Chocolate chips as a food review, what? I know it sounds a little silly. Perhaps you have your go to brand that you always buy. Maybe you’re not brand loyal in the least and are always trying new ones. Either way, I feel it’s necessary to review because there are so many chocolate chips and chocolate candies with fillers, too much sugar, or things that could be unknowingly harmful to you, or at the very least, not as good as you think it is. If we’re going to splurge on chocolate (and let’s be honest, it’s worth the splurge), then let’s get the biggest bang for our health buck.

As a chocoholic myself, I feel completely qualified to share my honest opinions and reviews of different chocolate chips. Seeing as how we use it all the time… everything from a little after dinner treat with my girls to homemade trail mix to a drizzle over fat bombs… I wanted to make sure we were eating the best kind. Chocolate chips are rarely just chocolate. They have fillers such as soy, extra sugars, etc. So, in order to help you navigate the chocolate chip area of your store, in a quest for healthier options for your family, here are a few reviews!

Top Pick

Simple Truth Organic 72% Dark Chocolate Chunks

• 3 ingredients: organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter
• High Cocoa percentage without the bitter taste
• No “extra” ingredients
• The best bang for your buck
• No artificial sugars
• Tastes delicious and can be used for everything! It’s a lower cost because it’s a store-brand (Kroger, Albertsons, Ralphs, etc.). If you don’t have one of these stores in your area, you can buy it online.

Second Pick

Pascha 100% cocoa

• 1 ingredient: 100% organic cacao mass
• Being 100% cocoa, it’s taste is much more bitter, but with the health benefits of real dark chocolate
• We don’t use it for snacking on its own in our house
• The only time I use these are when I make a dark chocolate drizzle, bark, or maybe something that isn’t meant to be too sweet
• Cons: I haven’t seen it in stores. I’ve purchased it online through ThriveMarket.com. Also, it’s a bit pricey.

Third Pick

Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips (66% cacao)

• Ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, cane sugar
• I love the simplicity of the ingredients
• It doesn’t taste great on it’s own (my opinion), but it’s great in baking
• It’s more expensive than the Simple Truth brand, which is why it’s my third pick
• You can find it on Thrive Market if your local store doesn’t carry it

Used Sparingly & Know Before You Buy

Lily’s Chocolate

• Ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, Erythritol, Inulin, Stevia extract, organic soy lecithin, vanilla
• Soy lecithin: beware that this is a soy by-product, so if you have a soy allergy, you definitely need to avoid it. It isn’t the worst thing, however. This is a great article comparing the pros and cons of soy lecithin.
• Uses erythritol and stevia to sweeten. These are both natural, low-cal sweeteners that I personally like and use, and they are a much better option than something like splenda or aspartame. So, it’s a much better option than other non natural sweeteners.
• Inulin asses: this is a natural fiber and prebiotic. The problem I have with adding it is, WHY? Most other chocolates don’t have it added and unfortunately, if you are someone with IBS and sensitive to FODMAPS, inulin and this chocolate will not settle well with your stomach (like me).
• Less cocoa percentage. 55% compared to 72% (Simple Truth) and 100% (Pasha). This means there’s less of the healthy dark cocoa and more of the other ingredients.
• Price? Much more expensive (boo!)

Don’t Get

Nestle Tollhouse Dark Chocolate Chips

• Ingredients: dark chocolate (chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, milkfat, nonfat milk, natural flavor)
• While it’s a common household name, Nestle Tollhouse (especially if you’ve see the Friends episode about them 😉 ) They are at the bottom of my recommendations.
• There is more added sugar in these than the other chocolate chips, lower cocoa, and also whenever “natural flavors” is an ingredient, you should be wary.

So there you have it. Life doesn’t have to be a box of chocolates here… now you DO know what you’re going to get! Remember, if you are currently buying milk chocolate chips, it may take a little time to get used to the bitterness of dark chocolate. It is certainly worth the switch. There aren’t any milk chocolate chips that make my list; but, if you’ve got a good one, comment below!