Chocolate is one of life’s simple, quiet pleasures.
For many, it’s a daily treat - and there’s no reason that it shouldn’t be. When chosen wisely, chocolate has a place in a healthy, balanced diet.
Cacao - the main ingredient in quality chocolate - is naturally high in flavanols and linked to benefits such as improved heart health, better mood, and even enhanced brain function.
However, not all chocolate is created equal. While some bars strive to stay close to their natural roots, others contain unnecessary and potentially harmful extras, placing them in the ultra-processed food category.
What is an ultra-processed food?
“Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are foods that have been significantly altered from their natural state using industrial methods and ingredients that are often unfamiliar or artificial,” explains nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, and author of the newly released book The Unprocessed Plate.
Why are UPFs problematic?
“UPFs now make up around 60 per cent of the average adult’s diet,” says Lambert, “and their widespread consumption is linked to a growing number of health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.”
What are the red flags when it comes to chocolate?
Turn over the packet: if you see a long list of ingredients, that signals heavy processing. Lambert says this includes high levels of added sugar, artificial flavourings, and emulsifiers like soy lecithin.
Other ingredients to be wary of include hydrogenated or refined vegetable oils, artificial sweeteners, and long lists of additives or stabilisers - common hallmarks of ultra-processed chocolate products.
How to choose ‘better for you’ chocolate?
When looking for healthier chocolate, aim for dark chocolate options with a high cacao content (75 per cent or more) and a short, simple ingredient list. Lambert recommends looking for familiar ingredients like cacao mass, cacao butter, and just a small amount of sugar.
Guided by our expert’s advice, we’ve picked five standout chocolate bars made without any ultra-processed ingredients and naturally sweetened with nut butters, dates, or coconut sugar.
Shop now, and enjoy guilt-free
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Fortnum's Indonesia 80% Dark Chocolate Bar, 63g
Dark and delicious, this luxury bar from royal grocer Fortnum's is made with 80 per cent cacao. The other ingredients? Cane sugar and cocoa butter. That's it.
It's expensive, but one bar will you last ages - a nibble is enough to feel sated.
Buy now £8.95, F&M
Green & Black's Organic 85% Dark Chocolate Bar 90g
Green & Black's dark chocolate offers a rich, intense flavour made up of 85 per cent sun-dried cocoa solids with the edge taken off by Madagascan vanilla. You'll only need a nibble to feel satisfied - make it feel like more by grating over fruit or yoghurt with a Microplane.
Buy now £3.25, Waitrose
HU Simple Dark Chocolate
Founded by Jason Karp, his wife Jessica and brother Jordan, Hu was born out of frustration with the overly processed chocolate options on the market. The trio set out to create a cleaner alternative - one that lived up to their mantra: “No weird ingredients. Ever.”
Their Simple Dark Chocolate is a signature bar, made with just three main ingredients: cacao mass, unrefined coconut sugar and cacao butter.
The result? A bold, rich chocolate flavour and a thick, chunky texture that delivers a good bite.
Buy now £3.75, Holland & Barrett
Cosmic Dealer Peanut Butter & Smoked Salt
Cosmic Dealer is a French raw chocolate and wellness brand on a mission to turn everyday habits into nourishing rituals. They focus on creating premium, minimally processed products, driven by the mantra “less sugar, more plants, higher vibes".
This bar, part of their nut butter chocolate range, is a total knockout. Think of it as a gourmet take on Reese’s cups - rich, nutty peanut butter elevated with a touch of smoked salt, all wrapped in 75 per cent dark chocolate and sweetened with dates.
Buy now £2.69, Healf
Ombar Centres Pistachio
Combining the decadence of dark chocolate with a creamy pistachio centre, this is Ombar’s take on the viral Dubai chocolate trend. Crafted in its Cambridgeshire factory, the bar is made with the finest Ecuadorian cacao, unroasted to preserve its antioxidant-rich polyphenols and true flavour.
The pistachio paste is just as special, sourced from nuts harvested on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. It’s sweetened with coconut sugar and blended with cacao butter, shea butter and creamed coconut for a silky-smooth texture.
Buy now £3.00, Tesco
M&S Collection 100 per cent Intense Dark Cocoa
As more people seek to reduce sugar in their diets, pure dark chocolate has risen in popularity. By pure, we mean that it only contains one single ingredient: cacao.
Marks & Spencer describes this bar as “intensely bitter with notes of red fruits and honey with a hint of vanilla” and we couldn’t agree more. It takes your taste buds on a fascinating journey - initially searching for sweetness only to discover there is none. But as your palate adjusts, the comforting, familiar taste of cacao shines through.
Buy now £3.00, Ocado
Raw Halo 70 per cent Dark
Raw Halo began in 2014 when founder Meg Haggar started making chocolate in her home kitchen. Since then, the brand has come a long way, earning shelf space in supermarkets and health stores alike.
Made with just cacao butter, cacao powder and coconut sugar, its 70 per cent dark chocolate highlights the beauty of simplicity. The bar is thin and delicate, melting effortlessly as soon as it hits your tongue. It delivers a gentler richness than some of the others featured, with just the right amount of natural sweetness.
Buy now £3.70, Raw Halo
Läderach Tablet Single Origin Trinidad 80%
This dark chocolate from luxe Swiss chocolatier Laderach is made with Trinidadian cacao, giving it a rich, sweet and deeply satisfying flavour. With 80 per cent content, it's certainly not for the faint of heart - or palate - so one to train yourself up to.
Buy now £7.00, Läderach
