Dark chocolate has earned its “better for you” reputation fairly, with more fibre, iron, magnesium, and polyphenols than milk chocolate. The experts at Which? tested the full range, from approachable 55% bars to punchy 85% ones, judging each on flavour, quality, sustainability, and value. You may or may not be surprised at which brands came out on top, though each supermarket’s offering brought something new to the table.
M&S Choc Marks dark chocolate bar was the best of the low cocoa percentage choices.
Wrapped in a bold red sleeve with graphic-style lettering, this bar is hard to miss on a shelf, styled somewhat like a Tony’s Chocolonely bar with uneven chunks. Beyond the eye-catching design, it’s the pick recommended for anyone new to dark chocolate.At 55% cocoa, it’s an easy-eating yet still rich option, slightly sweeter than most others tested. Despite a steep initial price of £3.50, the sheer weight of chocolate you get helps justify the cost.
Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade single origin dark 57% orange has the best orange flavour.
This bar offers a more grown-up take on the classic chocolate orange combination. Infused with orange oil and candied orange peel throughout, it delivers a slightly soft chew alongside rich dark chocolate with just a touch of sweetness, avoiding the overly sickly quality that often plagues orange flavoured chocolate. At £2.95 for 100g, price is really its only downside.
Asda Ecuadorian dark chocolate 60% with sea salt is the best bar with sea salt.
Biting into this bar delivers an immediate hit of sweetness, rounded out nicely by the addition of sea salt, which pairs beautifully with the cocoa flavour underneath. While a stronger salty punch might have improved things further, this remains a light, easy-to-devour dark chocolate overall.
Asda 73% Madagascan dark chocolate is the best overall.
Sitting in the middle of the pack percentage-wise, this bar takes the top spot for being approachable while still hitting a proper cocoa level. Rather than tasting overly rich or bitter, it comes across as buttery and light, balancing the high cocoa solids with just enough sweetness to keep it easy to eat.
The cocoa mass and cocoa butter carry Rainforest Alliance certification, meaning they’re sourced from farms meeting strict standards around environmental protection, farmer livelihoods and human rights. At £2.28 for 100g, it also offers strong value alongside its ethical credentials.
Co-op Irresistible Fairtrade dark chocolate 85% is the best crowd-pleasing 85% bar.
Made from single-origin cocoa and Fairtrade ingredients, this bar proves moreish despite its high percentage. Marketed as intense, it actually came across milder than other 85% bars tested, with the bitterness softened by added flavouring and a touch of sugar. The texture holds up well too, offering a satisfying smoothness that makes it easy to keep reaching for another square.
Aldi Moser Roth dark 85% cocoa chocolate represents the best budget buy.
With chocolate prices climbing across the board, finding a good value bar matters more than ever. Aldi’s 85% offering costs under £2.50 for 125g, making it appealing even before you’ve torn open the wrapper.
Once tasted, there’s plenty to like: it’s glossy, rich and packed with flavour for a high cocoa bar, even if it doesn’t feel especially premium. The one drawback is that every two squares come individually wrapped, adding unnecessary extra packaging.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Belgian dark 85% cocoa cooking chocolate is the best for baking.
For anyone specifically after high cocoa chocolate suited to baking, this option from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range delivers. Eaten straight, it’s quite sweet and creamy for an 85% bar, though not as rich or well-rounded as some other options on this list.
Where it truly shines is under heat. Used in chocolate chip cookies, it added a real punch of richness to the dough and held up impressively well once baked.
M&S Collection Peruvian dark chocolate is the best premium chocolate.
This is a bar worth savouring rather than rushing through. Made from single-origin 85% cocoa, it delivers a satisfying snap alongside an aromatic, deep berry flavour and a smooth finish on the palate.
It comes from a family-owned chocolatier near Milan, and at £3 for 100g, the price reflects real quality alongside Fairtrade sourcing practices. For anyone who enjoys a rich, high percentage bar, this one and the Co-op 85% stood out most for balancing bitterness well.
How each bar was actually judged
Testing weighed up quality, flavour, sustainability, and value for money. On quality, cheap-tasting chocolate was ruled out in favour of bars using properly good ingredients with a genuine mouthfeel.
Flavour assessment paid close attention to balance, noting where added vanilla or other flavourings enhanced a bar versus where they overpowered the chocolate itself. Sustainability and Fairtrade credentials earned extra points throughout, with responsibly sourced cocoa treated as a meaningful factor rather than an afterthought.
Value was calculated by working out price per 100g across every bar, so if you’re deciding between a 55% and an 85% bar next time you shop, it’s that per-100g figure, not the sticker price, that actually tells you which one’s the better buy.
