Discover some of our favourite brands selling non-UPF chocolate, with options for British, Australian and American chocolate lovers.
If you're in the process of trying to minimise the amount of ultra-processed foods you eat, you may be missing chocolate bars. But never fear - we've got some good news for you: there are plenty of amazing chocolates out there that don't fall into the UPF category.
While finding UPF-free chocolate might not be as easy as grabbing your favourite treat off of the grocery store shelf, with a little guidance, it is possible to find an equally tasty – and often, even better – alternative.
Read on to learn more about UPFs, what you should look out for in your chocolate products, and discover some of our favourite UPF-free options.
What are UPFs?
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are food products that go through multiple stages of processing and often contain ingredients you’d never use in a home kitchen—think emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and modified starches. They’re designed to be super convenient and tasty, but research shows they can increase 'the risk and incidence of obesity and of other nutrition-related chronic diseases.'
Now, what does this mean for chocolate? Some store-bought chocolates contain more additives than actual cocoa, but don’t worry—we’ve done the digging to help you find truly delicious, UPF-free alternatives that taste just as good (if not better!).
Key ingredients in chocolate
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of UPF ingredients in chocolate, let's first look at the key ingredients in chocolate. This will give you a bit of context around what chocolate is made of, and which ingredients are non-essential in high-quality chocolate.
- Cocoa mass: This is the base of your chocolate's colour, flavour and structure. Sometimes called cocoa liquor, this is a ground paste made from roasted cocoa beans. Cocoa mass contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
- Cocoa butter: This is the natural fat found inside cacao beans. Cocoa butter gives chocolate its smooth texture, stability, and melt-in-the-mouth quality.
- Sugar: Sugar is often (but not always) added to chocolate to balance the naturally bitter flavour of cocoa mass. Adding sugar also contributes to the overall texture and mouthfeel of chocolate.
- Milk: In milk chocolate, milk is added to enhance creaminess, reduce bitterness, and create a smoother texture.
Occasionally, you might also see raw cacao, which comes from unroasted cacao beans. This often comes in the form of cacao powder, cacao nibs or whole beans. This is commonly found in alternative chocolates, such as 'raw vegan' options.
UPF ingredients to look out for in chocolate
When it comes to chocolate, there are a few common ultra-processed culprits to look out for:
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are often added to chocolate to create a smooth and creamy consistency. As their name suggests, these ingredients emulsify (or bind) fat and solids together. While they may be good for improving the mouthfeel of a food, emulsifiers might alter the gut microbiome which can lead to long-term problems such as IBD.
Common emulsifiers in chocolate:
- Soy lecithin
- Sunflower lecithin
- Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR)
Artificial sugar and sweeteners
It's common for chocolate marketed as 'healthy' to contain artificial sweeteners. Oftentimes, these sweeteners replace natural sweeteners, and while they may have 'less sugar', they can impact everything from your taste buds to your gut microbiota. While research is being done to determine the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners, there's no denying that these additives are ultra-processed.
Common sweeteners in chocolate:
- Maltitol
- Aspartame
- Sucralose
- Stevia
Vegetable oils & fat replacers
Real chocolate gets its smooth texture from cocoa butter, but many cheaper chocolates replace it with ultra-processed oils.
Common fats in chocolate:
- Palm oil
- Hydrogenated oils
- Fractionated coconut oil
Some of the best non-UPF chocolate
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate 70%
Despite making mass-produced chocolate, Lindt is focused on quality, which naturally leads the brand towards using fewer UPF ingredients in its dark chocolate.
While Lindt's 78%, 85%, 90% and 95% chocolates are all UPF-free, those with added fruit, as well as the brand's milk chocolate do contain UPF ingredients, so make sure to read the label.
Alter Eco prides itself on its organic chocolate, and with one bite, you'll see why! This 'Quinoa Crunch' bar is like a Crunch chocolate bar but made with organic cane sugar and Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean. Delicious!
Alter Eco also makes several other non-UPF bars and truffles. We recommend the mint crème and sea salt truffles. Use Alter Eco's store finder to find locations in the UK, US, Australia and Canada where you can purchase their chocolate.
One of our best recent food finds is Hu's UPF-free milk chocolate bar. In general, it's easier to find non-UPF dark chocolate, but Hu has managed the seemingly impossible, creating a chocolate the whole family will love. Like Alter Eco, Hu uses organic ingredients including organic fair-trade cocoa butter and organic grass-fed milk. When it comes to added sugar, this bar uses unrefined coconut sugar which adds a caramel-like richness to the chocolate.
More options, based on region
Australia
Hunted + Gathered Peanut Butter
Love Reese's? This may just become your new favourite, healthier option. Studded with peanuts and the lovely addition of organic vanilla extract, this is a better choice than most peanut butter chocolate confectionery.
In addition to this bar, the brand offers many more interesting flavours such as roasted buckwheat, fennel seed and salt + pepper.
One of the great things about this bar is that it can be found on some supermarket shelves! If you love a hint of fresh fruit in your chocolate, then this is the perfect choice. Freeze-dried raspberry pieces perfectly complement the richness of this bar, making it an after-dinner favourite.
Other delicious flavours from Bennetto include toasted hazelnut, dark coffee and dark mint, which are all UPF-free and made with natural ingredients.
UK
Sainsbury's Ugandan 90% Dark Chocolate
This supermarket favourite is widely praised for tasting amazing while remaining quite affordable. Containing only three ingredients (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar), this creamy chocolate is simple but delectable.
Tesco Finest 48% Dark Milk Chocolate
When it comes to UPF-free chocolate, the UK stands out in terms of having high-quality options that are easily accessible at grocery stores. Instead of milk solids, which can sometimes be considered UPFs, this bar contains dried whole milk to achieve the same creaminess with less processing.
US
According to the brand, 'Taza makes stone ground chocolate that is seriously good and fair for all.' By using stone mills to grind their cacao, Taza produces a gritty bar that tastes far fruitier than you might typically expect. The brand also sells seasonal flavours and multi-packs including delicious flavours like coconut and sea salt + almond. One thing to note about this brand is that some of the seasonal bars are more complex than their dark range, so make sure you read the ingredients if you're trying to avoid any potential UPFs.
If you're a fan of sweet-and-salty flavour combos, you simply can't pass up this bar from Raaka which is finished with pink salt. All of Raaka's chocolate is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, certified organic and kosher, making it a good choice for those with specific dietary needs. In addition to big bars, Raaka also makes minis (the oat milk ones look great) and hot chocolate mixes.
More to try
We've scoured Reddit, forums and other blogs to find more recommendations. Here are more non-UPF chocolate options people love.
Australia
- Monsieur Truffle, 72% Dark Chocolate Blend
- Pana, Organic Mint Chocolate
- Pico Organic Vegan Chocolate, Super Dark
UK
- Hu, Hazelnut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar
- Willies Cacao, Surabaya Gold 69% Dark Chocolate Bar
- M&S, 75% Cocoa Single Origin Dark Chocolate
- Montezuma's, Organic Dark 74% Chocolate Giant Buttons
- Ombar, Centres Hazelnut Truffle
US
What other foods do you have trouble finding non-UPF versions of? Let us know in the comments below, so we can help you find UPF-free alternatives!
Talia says
This is great! I'd love to find some good UPF free cooking chocolate too.
Debs says
My favourite in the uk is booja booja. Vegan, organic and delicious!
Simply Fresh Foodie says
Thanks for sharing! We'll check it out 😊