Best dark chocolate bars

What's the best dark chocolate you can buy at the supermarket? To find out, we recruited four leading chocolatiers and pastry chefs to blind-taste and rate popular options.

In our test, premium supermarket own-label 70% dark chocolate bars went up against big brands including Lindt, Divine, Green & Blacks and Tony's.

We found two outstanding Best Buys, but some chocs proved disappointing, losing marks for being grainy, claggy or too bitter.

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Best dark chocolate

Only logged in Which? members can view our full test results and tasting notes below, and discover which dark chocolate bars topped our taste test - and the grainy, lacking-in-flavour bars that came last overall.

If you’re not yet a member, you'll see an alphabetically ordered list of the chocolate on test. To get instant access to these and all our reviews, join Which? today.

Aldi Moser Roth 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

£1.95 for 125g (£1.56 per 100g)

This bar costs around half the price of some branded ones we tested, but does Aldi make a good money-saving swap?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Aldi.

Asda Extra Special 70% Peruvian Dark Chocolate

£1.85 for 100g (£1.85 per 100g)

Asda says its Peruvian chocolate bar has subtle hints of bitterness, rounded off by bursts of fresh red berry flavours. Was it a hit with our panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Asda.

Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade Single Origin 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

£2.10 for 100g (£2.10 per 100g)

Co-op's single origin bar is made using Peruvian cocoa. Did our experts find it 'irresistible'?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Co-op.

Divine Fairtrade 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

£2.80 for 90g (£3.11 per 100g)

The priciest chocolate bar we tested, costing around twice as much per 100g of some supermarket bars. Is it worth spending more on?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Ocado and Waitrose.

Green & Black's Organic 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

£2.75 for 90g (£3.06 per 100g)

It's one of the most established chocolate brands, but does Green & Black's make better chocolate than the rest?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Lidl JD Gross 70% Ecuador Dark Chocolate

£1.99 for 125g (£1.59 per 100g)

This budget bar is among the cheapest on test, but did it match up to more expensive rivals on taste?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Lidl (in store only).

Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Intense Dark Chocolate

£3 for 100g (£3 per 100g)

Lindt describes its dark chocolate bar as 'exceptionally rich', with enticing notes of vanilla and citrus. Did it win over our panel?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Available from Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Morrisons The Best 72% Cocoa Dominican Republic Dark Chocolate

£2.15 for 100g (£2.15 per 100g)

This single origin bar is made with cocoa beans from the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo. Is it one of the best you can buy?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Morrisons.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Venezuelan 70% Dark Chocolate

£2.25 for 100g (£2.25 per 100g)

Sainsbury's Venezuelan chocolate bar is made with cocoa beans from the Sur de Lago region. Is it one of our top picks?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Sainsbury's.

Tony's Chocolonely 70% Dark Chocolate

£3.50 for 180g (£1.94 per 100g)

Made with Belgian Fairtrade dark chocolate, Tony's says its dark chocolate bar is 'designed for the true chocolate lover'. Did our expert panel agree?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Amazon and Ocado.

Tesco Finest 75% Ecuador Dark Chocolate

£2 for 100g (£2 per 100g)

According to Tesco, this single origin chocolate bar is rich and dark, with notes of fruit and vanilla. Is it a cut above the rest?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Tesco.

Waitrose No.1 75% Madagascan Dark Chocolate

£2.35 for 100g (£2.35 per 100g)

Described as 'rich and vibrant, with red wine notes', is Waitrose Madagascan chocolate worth trying if you're looking for a premium bar?

Join Which? to unlock our test results and find out where this chocolate bar ranked overall. 

Want to buy without reading our results? Available from Waitrose.

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What makes great tasting dark chocolate?

The highest scoring bars had balanced flavours, with distinctive flavour notes such as fruit, nuts and spice. 

Our experts were also looking for a smooth, melt in the mouth texture with a good snap, and a nice shiny appearance – all signs of quality, well-made chocolate. 

