are 100% vegan and organic. You can also have its Vegan Mylk Chocolate Sweet Georgia Browns and Vegan Mylk Chocolate Trail Mix Bar.

Vego Whole Hazelnut Chocolate Bar

Looking for crunchy vegan milk chocolate? Vego’s whole hazelnut is the perfect bar for you. It is sweet, delicious, tasty, and a perfect snack for you and your family.

Taza Almond Milk Quinoa Crunch Chocolate Bar

Enjoy Taza almond milk vegan chocolate loaded with almonds and 100% vegan flavors. It is 100% organic, gluten and soy-free.

Endangered Species Oat Milk Rice Crisp + Dark Chocolate Bar

It is classically rich chocolate with the sweetness of oat milk. Endangered Species is a staple in many vegan households.

Trader Joe’s Organic Almond Beverage Chocolate Bar

Trader Joe’s is a famous vegan brand. Its vegan chocolates are also a hit among vegans. Enjoy it as a post-meal treat, or add it to your vegan recipes.

No Whey! Foods Milkless Choco Morsels

There is no shortage of vegan milk chocolate chips as well. Try No Whey! Milklesschoco morsels to give your taste buds a 100% vegan and delicious treat.

Pascha Rice Milk Chocolate Chips

These 100% vegan milk chocolate chips are dairy, gluten, soy, and nut-free. They are delicious to taste and give you the perfect creaminess you want in your recipes.

Vego Fine Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Vego’s fine hazelnut chocolate spread is what all vegans need for toast. The creamy spread is loaded with the goodness of hazelnut chunks to make your snacks crunchier.

How to check that your Milk Chocolate is 100% Vegan? 

You can start by checking the vegan logo on the packaging. Some chocolate brands that make vegan chocolate mostly display the vegan logo to make it easy for you to spot a bar of vegan chocolate. You’ll also see a plant-based logo on many chocolates, but it can still have dairy or non-organic sugar.

You can also check the ingredients if these labels are not present. Avoid chocolates with ingredients like milk, milk fat, buttercream, milk solids, honey, and any other ingredient derived from animals. Besides looking for milk or milk products, vegans must also avoid chocolates having whey, casein, or lactose, as all the 3 are derived from milk.  

Don’t confuse cocoa butter as a dairy ingredient. Regardless of its name, cocoa butter is 100% vegan in its raw form unless some dairy item is added to it.

Can Vegans eat Dark Chocolate? 

Yes. Dark chocolate is the most popular type of vegan chocolate. Dark chocolate has a high percentage of cocoa, and many variants are made without animal milk. You can easily find dark vegan chocolate compared to vegan milk/white chocolates.

Is White Chocolate Vegan?

Almost all white chocolate you buy from stores is not vegan. However, many brands are selling vegan white chocolates.

Is Costa Hot Chocolate Vegan? 

Costa hot chocolate is vegan but with a cross-contamination warning. Eating something with a cross-contamination warning is a personal decision; it depends on how strictly you follow veganism.

Is Bournville Chocolate Vegan? 

No. Cadbury Bournville is not vegan. Some variants have skimmed milk powder as an ingredient, while some come with the warning that it may contain milk.

Is Cadburys Hot Chocolate Vegan? 

It depends on how strictly you follow veganism. Cadbury hot chocolate doesn’t have any dairy or animal-derived ingredients, but they come with a “may contain milk” warning.

Is Starbucks Hot Chocolate Vegan?  

Starbucks hot chocolate is not actually vegan, but you can make it vegan by requesting plant-based milk and excluding all animal-derived ingredients.

Is Dairy Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

Dairy Milk, owned by Cadbury, is a famous chocolate worldwide. It has a plant-based vegan product line in the UK and European countries. Cadbury plans to bring the vegan variants to North American markets soon.

Is Lindt Oat Milk Chocolate Vegan?

Yes. It is vegan. Lindt offers two vegan variants in the USA.

• Oatmilk salted caramel recipe bar
• Oatmilk classic recipe chocolate bar

Many of Lindt’s dark chocolates are also vegan. You can find them in retail stores selling imported chocolates.

Is Whittaker’s Oat Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

Yes. Whittaker’s oat milk chocolate is vegan. It is free from any controversial ingredients like palm oil or inorganic sugar.

Is Callebaut Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

Yes. There are 3 vegan milk chocolates you can have. Please note that the ingredients may vary from one country to another, depending on demand and what locals prefer. So, make sure you check the ingredients before buying.

Is Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

Hershey’s regular milk chocolate is not vegan. However, it has oat milk chocolate made using oat milk and 100% vegan variants.

Is Cadbury Dark Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

No. It is not vegan. Cadbury dark milk chocolate contains dairy items.

