Let’s face it. Chocolate is delicious. Whether you eat it on a regular basis or just on special occasions, there’s no denying that chocolate is a universal favourite. So it’s unsurprising that one of the most common questions we’re asked is, “is chocolate keto?”
Luckily for us, some chocolate is indeed keto (silent cheers)! However, with all the different varieties of chocolate bars, it’s often hard to figure out which ones are suitable for keto. That’s where we can help!
In this article we’ll outline how to determine whether a certain chocolate bar is keto. We’ll also share a list of some of the best keto chocolate bars in the UK. Let’s dive in!
>If you want to jump to the different keto chocolate options in the UK, follow this link!
Table of contents
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What exactly is chocolate?
Let’s start at the beginning. What is chocolate? This may seem like a simple question (duh!?), but do you actually know what constitutes chocolate and where it comes from?
Chocolate is produced from cocoa beans, which are harvested from the cocoa tree. Post-harvest, the cocoa beans undergo a multi-step process in order to produce chocolate[1].
- Fermentation of the cocoa beans to develop a chocolatey flavour
- Drying, to remove water
- Roasting, cleaning and shelling to reveal the chocolate nibs
- Grinding and refinement of nibs into a cocoa liquor, before combing with other ingredients
The end result is delicious white, milk or dark chocolate. Two key things to be aware of are cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Cocoa butter is the fatty component of chocolate, which is present in all 3 types of chocolate. Cocoa solids on the other hand are the non-fat components of chocolate and vary depending on the type of chocolate.
Interestingly, you and I are not the first people to sample these chocolatey delights. In fact, chocolate has a long history of being consumed in the Americas, which can be traced back to 400 AD. Given its rich, delicious flavour, there’s no wonder the Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao L., translating to ‘food of the Gods[1].’
Enough with the history lesson, let’s dive into the different types of chocolate!
What are the different types of chocolate?
Chocolate can broadly be divided into 3 different categories, white, milk and dark chocolate. The type of chocolate is quite significant and can help you to determine if a chocolate is keto.
White chocolate
White chocolate is the mildest type of chocolate and is typically composed of milk, sugar and cocoa butter. The key difference between white and milk chocolate is the amount of cocoa solids.
White chocolate contains cocoa butter, but contains zero cocoa solids. The cocoa solids are replaced by milk solids, giving white chocolate its characteristic taste and appearance.
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is the most popular form of chocolate, which you’ll find in most chocolate bars such as Kit-Kat, Mars and Dairy Milk. According to EU guidelines, milk chocolate must legally have at least 25% dry cocoa solids. The remaining constituents of milk chocolate include milk, milk solids, sugar and cocoa butter[2].
Milk chocolates are very diverse and can also be made with nut milks, such as almond. This makes these chocolates suitable for vegans and could even make them more keto-friendly.
Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is the richest type of chocolate and is closest to its purest form. Generally, chocolate is classed as ‘dark’ if it has a proportion of cocoa solids equal or higher than 70%. This gives dark chocolate its characteristic deep flavour and bitter notes. You’ll generally find that the darker the chocolate, the stronger the flavour.
How to choose keto-friendly chocolate
Key points
- Choose chocolate with a minimum of 80-90% cocoa solids
- Watch net carbs – aim for 15g per 100g
- Avoid sugar and sweeteners with a high glycemic index
- Try to consume minimally processed chocolate, with few artificial additives
- Watch portion size and consume moderately
Minimum cocoa solids
The amount of cocoa solids is normally a good indication of whether a chocolate bar is keto. As mentioned, dark chocolate normally has over 70% cocoa solids. However, when it comes to keto, the darker the better!
While you can consume chocolate with 70% cocoa solids, you’ll have to eat less. This is because chocolates with 70% or fewer cocoa solids tend to have higher amounts of sugar. To be safe, we’d recommend to sticking with cocoa solids of around 90%.
Net carbs
While minimum cocoa solids is a good approximation of keto-friendliness, nothing beats measuring net carbs. Some chocolate bars don’t actually use sugar, and instead contain natural, keto-friendly sweeteners. This means they contain very low amounts of carbohydrates.
