15 Popular Chocolate Products At Whole Foods, Ranked
Whole Foods has become synonymous with fresh and healthy produce and food. Though there is a focus on health, you can still find plenty of delicious desserts and treats while wandering around this supermarket's aisles. As a bonus, the chocolate you buy here is much more likely to be produced and sourced in a sustainable, ethical way that helps local farmers and producers at the cacao's point of origin. This means that you can indulge in sweet chocolate treats while doing something positive for the planet, and while being confident that you're not contributing to unfair — and occasionally illegal — labor practices. For sustainably minded shoppers with a sweet tooth, take a look at all the chocolate goodies Whole Foods sells and see what speaks to you.
Using mostly personal taste-tests and experience, combined with some customer opinions, we tried some of the most popular chocolate products at Whole Foods and ranked them ourselves, worst to best. Now, all these products still contain chocolate, so almost nothing is actually bad, but there are definitely some chocolate treats we came across that are better than others. If you're having trouble deciding what to buy next time you're browsing the aisles at Whole Foods, use this list as a guide.
15. Lily's Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels
From the photo on the outside of a bag of Lily's Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels, the little caramel-filled chocolate bites look indulgent. However, once you pop one in your mouth, you will soon realize they aren't nearly as sweet or flavorful as other items on this list. With only 55% cocoa content, Lily's caramels are marketed as being covered in "dark" chocolate — but anything under 70% cocoa content, in our opinion, really straddles the line of what qualifies as dark chocolate.
The packaging of the product also advertises the fact that there is no sugar added, and the caramels are sweetened with stevia instead. Unfortunately, you can definitely tell that there's a lack of the wholesome goodness of real sugar the second you bite into one of the caramels, as there is an artificial sweetness and taste you can't quite place at first. Of all the chocolatey snacks available at Whole Foods, this is certainly one of the most disappointing.
14. Good Day Chocolate Sleep Supplement
While this is in fact an excellent sleep aid, with 1 milligram of melatonin included in every Skittles-sized piece, the focus of Good Day Chocolate Sleep Supplement is on helping you sleep, not in creating the best chocolate flavor. Each piece is coated with slightly tangy candy, giving another dimension to the chocolate flavor that makes it taste a little bit like an inferior M&M, but without the finely honed flavors that keep that candy business so popular and in demand.
However, the combination of chocolate and melatonin should definitely help you fall asleep fast and stay asleep soundly. The best part about Good Day is that you get to take melatonin without having to ingest it in an unwieldy and unappealing pill form. So even though this may not be the best sweet treat, it might be useful for helping you get your recommended eight hours a night.
13. 365 Organic Milk Chocolate
The 365 brand is generally popular among Whole Foods shoppers, and it produces a variety of both sweet and savory treats for the upscale supermarket chain. However, some of this line's products are better than others, and while this chocolate bar is good enough, it doesn't rank anywhere near the top of Whole Foods' chocolate products.
With 38% cacao content, the 365 Organic Milk Chocolate bar may disappoint fans of pure cocoa flavor and darker chocolate bars, while being a decent milk chocolate bar in its own right. It has the lighter color and creamier texture of milk chocolate, as well as an actual milky aftertaste — something that's not always present in overly processed milk chocolate bars. However, the 365 bar does verge on being too sweet at times, almost eclipsing the deeper cocoa flavors one would hope to get in a bar like this.
12. Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate
Though the usual flavors, as promised, are all present — almonds, salt, and chocolate — something in the combination of Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate is a little off. It's still, at the end of the day, chocolate, so it's a relatively good treat, but there are better bars to choose from at Whole Foods. The taste of the almonds is unusually subtle, which may be disappointing for those who bought the bar for this particular flavor.
Environmentally speaking, you are still making an eco-friendly decision, and a quite budget-friendly one at that, as Chocolove is one of the more affordable bars on this list. You can buy two for $6 at most Whole Foods stores. The cocoa is also certified by the Rainforest Alliance, an organization ensuring that cocoa production actually benefits the farmers growing the cocoa and their communities.
11. Divine Deliciously Smooth Dark Chocolate
Though Divine Deliciously Smooth Dark Chocolate has the high cocoa content of other dark chocolate bars — sitting at 70% — for some reason, it ends up with a bit of a waxy flavor instead of the complete decadence you would expect from a bar like this. It's still quite good, just not as indulgent as a lot of other bars on this list. However, Divine is still ethically sourced, as it's co-owned by cocoa farmers. For example, this particular style of bar is made with chocolate produced by the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in Ghana.
So while Divine lives up to Whole Foods' taste and ethical standards, and is still a better than the average chocolate bar, there are certainly other options on this list that are richer in flavor. However, if you happen to have a bar lying around, you're still going to want to eat it up.