Is Lily’s Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

No. None of Lily’s chocolates are vegan. However, some of its chocolates don’t have animal-derived ingredients, but Lily’s mention that there is a cross-contamination risk as the dairy-free chocolates are processed on equipment that also processes products containing dairy.

Is Dove Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

No. Dove milk chocolate is not vegan. Dove clearly states on its website that its milk chocolate contains milk and soy.

Is Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk Vegan? 

Yes. It is 100% vegan, dairy and gluten-free. It does contain cane sugar, but Silk doesn’t use sugar processed with bone char.

Is Endangered Species Oat Milk Chocolate Vegan? 

Yes. It is vegan. However, it is processed on equipment that also processes dairy products. So, it comes down to your personal beliefs and how strictly you follow veganism.

Vegan Milk Chocolate Recipe

Andy Nevers

Let’s amaze everyone with this dairy-free vegan milk chocolate recipe. It is gluten-free and makes delicious vegan milk chocolate.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Chilling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15 servings (5 large bars)

Calories 342 kcal

Equipment

• Candy thermometer
• High-speed blender for cacao nibs method
• 5 Silicone chocolate molds (Mold Size: 8.35 x 4.1 x 0.4 inch. Cavity Size: 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.4 inch. Volume: 3 oz)
• heat resistant bowl
• Saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 6.3 oz. (178 grams) cacao liquor (cacao paste)
• 1½ cups cacao nibs (only for method 2 in the instructions)
• 8 oz. (226 grams) cacao butter
• 1 cup (236 grams) dairy-free coconut milk
• 1 cup (120 grams) icing sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1 vanilla pod
• ½ teaspoon (3 grams) himalayan pink salt

Instructions

 

Method 1: Using Cacao Liquor/paste

• Put the silicone molds on a tray so you can easily transfer them to a fridge once you are done with the recipe.
• Cut the vanilla pod and remove the seeds. Keep the seeds aside for later use. You can discard the pod or keep it for other recipes.
• Boil water in a saucepan and lower the heat when it starts simmering.
• Add cacao liquid and butter to a large heat-resistant bowl and place it over the simmering water in the saucepan. Be careful while doing this, as no water should touch the ingredients in the bowl, as hot water causes the chocolate to seize.
• Remove the bowl once the contents melt, and add icing sugar. Do not turn off the heat under the saucepan, as you will need it again. Keep it at a low flame.
• Whisk until the sugar and chocolate mixture get fully incorporated.
• Add coconut milk powder, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until the contents are fully mixed and uniform.
• Place the bowl back in the saucepan with simmering water and add a food-grade thermometer to the bowl. By adjusting the heat, bring the bowl’s temperature to 50°C (122°F).
• Remove the bowl from the saucepan and use a sieve to transform the hot chocolate into a clean bowl. The receiving bowl must be completely dry before you pour the melted chocolate.
• Prepare an ice water bath and set the chocolate bowl on top, ensuring no water touches the contents.
• Bring the temperature down to 28°C (82.4°F) while stirring gently with a spatula.
• Place the bowl on hot water and bring the temperature to 30°C (86°F).
• Pour the chocolate into silicone molds and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
• Remove from silicone molds and enjoy your vegan milk chocolates.
• You can wrap the leftovers in baking paper and refrigerate them for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Method 2: Using Cacao Nibs

• Pre-heat your oven to 120℃ (248°F).
• Place parchment paper over a baking tray and spread the cacao nibs evenly on it.
• Roast them for 10-12 minutes or until they get brown.
• Remove the cacao nibs and add them to a high-speed blender. Now add solid cacao buttons or finely chopped cacao butter if you are using cacao butter.
• Blend at high speed for 5-8 minutes. The nibs should turn into a paste/liquor.
• Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove grit.
• Now carry on with the steps explained in method 1.

Video

Notes

You can prepare coconut sugar powder by blending coconut sugar solids in a high-speed blender for 5-10 minutes. You will have to scrape down the sides between intervals to push the solids toward the blade.

You can use soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk instead of coconut milk powder in this recipe.

Feel free to add nuts of your choice. You can throw in hazelnut, almonds, or cashews. You can also go for a fruit and nuts bar by adding cranberries and/or raisins.

You can also add a few drops of oil-based flavorings, such as mint, lemon, orange, or rose.

The nutritional information given below is calculated approximately. It may change based on the quality and quantity of ingredients.

• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 20g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 5g     
• Carbohydrates: 15g
• Sugar: 10g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Sodium: 109mg
• Potassium: 1mg
• Calcium: 1mg
• Iron: 1mg

Keyword Vegan Milk Chocolate Recipe