As mentioned in our article about polyols on keto, polyols are carbohydrates that are digested much more slowly. As a result, the number of carbs from polyols can be subtracted from the total carbohydrate count[3].
For example, imagine a chocolate bar has 20g of carbohydrates, 18g of which are from sugar alcohols. This would result in;
20g – 18g = 2g net carbs
(There is controversy surrounding how much should be subtracted, with some stating only half the polyols carbs should be removed from the net carbs calculation)[3].
For a suitable low carb chocolate bar, aim for around 15g net carbs per 100g.
>>Check out our guide to polyols on keto for a full breakdown
Type of sweetener
Another key thing to look out for is the type of sweetener used. Sugar is of course the worst, but more easily avoidable. What’s more challenging to identify are non-sugar sweeteners with a high glycemic index.
For example, sugar alcohols like erythritol have a low glycemic index and are therefore keto-friendly. On the other hand, the sweetener maltitol has a higher glycemix index, which could lead to spikes in blood sugar.
Spiking blood sugar needs to be avoided at all costs, as it can lead you to exiting ketosis. As a general rule, low glycemic index sweeteners such as stevia, erythritol and monk fruit are best.
Additives
While not technically an inclusion criteria for low carb or keto chocolate, keeping an eye on the amount of additives is a good call. Remember, part of the keto diet is intended to improve overall health by choosing healthy, minimally processed, low carb foods.
We’d therefore recommend staying away from chocolates with a large number of added ingredients.
In general, keto chocolate bars with fewer ingredients are better options. If you read the nutritional information and can’t recognise half the ingredients, best to give it a pass.
Total caloric value
Not necessarily a criteria to be considered keto, but worth mentioning. Darker chocolate tends to have a higher fat content. Although these fats are generally healthy and compatible with the keto diet, it’s important not to overdo it.
Remember, calories still matter. Just be mindful of portion size and you’ll be able to enjoy chocolate as part of your keto diet.
Dark chocolate is the best option for keto
Chocolates that contain fewer cocoa solids can be considered keto, if they use natural sweeteners. However, dark chocolate is generally the best option for the keto diet.
Going for options with around 90% cocoa solids and 15g net carbs per 100g is a good marker to aim for. This can help to satisfy your chocolate cravings as well as bestowing a number of health benefits.
Yes, you read that correctly. Not only is chocolate delicious and keto-friendly (certain types), it’s associated with a number of great health benefits!
Health benefits of chocolate
Chocolate is associated with numerous health benefits due to molecules called polyphenols. Polyphenols naturally occur in a range of fruits and vegetables and are known to have antioxidant properties. They are also associated with cardiometabolic health benefits, such as positively modulating blood pressure and lipid profiles[4][5].
Studies investigating the health benefits of chocolate have revealed a number of interesting findings. For example, a meta-analysis found a reduced risk of cardiometabolic events with regular chocolate consumption. This included a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, and diabetes[4].
There is also emerging research that suggests chocolate can improve skin health, such as reducing the effects of ageing and the risk of acne. This could be due to the polyphenol content in chocolate, as well as other bioactive components[5].
Best keto chocolate in the UK
Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for; A list of keto chocolate options in the UK. As this is tailored to people living in the UK, we’ve highlighted the best keto chocolate options available in the biggest UK supermarkets as well as online stores.
A quick note about net carbs. There is some controversy around whether you should subtract the total amount of polyols or half the amount from the total carbohydrate count (as this will largely depend on the GI of the sweetener).
For simplicity, net carbs have been calculated with all polyol carbs being removed.
In borderline keto cases, this has been highlighted in the notes. Let’s check out these low carb chocolates!
Keto white chocolate, UK
Diablo white chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 495 kcal
- Fat: 37g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Polyols: 44g
- Net carbs: 11g
- Fibre: 1.7g
- Protein: 6g
Available at: Amazon UK
Note: Contains maltitol and can therefore lead to increases in blood glucose – moderately keto
Keto Munch white chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 470 kcal
- Fat: 47g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Polyols: 20g
- Net carbs: 3g
- Fibre: 23g
- Protein: 0.5g
Available at: Keto Munch
Note: Sweetened with erythritol, so completely keto-friendly!
