5 Best Grocery Store Chocolate Bars Made With 100% Cacao

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I'm a dairy-free chocolate lover, and 100% cacao chocolate bars check all my boxes for a sweet treat. It does take some getting used to, though. They're way stronger than other dark chocolates on the market, though you shouldn't confuse them with the unsweetened baking bars near the chocolate chips in the grocery store. These bars are made solely with the beans from the cacao fruit (what does cacao fruit taste like and how do we get chocolate from it, anyway?). Cacao bars are popular for being sugar-free and dairy-free, but also for health benefits, which include having zero additives on the ingredient list. They're as nuanced as coffee, cigars, and wine, with complex tasting notes and different cacao growing regions.

You won't find a huge selection of 100% cacao chocolate bars in conventional grocery stores. The bulk of 100% cacao chocolate bars are made by specialty companies which sell exclusively online. There are a few brands available at Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods, though, and some of the 100% cacao baking chocolate on the market can double as a snacking chocolate. Put a few of these on your list and you'll be able to hunt down pure chocolate bars nearly wherever you go. To get you started, here are our Top 5 grocery store chocolate bars made with 100% cacao.

The packaging is what drew me to Willie's Cacao Pure 100 Gold chocolate bars. It looks fancy in its box, with its dark brown and gold details (Walmart notes on its website that the packaging isn't always consistent, so keep that in mind). The chocolate inside is made with 100% San Vicente cacao, and when I bite into this bar, I detect finishing notes of espresso and a toasted, nutty flavor — an opinion that's mirrored by online reviews. It's bold and smooth — so robust, in fact, that some reviews say it'll taste extreme if you're used to lighter types of chocolate. "I will warn you, it is not for the faint-hearted as it is very pure and an acquired chocolate taste," wrote one reviewer. "If you are a fan of natural dark chocolate, you will not be disappointed."

Other shoppers praise Willie's Cacao Pure 100 Gold bars for its purity. They note that unlike other types of dark chocolate, it isn't Dutched — a process that alkalizes cacao and balances out the pH but also removes a ton of antioxidants from the final product. In other words, Willie's Cacao Pure 100 Gold bars have all those healthful compounds still intact.

Buy a 3-pack of Willie's Cacao Pure 100 Gold bars for $36.69 on the Walmart website.

Alter Eco's Total Blackout bar isn't just 100% cacao — it's also organic. It's a little more mellow and gentle-tasting than other cacao bars on the market, though it still carries some bitter notes. It's smooth, creamy, and melts in your mouth just as pleasantly as more typical chocolate bars. The best part about Alter Eco's Total Blackout bar might be that it's more widely available than most cacao bars. You're likely to find it at various health food and natural grocery stores, as well as Walmart and Target.

Dark chocolate lovers have said, "These bars are the best of all worlds," probably because it offers a nutrient boost and a sweet treat in one bite. "The richness of the texture and flavor of Total Blackout far surpasses the highly regarded 100% cacao bar I have been eating for years," one reviewer said. "I do not eat chocolate as candy, but as a valuable nutritional supplement. Having an organic product from the highest quality sources is very comforting." Some even say they occasionally swap this chocolate for their morning coffee, using it as a clean energy boost.

Buy a single Alter Eco Total Blackout chocolate bar from Whole Foods for $5.49.

Technically, the Ghirardelli Premium 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar is for baking, but that didn't stop Ghirardelli from going all-out (like the company did with the largest flowing chocolate waterfall in America) and creating a great snacking bar in the process. Like all the other chocolates made by Ghirardelli, these bars are made with precision-roasted, high-quality beans. Reviewers have said this chocolate provides a smooth, balanced snacking experience. After personally testing this bar, I agree. It has the same melt-in-your-mouth quality as other types of chocolate made by this company, and it's a perfect go-to in a chocolate emergency.

Health benefits are what's prompting most people to reach for this Ghirardelli bar. Most reviewers say they pick it because they want low sugar and zero additives in their chocolate. At under $3 per bar, it's a cheaper alternative to some of the other 100% cacao bars on the market. It's also an easier find, since it's usually stocked in the baking section of most grocery stores.

Find the Ghirardelli Premium 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar for $2.58 at Walmart.

In this writer's opinion, Raaka 100% Cacao Unroasted Dark Chocolate Bar is the gold standard for pure cacao chocolate bars. I love it for being bold, daring, and raw. It's a single-source chocolate made from Tanzanian cacao beans. These beans are known for having a fruity flavor profile; some say they taste strawberry and blueberry notes in single-origin Tanzanian chocolate. Tanzanian cacao beans are also known for creating very creamy chocolate. The bar reflects those characteristics. It has unique fruity notes mixed with the robust dark chocolate that don't overpower the rest of the flavor profile, and it's also silky smooth.

Reviews say Raaka's 100% Cacao Unroasted Dark Chocolate Bar is earthy and sweet. Those who have tried it say the flavors are subtle, but varied. "The dark chocolate flavor had balanced flavor notes: buckwheat pancake, very faint green and dried fruit (prune, fig)," wrote one reviewer. "There was a slight, fleeting astringency in the finish. And the bitterness level was quite low for a 100% cacao bar — making it a friendlier 100% bar."

Find the Raaka100% Cacao Unroasted Dark Chocolate Bar for $6.99 at Whole Foods.

Is baking chocolate really that different from regular chocolate? When you're sampling different types of dark chocolate bars, the answer is: Not really. Guittard's 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar is meant for baking, but it's one of the better dark chocolate snack bars on the market. It's ultra-smooth and so creamy that I had to double-check the nutrition label to ensure it's actually 100% cacao. Guittard's chocolate-making process is what sets the bar apart from other dark chocolates. The company is backed by about 150 years of chocolate-making and uses slow-roasting and controlled processing methods.

This 100% cacao bar certainly has the trademark bitterness of other super dark chocolate bars, but it has a balanced flavor profile. When you concentrate on all the flavors that come through in one bite, you'll detect some fruity and spicy notes. Guittard points out floral notes on its website that were faint but present when I tried this bar. It's made with chocolate from multiple regions, including Central America, South America, and West Africa, and in a totally nut-free facility, making it a safe, allergen-friendly option for those with nut allergies.

Guittard's 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar is available on the Walmart website in a 3-pack for $13.99.