If you don’t love chocolate, then you’re definitely in the minority.

A food popular since the ancient days of Mexico, it remains a societal treasure to this day.

However, not all cocoa products are made the same, and the ‘dark’ variety is where the health benefits lie.

This low carb chocolate guide will show some of the healthiest dark chocolate bars that you can currently buy.

Firstly, we will look at eight low-sugar dark chocolate bars. Following this, we examine thirteen sugar-free options.

Why is Dark Chocolate a Healthier Option?

For the most part, dark chocolate is healthier because it restricts the amount of sugar in the bar and contains much larger amounts of cocoa.

Cocoa is one of the most nutrient-rich foods around, and it is a major source of many essential minerals.

(See this guide to the health benefits of dark chocolate for an in-depth look.)

To quickly summarize; the polyphenols in dark chocolate may contribute to fighting oxidative stress in the body (1).

These polyphenols have been linked to decreased inflammation, reduced cancer risk, and potentially even some degree of protection against cardiovascular risk (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

The fact that some bars are virtually sugar-free chocolate also plays a part in the health benefits.

Notably, increasing sugar intake has been associated to increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and many chronic illnesses (7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

Overall, dark chocolate has the best of both worlds due to more health-protective compounds and a whole lot less sugar.

Key Point: Dark chocolate is healthy because it maximizes the cocoa content and also minimizes the sugar. Is Low Sugar Chocolate and Dark Chocolate the Same?

Just a quick note; there is a difference between low carb chocolate and dark chocolate. While there are many dark chocolate brands, not all of them produce the same quality.

In truth, most so-called ‘chocolate’ is a chocolate-flavored bar of sugar. In other words; the amount of sugar vastly outweighs the cacao content.

For example, some commercial chocolate bars declare themselves as ‘dark chocolate’ but in reality, they are more than 50% sugar.

For instance, here is Hershey’s ‘Special Dark Chocolate’:

As can be seen, there is 21g sugar per 41g serving and only 3g fiber. This chocolate is neither real dark chocolate nor anything close to low carb.

In comparison, take a look at the chocolate below from Endangered Species:

As shown above, this dark chocolate has 5g sugar per 43g serving and the fiber content is 6g – an even higher amount than the sugar.

Key Point: Just because a label says it is dark chocolate doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Dark chocolate can either be full of sugar or virtually sugar-free. The Best Low Carb Chocolate Bars

Listed below are eight of the very best dark chocolate bars, all of which are low in carbs.

The criteria for inclusion was as follows:

The chocolate should have a minimum of 80% cacao

Each bar should have minimal ingredients

All bars should be free of artificial sweeteners

You can see information on the ingredients profile, servings per bar, fat and carb contents.

However, please note that just because the label dictates a certain serving size doesn’t mean you need to follow it.

So, let’s get started….

Size: 100g

Serving Size: 42g

Ingredients: Cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar

Fat: 22g (14g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 15g (6g sugar, 6g fiber)

For me, Vivani is one of the best dark chocolate bars in the world.

Given the minimal amount of ingredients, the fact that it’s organic, and also the relatively low sugar content; this is one of the healthiest dark chocolate bars.

The taste is also very deep and flavorful. Of course, it’s bitter, but it displays a creamy flavor unusual for a bar of this strength due to the liquor and cocoa butter combination.

Another key point is the cocoa liquor; should you not know what this is, it’s a little different to the cocoa powder in many bars.

Cocoa liquor is made by roasting the cocoa beans with cocoa butter in their natural ratio. In contrast, manufacturers make cocoa powder from the leftovers of the cacao bean after extracting the cocoa butter (12).

Taste-wise, this results in a smooth texture rather than the powdery feel some dark chocolate bars give you.

Score: 8.5 out of 10 as a result of the minimal ingredients, smooth taste, organic status and reasonable price. All in all, this is one of the best dark chocolate bars. #2. Lindt Excellence Dark Supreme – 90% Cacao

Size: 100g

Serving Size: 40g

Ingredients: Chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa powder pressed with alkali, sugar, bourbon vanilla beans.

Fat: 22g (13g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 12g (3g sugar, 5g fiber)

Compared to the Vivani bar, this one has the benefit of a higher cocoa percentage and a smaller amount of sugar. Owing to the minimal sugar, it’s an ideal low carb chocolate bar.

