Our Favourite Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free & Vegan Chocolates & Where to Buy

March 27, 2019 Biome

Shopping for kids or adults with a diary, soy or gluten intolerance? We understand that this can be somewhat challenging at certain times of the year, particularly around Easter. Walking up and down supermarket isles, in and out of health food shops, and trawling through Google search results trying to find an alternative chocolate that doesn't contain the ingredients you need to avoid may seem like an endless task. But we are here to make things easy for you! All of the delicious Easter chocolate available at Biome is not only palm oil free, it is dairy free and vegan chocolate too. Booja-Booja, Moo Free and Pana Chocolate is also gluten free and soy free. Read on as we share our favourite inclusive chocolate options, and were you can find it! And, as we love DIYs and making things ourself, we've also included a coconut oil chocolate recipe you might like to try.

Dairy Free Chocolate

All of the chocolate available at Biome is dairy free and vegan. One of our favourites to arrive this Easter is the Plamil So Free No Sugar Dark Chocolate Easter Egg & Sharing Bag. Made from the finest dark chocolate, Plamil's hollow Easter egg with sharing bag is made from 72% cocoa dark chocolate with no added sugar but sweetened with natural Xylitol. Made in the Plamil factory which never uses dairy or gluten, it is suitable for vegans and coeliacs.

We also can't get enough of the Loving Earth range of premium dairy free creme filled Easter eggs. Beautifully packaged, and ethically sourced from bean to bar, the outer shell is made from Loving Earth's signature vegan cashew dark vegan chocolate, and they're filled with a delicious, smooth crème.

Shop our range of allergy friendly Easter treats here >

Soy Free Chocolate

Most chocolate, including Easter faves like Cadbury eggs and Lindt bunnies, as well as chocolate gift boxes, chocolate bars and family blocks, contain soy in the form of soy lecithin. This ingredient is a by-product of soybean oil and keeps the cocoa butter and cocoa from separating. It is not a necessary ingredient for great tasting chocolate with a beautiful consistency though, like our award winning Booja-Booja range shows. So those with a soy intolerance absolutely do not miss out. A stand out in the range is the Booja-Booja Hazelnut Crunch. These luxurious, vegan, dark chocolate truffles feature a melt-in-your-mouth sweet-roasted Italian hazelnut filled ganache enrobed in dark chocolate. These chocolates have won 19 awards, they are that good! Shop Booja-Booja here >

Gluten Free Chocolate

Although chocolate itself does not contain gluten, it is often mixed with ingredients that do contain gluten (like biscuit bits or wafer), or manufactured on the same equipment that processes wheat. There is of course great tasting gluten free chocolate out there though, and ranges that don't process gluten containing ingredients on the same equipment. Pana Chocolates have been a crowd favourite for many years. We think this review sums up the range perfectly:

"Good quality chocolate that is good for you. Not only do these taste amazing (despite how weird some of the combinations sound) but they also make really good gifts for people who appreciate chocolate. I am yet to find someone who does not feel the love that is wrapped into these small bars!" - Emma

There is truely so much love that goes into a Pana Chocolate bar! Pana vegan chocolate is dairy free, gluten free, soy free, palm oil free, Certified Organic and made in Australia. Buy the Pana range of chocolates here >

Palm Oil Free Chocolate

How do you know if there is palm oil in chocolate? Will it say 'palm oil' in the ingredients list or does it hide behind something else? Almost all chocolates with creamy centres have palm oil in them, even those labelled vegan or cruelty free, unfortunately. Ingredients such as vegetable oil or fats, emulsifier, or humectant/glycerol are in most cases (usually unless stated otherwise) derived from palm oil. We are very excited to see ethical companies like Loving Earth produce beautiful vegan chocolates with creamy fillings that don't contain palm oil. Loving Earth's Boobook Chocolate Eggs are made with cashew mylk and filled with a delicious soft caramel centre. They are made in Melbourne, Australia and support the Great Forest National Park campaign. Boobook Chocolate Eggs are vegan, palm oil free, gluten free, dairy free, cane sugar free and made in Australia.

Biome is proud to be a 100% palm oil free store. In this article here, we illustrate how palm oil sneaks its way into chocolate, including Easter eggs and confectionary and the ingredients to look out for.

Shop our entire range of vegan chocolate here