10. Tony's Chocolonely
Tony's Chocolonely is a thick chocolate bar absolutely bursting with flavor and a variety of textures from the moment you bite into it. From the milky chocolate that surges through your mouth after the first bite to the small crispy bits of chocolate chip cookies hidden throughout the bar, you will be delighted — but also maybe a little overwhelmed — by all the different tastes you experience when you eat the Chocolonely bar. It may not appear as gourmet as some of the other brands we've included, but the taste of the bar is still quite good.
The company is also committed to "ending exploitation in cocoa together," as it proudly states on the wrapper, as child labor — and even slave labor — is still an unfortunate reality in a lot of cocoa farms throughout the world. By buying Tony's, you're similarly making a commitment to choose ethically sourced and produced chocolate instead.
9. Hu Simple Dark Chocolate
The Hu Simple Dark Chocolate bar prides itself on being several things: vegan and paleo with no refined sugar or cane sugar added into the product, unlike most other chocolates and candies. Co-founders Jordan Brown and Jessica Karp, pictured on the bar's wrapper, want customers to experience chocolate products as they were made before mass industry and production, without too many added artificial ingredients and with a focus on cocoa beans instead.
Customers may expect this to affect the taste in a negative way, but actually, Hu managed to be a pretty rich bar that melts in your mouth instantly. The one difference with a lot of other chocolate bars is that the taste disappears almost as soon as the chocolate has melted in your mouth — but that's not much of a problem, as you can just keep biting your way through the rest of the bar. With a 70% cacao content, this healthier, all-natural chocolate bar still packs a whole lot of flavor; and in addition to being a fair-trade chocolate, it's so eco-friendly that even the packaging is recyclable and compostable.
8. Uncle Eddie's Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can't go wrong combining the earthy flavor of peanut butter and the rich, sweet flavor of chocolate, as so many candy manufacturers throughout the world have figured out. These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies by Uncle Eddie are no exception, as they perfectly balance both the peanut butter and chocolate chip components of the cookies, without one overpowering the other.
These vegan cookies are somewhere between bite-size and full-size, so they are enough to fill you up without feeling like an excessive portion. All the grains and sweeteners used in this product are organic, and the cookies themselves feel homemade, rather than mass-produced and generic. Perhaps that's because Uncle Eddie's is a Los Angeles-based, family-owned bakery; its products still have a human touch in them that's hard to find in a lot of store-bought treats. The one issue is that, while the packaging seems relatively large, there are only about 10 cookies in each one, so you may be slightly disappointed once you open the bag.
7. Little Secrets Dark Chocolate Crispy Wafers
The Little Secrets Dark Chocolate Crispy Wafers are topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate and sea salt, perhaps to compensate for the lack of sugar alcohols in the product. Biting into one of these wafers produces a nice combination of cacao and salty flavors that are on the lighter, rather than the richer, side. This flavor perfectly complements the wafers' crispy, light texture.
According to the ingredient list and packaging, it appears that these wafers also aren't as bad for you as a lot of other sweet treats. The wafers from Little Secrets have 30% less sugar than other wafers on the market. Each packet comes with two long twin-sized chocolate-covered wafers, reminiscent of slightly larger Kit Kat fingers. They are a perfect treat to snack on while working or doing chores, but the delicious flavor means you might finish them without even noticing you ate through a whole packet.
6. Lake Champlain Hazelnut Five Star Bar
Bite into this small, thick chocolate bar for a nutty surprise in your chocolate. Not only do you get a delicious milky chocolate flavor, but also some hazelnut and praline thrown in for a rich, creamy taste. If you're looking for deep, dark chocolate, you may be disappointed, as the hazelnuts and praline are enveloped in 34% cocoa milk chocolate. However, the flavor combinations of sweet chocolate and earthy nutty flavors are out of this world.
That being said, the Lake Champlain Hazelnut Five Star Bar is a pricy treat, as each two-and-a-half-inch long bar costs $4.50, at the time of writing. Considering it has a 4.9 out of a 5-star rating by customers on the Lake Champlain website, and we've ranked the company as our top-rated chocolate brand, it appears the price is worth it (and as with other products on this list, the Hazelnut Five Star Bar is fair trade certified).
5. Beyond Good Madagascar Pure Dark Chocolate
One of the most premium, carefully crafted chocolate bars sold at Whole Foods, Beyond Good Madagascar Pure Dark Chocolate is a single-origin chocolate bar made from — you guessed it — Madagascar chocolate. This means that in addition to the sweet chocolate flavor, you will experience some interesting fruity notes that pop up after the chocolate hits your mouth; the packaging claims these are "notes of red fruit." Eating this chocolate bar is definitely a unique experience; but depending on how much you like fruit-like flavors in your chocolate, it might affect your enjoyment. Personally, we love the fruity additions.