However, the taste doesn’t quite match the Vivani. Despite having a slightly powdery texture, the taste is reasonable, and the vanilla beans bring the bitterness down a notch.

Another thing to remember is that this bar is not organic. Whether or not this matters depends on your opinion, but cocoa is one of the most heavily sprayed food crops in the world (13).

Regarding this point, several studies have shown a large amount of chemical pesticide residues present in chocolate (14, 15, 16).

Score: 7 out of 10. It has a good nutritional profile and reasonable taste, but there are better options for the same money. #3. Endangered Species Natural Dark Chocolate – 88% Cacao

Size: 85g

Serving Size: 43g

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, cane sugar, soy lecithin, vanilla

Fat: 20g (11g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 17g (5g sugar, 6g fiber)

Endangered Species is one of the best dark chocolate brands to support.

The reason for this is that all their products are fair trade, non-GMO, and they donate 10% of their profits. To what? To protect ‘endangered species’ of course!

Similar to the Vivani bar, this also contains cocoa liquor, although it has a slightly higher cocoa content.

As previously mentioned, you don’t have to follow the serving size. Half of the recommended amount (21.5g) and the sugar total comes to 2.5g – definitely low carb chocolate territory.

Overall this is a nice bar, with a rich, earthy chocolate taste and a hint of vanilla too. The only drawback is the slightly smaller size and the fact it isn’t organic.

Score: 7.5 out of 10. Reasonable price and great taste. #4. Alter Eco Dark Blackout Organic Chocolate – 85% Cacao

Size: 80g

Serving Size: 40g

Ingredients: Cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar, vanilla

Fat: 21g (13g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 14g (6g sugar, 5g fiber)

As one of the best dark chocolate brands, Alter Eco’s chocolate bars are both organic and fair trade, ensuring the cacao farmers receive fair payment.

Regarding the ingredient profile, you’ll notice this is very similar to the Vivani bar. The only difference is the addition of vanilla, which balances the bitterness a little better.

Despite having a similar price, you are paying slightly more for your money due to the smaller size bar.

Again, I’d recommend cutting the serving size in half as dark chocolate is satisfying in small amounts.

As for the taste, this bar is great; it has a rich and varied taste with lots of different flavor notes. It’s bitter but not intensely so.

On pure taste alone, this is probably my favorite dark chocolate bar.

Score: 8.5 out of 10. A delicious chocolate that is also organic and fair-trade. It’s one of the best dark chocolate bars out there. #5. Dagoba Organic Chocolate Eclipse – 87% Cacao

Size: 56g

Serving Size: 56g

Ingredients: Cacao beans, cane sugar, cacao butter, soy lecithin, milk

Fat: 27g (17g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 19g (8g sugar, 8g fiber)

Dagoba positions itself as one of the premium dark chocolate brands. Promoted as more of a boutique style chocolate, the price-point of Eclipse represents this supposed higher quality.

Whereas most of the bars listed so far are around the $3 mark, this one is the same – but for only 56g.

But does the quality justify the higher value? For me, the answer is “not really.”

It’s an enjoyable bar, but not superior to the other options – and it even starts tasting a little too dry.

However, the taste is very flavorful and intense, so maybe if you are a true chocolate connoisseur, you might find something in it that I didn’t.

Score: 6.5 out of 10. Supposedly this is one of the best dark chocolate bars. However, for me, it doesn’t justify the additional cost. The taste is good, but not the best. #6. Chocolove Extreme Dark Chocolate – 88% Cacao

Size: 90g

Serving Size: 30g

Ingredients: Cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla

Fat: 16g (10g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 10g (4g sugar, 4g fiber)

Despite being 88% cacao, this bar is just as sweet as most 85% bars.

Unlike most of the previous bars, sugar comes before cocoa butter in the ingredients profile. So, although the cocoa content is a little higher, the amount of sugar is similar.

I tried this one for the first time just yesterday, and it’s pretty tasty. At first, there’s a strong intense chocolate taste which is followed by slight coffee flavors.

Overall it’s an enjoyable chocolate bar, but it’s not quite as pleasant tasting as some of the others. Also, it comes at a similar price point despite being non-organic.

Score: 7 out of 10. A nice bar of dark chocolate, but nothing special. #7. Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate – 85% Cacao

Size: 100g

Serving Size: 40g

Ingredients: Chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa, raw cane sugar, vanilla extract

Fat: 20g (12g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 15g (8g sugar, 4g fiber)

As the packaging says, this bar is very dark and very smooth, with a slight hint of vanilla.

