I “forced” my daugter to do a chocolate taste test 🙂
Trader Joes is a great grocery store to find unique products including a variety of really amazing dark chocolates. Dark chocolate is more than just a really nice treat; it’s actually a superfood, chock full of antioxidants called cocoa flavanols. Score!
How do you find good dark chocolate?
Good dark chocolate has a high cacao content – high fat, and low-ish in sugar. The higher the cacao content, the higher in antioxidants and fiber and usually lower in sugar. Most health experts consider any chocolate that contains 70% or higher cacao content as a healthy choice.Â
Organic and fair-trade are also important.
Here are six dark chocolates only available at Trader Joes (maybe on Amazon?). My daughter and I tested all six and all were really delicious.
If you don’t have access to Trader Joes or just want to get your hands on some healthy and delicious dark chocolate, here are my top 3 online recommendations (plus a bonus):Â
- Madecasse 92 Percent Dark Chocolate (Amazon)
- Kosterina Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dark Chocolate
- Montezuma’s Dark Chocolate Absolute Black (Amazon) – this one was rated the highest in flavanols and lowest in the toxic metal cadmium by ConsumerLabs.com
- Drinking Chocolate: Organifi Chocolate Gold (use code Troy for 20% off)
Table of Contents
Dark Chocolate Health Benefits
Dark chocolate has been linked to a variety of health benefits such as:
- Containing health fats, mostly monounsaturated and saturated fat, with very little polyunsaturated fat.Â
- Containing lots of antioxidant polyphenols, particularly flavanols
- Improved blood pressure
- Improved cardiovascular disease
- Improved insulin resistance
- Resistance to UVÂ
- Improved mood, especially in high-pressure or stressful situations
- Reduction in appetite
- Improved levels of inflammation and insulin (mouse study)
- Beneficial prebiotic effectÂ
- Enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis, or, the creation of new mitochondria
- Immediate cognitive effects, primarily accounted for by caffeine and theobromine
Wow, no wonder it’s considered a superfood!
The order of the chocolates that we reviewed are from highest cacao (100%) to lowest.
And here we go…
Montezuma's Absolute Black - 100% Cocoa
4 servings per bar
Each serving (25g):
13g fat (7g saturated)
5g carbs (4g fiber; <1g sugar)
This bar looks fantastic: the smoothest 100% cocoa bar I’ve ever had. You can actually eat this straight up and enjoy it. This is my second favorite out of the six reviewed but I like my chocolate DARK!
The Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Bar - 85%
3 servings per bar
Each serving (31g):
15g fat (9g saturated)
10g carbs (4g fiber; 5g sugar)
This bar was amazing – it literally tastes like a German chocolate cake with almost no bitterness. I can’t believe it’s 85%! This was my favorite out of the six.
Belgian Dark Chocolate - 72% Cacao
3.5 servings per bar
Each serving (30g):
13g fat (8g saturated)
13g carbs (4g fiber; 7g sugar)
This bar is fair trade and organic so it’s probably the best option out of the five. Really tasty and sweeter than the others above.
Dark Chocolate Baton - 72% Cacao
1 serving per baton
Each serving (35g):
11g fat (7g saturated)
21g carbs (3g fiber; 11g sugar)
This chocolate is a little higher in sugar than I would prefer but that 11g is for a full baton…I usually only eat two pieces (out of six) so it’s just enough to sooth a sweet tooth. This is also both my kids’ favorite dark chocolate. It’s both organic and fair trade.
Espresso Dark Chocolate Baton - 60% Cacao
1 serving per baton
Each serving (35g):
13g fat (8g saturated)
19g carbs (3g fiber; 13g sugar)
This one is really tasty if you like both chocolate AND coffee (who doesn’t though??). It has real coffee beans which adds a nice crunch and a wonderful flavor. Definitely higher in sugar than I would prefer but just like the baton above, 13g is for a full baton…I usually only eat two pieces (out of six). It’s both organic and fair trade.
Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds - % Cacao Unknown
9 servings per container
Each serving (30g):
12g fat (4.5g saturated)
13g carbs (3g fiber; 9g sugar)
Ok, so technically not a chocolate bar. Here’s the description “Roasted almonds drenched in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and turbinado sugar”. The percent of cacao isn’t listed but it might be as high as 70% since the first ingredient is Dark Chocolate. The salt and sugar add a really nice contrast. Again, my kids love these.
***CONTAINS DAIRY***
My Favorite Non-TJ Dark Chocolate Drink
I recently discovered another at-home healthy hot chocolate that requires zero work on your part. I’ve long been a big fan of Organifi juice powders, and now they have a new formula called Gold Chocolate that is, well, chocolate gold. This rich, delicious blend contains Reishi mushroom, which promotes restful sleep, traditional Ayurvedic herbs to nourish the body, and lemon balm extract (AKA the “calming herb”)—and it has zero sugar. I blend a scoop with coconut milk for a creamy, satisfying health chocolate treat before bed. (You can get 20% off everything at Organifi with code Troy.)
DISCLOSURE: In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the links above are affiliate links of which Antifragile.fit receives a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you (sometimes, I even get to share a unique discount with you). My first priority is providing valuable information and resources to help optimize your mind and body and I will only link to products or resources (affiliate or otherwise) that fit within this purpose.
I only found one dark chocolate bar at TJs that didn’t have nasty, chemically produced soy lecithin.
I’m not to concerned about the small amount of soy lecithin found in the chocolate.
What about their Pound Plus 72% Dark Chocolate? Is it fair trade?
I haven’t tried that one.
Troy, wish that you have tried a few more TJ’s dark chocolate (72, 85, 92, etc), then your list will be more credible. I get chocolate from TJ for the past 20 years. I bought Montezuma’s 100% without almond, the one in your picture has almond. I would not call it PURE. I bought a dozen of this bars each time.
Are there any others you recommend?
Valrhona dark 85% from France. Selling at trader joe’s for 2.99
And Uganda 85%
They both only cacao pure and cacoa butter
Low in sugar
Valrhona and Uganda
Best and inexpensive at trader joe’s
Thank you for all the great recommendations!
I would recommend the Uganda 85%. By far my favorite
Thanks for the recommendation. I will give it a try!
And valrhona 85% from France. 2.99 at trader joe’s
Pure Cocoa and very low sugar