Good quality dark chocolate should have well-balanced sweetness and bitterness. Our experts said there's a false perception that dark chocolate should taste bitter (and that the more bitter, the better), but this can actually be a sign that the beans have been over-roasted. 

How we tested dark chocolate bars

We recruited a panel of four independent chocolate experts and asked them to blind-taste and rate 12 dark chocolate bars in September 2024. 

We compared supermarket premium own-label dark chocolate bars to branded options from Lindt, Divine, Green & Black's and Tony's Chocolonely. All bars were 70-75% cocoa to ensure comparability.

We pay for all the products we test to maintain our independence. We occasionally buy direct from a brand if needed (for example, a product isn't yet in stores), but we always pay for samples. Where possible, we buy from the stores just like you would.

Our expert tasting panel included:

• Gabriella Cugno Award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier
• Amarachi Clarke Founder of bean-to-bar chocolate company Lucocoa
• Bharat Chandegra Chocolatier, pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals finalist 2024
• Aneesh Popat Founder of luxury artisan chocolate company The Chocolatier

In our test, we asked the experts to rate each chocolate bar on appearance, aroma, taste and texture.

The taste test was blind, meaning our experts didn’t know which brand they were trying. As some bars had recognisable branding on the chocolate pieces, they wore a blindfold while tasting to prevent any influence on their scores.

DID YOU KNOW? When tasting products, experts typically have another food on standby for use as a palate cleanser between products, to ensure a previous product's taste doesn't influence results. For chocolate we used water biscuits and lemon slices.

Each expert tried the chocolate in a different order to avoid any bias. After all the products had been tasted, the panel discussed their ratings and agreed on a score for each one and which bars deserved to be named a Best Buy. 

Only once all scores were finalised did we reveal the results.

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Is dark chocolate good for you?

Dark chocolate has a reputation for being a healthy choice. This is in part in comparison to other types of chocolate that are typically sweeter, so it can be a good switch.

It is rich in antioxidants and contains minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc, and it contains fibre. Chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage typically has higher levels of antioxidants and minerals.

However, it's still something to enjoy in moderation, as it's calorie-dense, high in fat and may contain high levels of sugar.

What cocoa percentage should you choose?

The cocoa percentage shown on the pack indicates the amount of cocoa the chocolate contains. 

In the UK, the minimum required cocoa content for dark chocolate is 35% (otherwise it can't be called dark), but most dark chocolate bars contain a much higher proportion of cocoa. 

You'll typically find a selection clustered around 50% and then a range at 65%-90%. Some brands do 100% cocoa bars, but this is pretty intense and won't be to everyone's taste.

For our test, we included dark chocolate bars containing between 70% and 75% cocoa so they were comparable. We picked this percentage as it was the most widely available option and a popular choice, so it would be most relevant.

Chocolate with a higher percentage typically has a richer, savoury flavour, while bars with a lower cocoa percentage may be sweeter and more mellow. It's a good idea to try out a few different varieties and strength levels to find the right fit for you. 

Is dark chocolate vegan?

Most dark chocolate bars are naturally dairy-free and suitable for vegans. They usually only contain cocoa, sugar and added flavourings (such as vanilla).

There are a few exceptions, though, so it's worth checking the ingredients list. For example, Cadbury Bournville describes itself as a dark chocolate bar, but contains skimmed milk powder.

See all the top-scoring supermarket picks from our independent taste tests in our guide to the best food and drink

How to choose sustainable chocolate

Cocoa production is associated with a number of ethical and sustainability issues, such as child labour and deforestation.

There are various independent certification schemes, such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance, which set out minimum requirements related to environmental, economic and social standards.

However, standards can vary depending on the scheme. There are also other factors to consider, such as ingredients, production method and where the chocolate is made.

Our chocolate experts advocated for small-scale, bean-to-bar producers. For more advice and information about the issues surrounding producing ethical and sustainable chocolate, see our full guide on how to buy more sustainable chocolate.