I’m not exactly sure why, but this dark chocolate is a lot less intense than other 85% bars. In fact, it tastes as though the cacao content should be somewhere in the late 70s range.

Green & Black’s 85% is also one of the healthiest dark chocolate bars; it’s organic and doesn’t use any additives.

The taste is mild and a little creamy tasting, even more so than the Vivani and Alter Eco bars.

Like most 85%+ bars, it’s a low carb chocolate bar, although — for some reason — the fiber content is only half the amount of sugar.

Green & Black’s 85% chocolate is real good, but not quite my favorite.

Score: 8 out of 10. A great dark chocolate with a smooth, creamy taste. #8. Equal Exchange Organic Dark Chocolate – 80% Cacao

Size: 80g

Serving Size: 40g

Ingredients: Chocolate liquor, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, ground vanilla beans

Fat: 19 g (12g saturated fat)

Total Carbs: 15g (8g sugar, 5g fiber)

This bar tastes great; it’s similar to the Alter Eco dark chocolate, even having the same ingredient profile.

However, it has more sugar and less cocoa butter – hence it is 80% cacao.

If you are well adjusted to the taste of dark chocolate, this tastes sweet.

If you’re in the process of trying to switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, then this is a great place to start.

Unlike the other bars, this one also seems to have a stronger vanilla flavor.

The only drawbacks compared to the other bars are the slightly higher sugar content and smaller size.

Score: 8 out of 10. It’s not the best low carb chocolate around, but it’s great for people making the jump to dark for the first time. Delicious too. Best Dark Chocolate Bars

Green & Black’s, Endangered Species and Equal Exchange were all very close and may be preferred by some people for their unique qualities.

However, in my view, Vivani and Alter Eco are two of the very best dark chocolate brands out there.

Both these bars are 85% cacao and organic, with minimal ingredients and a great taste.

You can’t go wrong with either.

Sugar-Free, Keto-Friendly Chocolate Bars

For those who are looking for chocolate bars with zero sugar, then here are some dark chocolate bars that use sugar alternatives.

They are also “keto-friendly” options for people who follow that particular diet.

1) Montezuma: 100% Cacao Absolute Black

If you like your chocolate bitter, then this could be the right bar for you.

Montezuma’s ‘Absolute Black’ has zero sugar, and it does not use a sweetener to replace it either.

This one has a strong, bitter taste and a crunchy texture from the cocoa nibs it contains.

Ingredients: chocolate liquor, cacao nibs.

Type of chocolate: Dark, bitter Bar Size: 100 grams Main sweetener: None Net carbs per 25g: 2 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

No sugars or sweeteners

Very clean ingredients profile

Drawbacks

Extremely bitter

2) Cavalier: Sweetened Milk Chocolate

Cavalier’s milk chocolate bar is the polar opposite to Montezuma, and it has a sweet and creamy taste.

Despite this, the bar contains no added sugars, and the sweet taste comes from a combination of stevia and erythritol.

Ingredients: Cocoa butter, milk powder, dextrin, inulin, oligofructose, cocoa powder, whey, erythritol, stevia, soy lecithin, natural flavoring.

Type of chocolate: Milk, sweet Bar Size: 85g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: 0.8 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Very low in net carbs

Tastes good (if you like sweet things)

Drawbacks

Contains unnecessary ingredients like soy lecithin, but nothing too bad.

3) Choc Zero: Sugar-Free Keto Bark

Choc Zero’s ‘Keto Bark’ product features dark chocolate sweetened with monk fruit, and it contains no digestible sugars or sugar alcohols.

The manufacturer also claims that the cocoa beans are stone-ground, and combined with vanilla beans; this gives the product a creamy texture.

This chocolate bar contains little bits of almonds and sea salt, giving it a pleasant flavor.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soluble corn fiber, almonds, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, monk fruit extract, vanilla beans.

Type of chocolate: Bittersweet Bar Size: 28.5g Main sweetener: Monk fruit Net carbs per 25g: 1.8 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Contains one of the best “natural” sweeteners and it has no sugar or no artificial sweeteners.

Dark chocolate, almonds, sea salt, and vanilla make a good flavor combination.

Drawbacks

Stone-ground chocolate comes at a premium price.

4) Edge: Stevia-Sweetened Dark Chocolate Mini Bars

With a 78% cacao content, these sugar-free mini bars are keto-friendly, and they have a low carbohydrate content.