In terms of sourcing, the chocolate is made from direct trade certified cocoa, as well as being non-GMO verified and organic. Direct trade, though not exactly the same as fair trade, is still a great certification, as it means that the original cocoa farmers were directly connected to producers. This means that instead of the cacao being imported through several expensive middlemen, the farmers get to keep a larger share of the profits from their crops.
4. 365 Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels
For such a small chocolate treat, these dark chocolate covered pretzels from the 365 brand certainly pack a punch. Sweet, salty, crunchy, rich, and chocolate-flavored all at once, you won't be able to get enough of these bite-size pretzel treats. There is also a milk chocolate covered option, but for fans of strong cacao flavors, the dark chocolate pretzels are the way to go. The best thing about the salt is that it seems pretty evenly distributed, so even though you can definitely taste it, it never feels overly salty or overpowering on your palate.
The only problem is that these treats are so good, you probably won't be able to stop eating them. Even though each bag has just under 30 pretzels, it's very easy to finish all of them in 24 hours. As with a lot of products from Whole Foods, these pretzels are also non-GMO and fair trade certified.
3. Taza Chocolate Mexican-Style Stone Ground Chocolate
In addition to being organic and direct trade, Taza chocolate is incredibly tasty with a very unique, almost gritty texture. Simultaneously crisp, creamy, and crumbly, Taza chocolate has a layered combination of flavors. Each packet has two thin disc-shaped chocolates, so each actual chocolate disc is not as thick as it appears from the outside.
At $5.49, as of this writing, Taza is definitely a bit of a splurge, but it's worth it; after all, there's a reason it's ranked so highly on this list. Part of the rationale for the higher price is because the chocolate is made traditionally, using hand-carved granite millstones. You can also get a variety of flavors, all of which have chocolate as their base, but also tinges of cinnamon, coffee, salted almond, vanilla, and guajillo chili. Best of all, the chocolate is natural and organic; the only two ingredients listed on the Cacao Puro disc package are organic cacao beans and organic cane sugar.
2. 365 Two-Bite Chocolate Brownies
Named Two-Bite because of their small size, meaning you can probably finish them in two bites, these 365 Two-Bite Chocolate Brownies have an amazingly rich and indulgent chocolate flavor. The textures and flavors of these brownies are perfectly balanced. As opposed to other store-bought brownies, which can sometimes be dry and crumbly, the consistency of these chocolate brownies is moist, without being messy and fudge-like.
When it comes to flavor, the brownies are tasty yet not overly sweet, combining their chocolate flavor with a buttery goodness derived from the other added ingredients, all of which are natural. They taste more like homemade brownies than store-bought. Best of all, you can indulge in this treat without eating an excessive amount of sugar, thanks to the small size of the brownies themselves and the fact that, though there are added sugars in this product, they only amount to about 13 grams per serving, which is less than usual for supermarket brownies (Betty Crocker, for example, has 17 grams of added sugars).
1. Theo Organic Sea Salt 70% Dark Chocolate
Biting into this dark chocolate bar leads to a delightful salty surprise, as the sea salt flavor crops up while the chocolate is in your mouth and perfectly complements the cocoa flavor. In addition to being a fair trade certified and organic chocolate bar, Theo Organic Sea Salt has 70% cocoa content, making it a fairly rich and delicious bar. That means that when you bite into this slim, elegant bar, you can be happy with the fact that you are eating something delicious that was also ethically obtained and not too bad for you.
The best part is that, though the flavor is quite rich, none of the bitterness that you sometimes get with other dark chocolate bars comes through as you're eating this one. The texture is smooth, and it seems the addition of cocoa butter and cane sugar balances out any bitter qualities of the dark chocolate.
Methodology
In order to figure out how to rank these Whole Foods chocolate products, we purchased them and carefully taste-tested every single one of the items on this list. We only selected products that are available at Whole Foods across the U.S. and left out any local goods that would only be available in our own supermarket.
On this list, you will have found a mix of popular chocolate bars, treats, and other candy. Each selected brand generally sells more than one item at Whole Foods, and each chocolate bar brand sells more than one type of bar; we tended to select either the dark chocolate variety in order to get the purest chocolate flavor, or one of the most popular bars of each brand. In addition to tasting each chocolate product ourselves, we also took a glance at online customer reviews and opinions to see if shoppers strongly disagreed with any of our own conclusions or results.