KetoBabe white chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 470 kcal
- Fat: 45g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Polyols: 21g
- Net carbs: 8g
- Fibre: 4.4g
- Protein: 5.5g
Available at: Ketobabe chocolate
Note: Only sweetened with stevia and erythritol, so completely keto-friendly!
Keto milk chocolate, UK
LowCarb milk chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 469 kcal
- Fat: 34g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Polyols: 48g
- Net carbs: 6g
- Fibre: 3g
- Protein: 6g
Available at: CarbZone UK and Amazon UK
Note: Uses maltitol as a sweetener, so can spike your blood glucose – moderately keto. (milk chocolate currently unavailable)
Pure heavenly 'silk' chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 434 kcal
- Fat: 38g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Polyols: 19g
- Net carbs: 22g
- Fibre: 12.4g
- Protein: 1.6g
Available at: Pure Heavenly
Note: Higher carbohydrate content than ideal – best to consume in smaller quantities.
KetoBabe hazlenut milk chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 417 kcal
- Fat: 38g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Polyols: 21g
- Net carbs: 5g
- Fibre: 19.7g
- Protein: 5.5g
Available at: Ketobabe chocolate
Note: Uses stevia and erythritol as sweeteners, so keto-friendly!
Keto dark chocolate, UK
Lindt 90% dark chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 592 kcal
- Fat: 55g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 14g
- Fibre: N/A
- Protein: 10g
Available at: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado and Amazon UK
Note: High in cocoa solids and a great treat on keto! If you really like it, save money by buying it in bulk!
Moser Roth 90% dark chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 625 kcal
- Fat: 52g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 22g
- Fibre: 11g
- Protein: 12g
Available at: Aldi
Note: Slightly higher in carbs than ideal, but small pieces can be integrated into keto.
Green & Black's 85% chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 607 kcal
- Fat: 50g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 24g
- Fibre: 13g
- Protein: 10g
Available at: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Amazon UK
Note: Slightly higher in carbs, but suitable in smaller quantities. Green & Blacks bars are also organic and available in packs of 15.
Montezuma's absolute black 100%
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 601 kcal
- Fat: 51g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 8g
- Fibre: 17g
- Protein: 13g
Available at: Sainsbury’s and Amazon UK
Note: Low net carbs and a whole bunch of fibre. Super keto-friendly but very bitter taste.
Hotel Chocolat 100% batons
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 610 kcal
- Fat: 52.3g
- Carbohydrates: 13.9g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 13.9g
- Fibre: 14.6g
- Protein: 13.7g
Available at: Hotel Chocolat
Note: A great keto-friendly option!
Hotel Chocolat 90% chocolate slab
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 592 kcal
- Fat: 51.3g
- Carbohydrates: 13.8g
- Polyols: 0g
- Net carbs: 13.8g
- Fibre: 16.2g
- Protein: 10.2g
Available at: Hotel Chocolat
Note: 90% dark chocolate, suitable for the keto diet!
Choco Logic dark chocolate
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 432 kcal
- Fat: 34.8g
- Carbohydrates: 18.7g
- Polyols: 8.7g
- Net carbs: 10g
- Fibre: 34.8g
- Protein: 5.3g
Available at: Tesco
Note: Dark chocolate sweetened with stevia. A great, keto-friendly option! (55% cocoa solids)
Wrapping up
So, is chocolate keto? As described, eating chocolate on the keto diet is definitely possible. The key to staying within your keto diet is eating chocolate with a low amount of net carbohydrates. You’ll have noticed that most keto chocolate options are dark chocolate. By nature, these options tend to have lower carbohydrates.
However, eating milk chocolate is still possible, provided its sweetened with keto-friendly sweeteners, like stevia and erythritol. Remember to consume in moderation!
If you check out some of the options listed, feel free to let us know what you think of them! Equally, if you’ve tried any other low carb chocolates in the UK, we’d be keen to hear about them!