As it uses erythritol and stevia for sweetness, this chocolate won’t affect blood sugars (1).

As a result, these bars could be a good snack for people who do not want to worry about blood-glucose reactions.

Ingredients: Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, erythritol, vanilla beans, sunflower lecithin, stevia.

Type of chocolate: Bittersweet Bar Size: 10g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: 3.25 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Premium and flavorful ingredients such as cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and vanilla beans.

No sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Drawbacks

Some people suffer from allergies to sunflower lecithin, and it is an ingredient that is not important for the taste.

Slightly higher in net carbs than other bars, but this is because it has a higher concentration of cocoa. Not necessarily a bad thing.

5) Innocent Chocolate: Zero-Sugar Bar

With a 60% cacao content, Innocent chocolate is keto-friendly, contains no sugar, soy, gluten, or dairy.

Additionally, this bar contains added fiber and protein, which could be a good thing if you are looking to increase your fiber intake.

Interestingly, the people who make this bar are a nonprofit company, and their earnings go to environmental restoration programs.

Ingredients: Cacao, yellow pea protein, erythritol, stevia, beta cyclodextrin, glycerol monooleate.

Type of chocolate: Mildly sweet Size: 37.5g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: Claims to be 0 g Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Fairtrade ingredients.

Supports a good cause (environmental conservation).

No sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Drawbacks

Added pea protein is not a common thing for a chocolate bar.

The product claims to contain zero net carbs, but this is false since cocoa provides carbohydrate. That said, the exact level of net carbs is still likely to be very low.

6) KetoManna: Ketogenic Chocolate Fudge

Ketogenic chocolate fudge is a combination of coconut, cocoa, and MCT oil.

As a result, it offers something slightly different from the typical chocolate bar.

Each serving of this product provides 20 grams of fat, so it fits ketogenic diets.

Ingredients: Coconut, cocoa paste, MCT oil, inulin, pink Himalayan salt, monk fruit, vanilla.

Type of chocolate: Moderately sweet Size: 34g Main sweetener: Monk fruit Net carbs per 25g: 1.5 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Premium ingredients and no additional emulsifiers.

A popular product which is known for its good taste.

Based on the latest research, monk fruit is one of the best and safest sweeteners (2).

Drawbacks

With the high-fat MCT contents of this chocolate, it may not be what some people are looking for in a chocolate bar.

7) Lily’s No-Sugar-Added Creamy “Milk Chocolaty” Bar

This bar claims to be creamy and “chocolaty,” and you can see why when you look at the ingredients.

In addition to cocoa butter, Lily’s chocolate contains whole milk powder and pure milk fat.

The cocoa content is 60%, which makes the bar quite sweet as it contains a fair bit of erythritol.

Although it has no added sugar, this bar does contain 1-gram of sugar from the milk.

Overall, the bulk of the sweet taste comes from erythritol and stevia, and Lily’s chocolate contains a minimal amount of net carbs.

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, erythritol, inulin, dextrin, whole milk powder, milk fat, stevia, soy lecithin, vanilla.

Type of chocolate: Moderately sweet Size: 40g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: 1.9 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Good ingredients profile and a nice, creamy taste.

This bar has an excellent texture; it feels like any other chocolate, but readily melts in your mouth.

Drawbacks

Contains dairy and soy lecithin; some people may have sensitivities.

8) Cacao Nibs

First of all, cacao nibs are not really a chocolate bar, but I thought they deserve a place on the list.

The reason?

Cacao nibs are nothing other than pure, chopped cacao beans. This food is extremely nutrient dense, and a particularly good source of copper, iron, and magnesium (3).

Although cacao nibs contain carbohydrate, they are very high in fiber and contain no sugar, which makes them low in net carbs.

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate, erythritol, inulin, dextrin, whole milk powder, milk fat, stevia, soy lecithin, vanilla.

Type of chocolate: Intensely bitter Size: 454g Main sweetener: None Net carbs per 25g: 2.2 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

100% pure chocolate – cacao nibs are very nutritious and full of minerals.

Drawbacks

100% pure chocolate – they are very bitter.

9) Simply Lite: Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate

Simply Lite contains no added sugar, and it is extremely sweet since it contains more sweetener than it does cocoa.

The chocolate uses both vanilla and cinnamon for flavoring, which is always a tasty combination.

However, it is worth noting that maltitol is the choice of sweetener.

