13 Dove Chocolate Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

These Dark Chocolate and Almond promises are very structured. First, imagine the difference between processed and natural peanut butter: That's the sort of textural difference you're getting with smooth, creamy milk chocolate and rich, pure dark chocolate. Now let's take it a step further. Imagine the difference between creamy and crunchy peanut butter: That's the sort of textural contrast you'll get with almonds added to your dark chocolate. 

Don't sleep on how enjoyable that contrast can be when you're used to plain, one-note chocolates. A nugget of almond made us feel like the treat was a bit fancier and gives us, literally, more to mull over as we chew. That being said, some people (including some of us who tested these Dove chocolates) really just prefer a smoother bite, and almonds added little to the comprehensive flavor besides a faint hint of toasty undertones. We can take or leave these, and when compared to much more pronounced flavors, we recommend you stray to greener pastures.

In the showcase of big brand, basic, readily available dark chocolate, Dove has a pretty great entry. Even though these are indeed Dark Chocolate Promises, there is still a little hint of sweetness that keeps it palatable to all chocolate lovers. It's a classic choice, delicious and dependable, but we couldn't get much farther. We used every one of our timeworn taste buds in an attempt to find intriguing notes of flavor undertones but just came up with one: good dark chocolate. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing too spicy either, which is why they don't rise to a higher ranking. When compared to the rest of the gems we tried, these particular chocolates were relatively forgettable.

Versatility is a hot selling point for these, though. Here's an equally hot tip: Use chunks of Dove chocolates in your next batch of brownies. They will melt beautifully and infuse a luscious flavor into any baked good they find their way into. You're welcome in advance. Interested in taking the next step on your chocolate-tasting journey? Discover the best chocolatiers in the United States and commit to testing their mettle, one sample at a time.

The battle between milk and dark chocolate is fast and furious, and Dove offers plenty of twists on each. Meanwhile, white chocolate sits back and watches it all go down because these babies have no competition. Dove's only foray into white chocolate creations at the moment, these whimsical White Chocolate Strawberry and Creme Promises are perhaps the brand's most polarizing offering. Some of us love to enjoy a bit of white chocolate every so often, while others scoff at its departure from the rich depth of regular chocolate. We were interested to determine how Dove approached it and to decide if the addition of strawberry would help or hurt.

It was a bit difficult to single out the quality of white chocolate when it's so intertwined with the rather inescapably artificial strawberry twist. Once we conceded that there was no way one of these pretty Promises could taste like either "real" chocolate or real strawberry, we actually liked them much more. They resemble squares of chewable strawberry ice cream. We always tend to pick something with milk or dark chocolate, but since these proved a win for the white-chocolate fans and had a fun fruity flavor, we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Sometimes, a nugget of classic milk chocolate is exactly what we need to get by. No matter what's going on in the chaos of normal life, after a bit of chocolate, it's going to be at least a slightly better day. We were ready for these simple Milk Chocolate Promises to be bland, but the treats seriously have a lot of flavor. Like many milk chocolates out there, the general consistency borders on waxy, but Dove's higher quality products keep it from Hershey's bar territory.

The milk chocolate promises are also available in heart shapes, which we didn't rank because they are essentially the same thing, just all dolled up for the Valentine's Day holiday. They're hearts, so they're automatically corny, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Whether packaged as hearts or squares, these milk chocolates taste as good as they look. If they were the only milk chocolate we could eat for the rest of our lives, we'd survive. 

We're into the top five as we tear into these Dark Chocolate Ganache Promises. It can be really hard to find a use for the word "sumptuous," but these bites truly are sumptuous. Remember the brownie-like truffles? Well, these are more like molten lava cake, but in convenient little chocolate form. There are multiple layers of deep chocolate flavor, and the layers are distinct enough that the candy isn't just a pocket of mushy, gushy chocolate. Be sure to take a second glance at these as you pass the Valentine's Day display at your local grocery store. 

The ganache layer is a little thin, though. We would love it if these chocolates got the Oreo Double-Stuf treatment. Even so, we're besotted with these things. Perfect chocolate filled with pools of more perfect chocolate? Stock up now or miss out. Of all the Valentine's-inspired spinoffs, this was the second best. They're just a little intense, perhaps trying a little too hard, to be the perfect bite. We wouldn't want one of these every time we craved chocolate. Somewhere between a truffle and a regular square, it's a fun mashup that's delicious — a jack of all trades.

Folks, listen. If you're going for Promises, please go for the Sea Salt and Caramel Dark Chocolate ones. We agreed that dark chocolate can stand up much better to the river of caramel than milk chocolate can, and the salt provides a necessary dash of savory flavor to cut through all that sweetness. Not to mention that salt sharpens any other tasting notes, so the carmel's complexities shine brighter than they do when paired with milk chocolate. Not only does this chocolate beat its milky cousin, but it also beats many competitive brands. With each element distinct and discernible on the palate, it's an artful and well-constructed bite.

Eating one of these gems is like consuming a bite of confidence — some moderate saltiness keeps things real, some sweetness from the caramel adds luxury, and some dark chocolate brings a zing of energy as the main takeaway. It's crazy how tantalizing these are. That salty finish is dangerous because it makes you want more sweetness, so you eat another chocolate, then get that salty finish again ... and so on, and so on, until there are none left. Oh well — just another opportunity to run to the store and pick up more flavors to try. They're so good that we wish we could take a bite out of one huge chocolatey caramel confection, perhaps even something as huge as an absolutely perfect whole tart.

This is just what you would hope for with a seasonal candy option. Actually, it's just what we hope for, period. Get it while the getting's good because this is the golden goddess of Dove chocolate. We're just as surprised as you are!

Often, varieties veer into kooky flavors that miss the mark. But swirling milk and dark chocolate together creates a whole new product. We found that it really challenged us to savor each little promise, mindfully discerning the waves of dark and light. But there's nothing wrong with just popping one in your mouth when ya need chocolate but can't decide on which one. We could really eat these every day for the rest of our lives, and we suspect you could, too. Rather than laboring to create a single chocolate flavor that can do it all, Dove brilliantly put their two already-amazing classic milk and dark chocolates together. It's love at first sight.