Although it is not technically classed as an added sugar, it is a carbohydrate that does have a glycemic response.

Therefore, despite the claims of this chocolate bar, I wouldn’t class it as keto-friendly.

Ingredients: Maltitol, cocoa, cocoa butter, inulin, soy lecithin, vanilla, cinnamon.

Type of chocolate: Sweet Size: 85g Main sweetener: Maltitol Net carbs per 25g: Claims to be 1 g Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Decent tasting chocolate bar.

Drawbacks

Maltitol can cause blood-glucose levels to spike, so this isn’t a good choice for anyone watching their blood sugars.

10) Bulletproof: Chocolate Fuel

Bulletproof is big business these days, and it has expanded the “butter in coffee” theme to sell all kinds of products.

Chocolate included.

So, how does Bulletproof chocolate perform?

As with all Bulletproof products, there are claims about how “pure” and “enriched” the chocolate is.

Ignoring the marketing talk, it seems a decent enough chocolate bar with good ingredients.

However, you have to pay extra for the brand name.

Ingredients: Cacao powder, cacao butter, xylitol, Bulletproof XCT oil powder, tapioca dextrin, tapioca, “lab-tested” vanilla beans.

Type of chocolate: Moderately sweet Size: 168g Main sweetener: Xylitol Net carbs per 25g: 3.1 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

I have not tried this bar, but reviews highly praise the taste.

Drawbacks

Contains xylitol, which can be fatal if ingested by dogs. Dog owners: be careful!

Good, but overhyped ingredients.

11) Cavalier: Stevia-Sweetened Dark Chocolate With Berries

We saw Cavalier’s milk chocolate offering earlier, so here is their dark chocolate with berries bar.

Similar to their milk bar, this one contains zero grams of added sugar, and cocoa, erythritol, and stevia are the base ingredients.

However, this dark chocolate berries bar does contain a higher amount of net carbs due to freeze-dried berries being an ingredient.

Ingredients: Cocoa mass, dextrin, inulin, oligofructose, erythritol, stevia, cocoa butter, freeze-dried raspberries, freeze-dried blueberry powder, freeze-dried blackcurrants, soy lecithin, natural flavoring.

Type of chocolate: Dark, mildly sweet Size: 40g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: 1.6 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

It’s a tasty bar and not too sweet, and the berries offer a nice flavor contrast.

A keto-friendly bar that is still low in net carbs.

Drawbacks

Contains unnecessary ingredients like lecithin and natural flavorings.

12) The Good Chocolate: 65% Dark Bar

‘The Good Chocolate’ is a handmade beans-to-bar chocolate product.

With a combination of erythritol and stevia for sweetness, this chocolate is 65% cocoa and contains just two net carbs per 70-gram bar.

In addition, the bar claims to be keto-friendly, soy-free, and organic.

Ingredients: Cacao beans, erythritol, cocoa butter, mesquite powder, stevia, vanilla.

Type of chocolate: Dark but sweet Size: 70g Main sweetener: Erythritol, stevia Net carbs per 25g: 0.7 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Excellent ingredient profile.

Delicious taste with a sweet creamy vanilla flavor.

Drawbacks

As with all bean-to-bar chocolate, the price is a little high.

13) Crotters’ Best: 99% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate

‘Crotters’ Best’ chocolate claims to be the perfect choice for people with diabetes.

This chocolate bar is sugar-free and contains no sugar alcohols, and it is 99% cacao.

Interestingly, the bar only contains three ingredients.

Ingredients: Cacao, vanilla extract, sucralose.

Type of chocolate: Dark but sweet Size: 42g Main sweetener: Sucralose Net carbs per 25g: 1.8 grams Available online? Yes: see here

Benefits

Very simple – 99% cocoa and only three ingredients.

I didn’t try this bar, but according to reviews, the taste is excellent.

Drawbacks

The science is not settled on artificial sweeteners like sucralose. There is a lot of non-scientific fearmongering to wade through, but some studies suggest they may have a harmful effect on the human gut microbiota. More research is necessary (4, 5).

Final Thoughts

As shown in this article, there are numerous dark chocolate bars that taste great and offer a healthier alternative to regular chocolate.

In recent times the number of “keto-friendly chocolate” bars has also skyrocketed.

Some of these are healthy and tasty products, but some are more about marketing and high prices.

However, from the options shown in this list, there should be something for everyone.

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