Gym-goers who want a chocolate treat
If chocolate is something you enjoy after training, keep its role separate from a meal or snack chosen to provide carbohydrate and protein. Compare the exact bar’s nutrition panel when deciding on a portion.
Who is this for?
People who enjoy high-cocoa chocolate
If you already like intense dark chocolate, compare 85%, 90% and 100% bars by flavour preference and their labelled sugars rather than assuming cocoa percentage tells you everything about the recipe.
Shoppers checking ingredients and allergens
Vegan, Fairtrade and organic claims may help you narrow down a particular bar. If you have a food allergy, check its current on-pack allergen declaration separately: a vegan recipe does not establish that a product is suitable for a milk allergy.
What should you check?
Decide whether you need a post-exercise snack or simply want chocolate alongside one. Then compare bars on the same label basis, including the portion you intend to eat.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Post-exercise food | Check what the whole snack or meal provides, not just the chocolate. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes carbohydrate-and-protein snacks as providing fuel and protein for muscle repair around exercise. | If I need food after training, I want the snack or meal to provide carbohydrate and protein; chocolate can be a separate treat. |
| Sugars and cocoa | Compare sugars per 100g on the exact bar. Montezuma's lists 0.6g for Absolute Black 100%, Lindt lists 7g for Excellence 90%, Divine lists 13.9g for its 85% bar, and Waitrose & Partners lists 14g for Green & Black's Organic 85%. | I enjoy a stronger cocoa flavour, but I still want to see how much sugar is in the bar I choose. |
| Portion and full label | Read energy and saturated fat as well as sugars per 100g, then check the values for your portion. Lindt lists 592 kcal and 30g saturates per 100g for Excellence 90%; Montezuma's lists 623 kcal and 32g saturates for Absolute Black. | A bar with less labelled sugar does not answer my portion-size question; I want to consider the other nutrition figures too. |
| Allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredients, allergen declaration and any ‘may contain’ wording for the precise product. Check allergy suitability independently of vegan or other recipe claims. | If I need to avoid an allergen, the declaration on the bar matters more to me than a general description of its recipe. |
| Ingredient preferences | Check whether Fairtrade, organic, vegan or palm-oil-free wording applies to the particular bar and recipe you are buying. | I may prefer a bar with a specific sourcing or ingredient claim, while still comparing its flavour and nutrition label. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating chocolate as the whole recovery snack
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes carbohydrate-and-protein snacks as useful around exercise for fuel and protein for muscle repair. A high-cocoa label does not establish that a serving of chocolate meets that purpose.
If recovery nutrition is your reason for eating, choose a meal or snack that provides carbohydrate and protein; have chocolate separately if you want it.
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Reading lower sugar as lower energy or saturated fat
The labels for Lindt Excellence 90% and Montezuma's Absolute Black list 7g and 0.6g sugars per 100g respectively, alongside 592–623 kcal and 30–32g saturates per 100g.
Compare sugars, energy and saturates on the same per-100g basis, then look at the portion you plan to eat.
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Using a vegan claim as an allergy check
A vegan recipe and an allergen declaration answer different questions. Lindt says its Excellence 90% bar is made to a vegan recipe but is not suitable for people with milk allergy.
Check the current pack for the allergens relevant to you, including any cross-contact warning.
Relevant brands and bars
These details concern the named bars, not every chocolate made by each brand. Use the current pack for the recipe and allergen declaration.
Montezuma's
Absolute Black is a 100% cocoa bar for someone who enjoys an intense cocoa flavour.
- Montezuma's lists 0.6g sugars, 14g protein and 11g fibre per 100g for Absolute Black.
- The same label lists 623 kcal and 32g saturates per 100g. The bar may contain traces of milk, nuts and peanuts.
Lindt
Excellence 90% Cocoa Dark offers a different cocoa percentage from the 85% and 100% bars discussed here.
- Lindt lists 90% minimum cocoa solids, 7g sugars and 10g protein per 100g.
- The bar lists 30g saturates per 100g. Lindt says that, despite its vegan recipe, it is not suitable for people with milk allergy.
Divine
Divine’s 85% bar offers Fairtrade ingredients and a vegan, palm-oil-free recipe.
- Divine lists 13.9g sugars and 10.9g protein per 100g for this bar.
- Its product information lists 31.1g saturates per 100g and says the bar may contain gluten, milk and nuts.
Green & Black's
The Organic 85% Dark Chocolate Bar is an option for shoppers looking for an organic, Fairtrade 85% recipe.
- Waitrose & Partners lists 14g sugars and 10g protein per 100g for this bar.
- The listing gives 607 kcal and 30g saturates per 100g and says the bar may contain nuts and milk.
M&S
M&S Collection 85% dark chocolate is a Fairtrade, vegan-recipe option.
- M&S lists 10.1g protein and 15.9g sugars per 100g for this bar.
- It lists 30.5g saturates per 100g and says the bar is not suitable for people with milk, nut or peanut allergy.
Hotel Chocolat
Hotel Chocolat describes its 85% Dark Chocolate Slab as mellow and without acidity. That is the brand’s description of this slab’s flavour, rather than a nutrition comparison with the other bars.
- The slab offers another 85% cocoa option if flavour is your main reason for choosing chocolate.
- Check its current pack’s nutrition and allergen information before comparing it with another bar.
Dark chocolate options on Joybuy
These bars are options for a post-gym chocolate treat: three are labelled 85% cocoa and one is labelled 72%. Compare the particular bar and portion if you are choosing chocolate alongside, rather than instead of, a post-exercise meal or snack.
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Green & Black's Dark Chocolate 85% 90g
An 85% cocoa bar to consider as a chocolate treat alongside other post-exercise food. Waitrose & Partners lists 14g sugars, 607 kcal and 30g saturates per 100g for the Organic 85% bar. Check the current pack if you need to avoid nuts or milk.
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Morrisons The Best 85% Cocoa Ecuador Dark Chocolate 100g
A 100g bar labelled 85% cocoa for a chocolate treat after exercise. Check its current nutrition panel for the portion you intend to eat, and read the pack’s allergen declaration if you need to avoid particular ingredients.
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Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Dark 100g
This 85% cocoa, 100g bar is an option if you want chocolate alongside post-exercise food. Compare its own label rather than using figures for Lindt Excellence 90%, which is a different bar; check the current allergen declaration too.
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Morrisons The Best 72% Cocoa Dominican Republic Dark Chocolate 100g
At 72% cocoa, this 100g bar is a different choice from the 85% options above. If cocoa percentage or labelled sugars drive your decision, compare its current nutrition panel directly with those bars; check the pack’s allergen declaration before buying.
Questions about dark chocolate after exercise
Is dark chocolate enough as a post-gym snack?
Do not rely on chocolate alone if your aim is a snack that provides carbohydrate and protein after exercise. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes that combination as providing fuel and protein for muscle repair; chocolate can instead be a separate treat alongside a suitable snack or meal.
Should I choose 85%, 90% or 100% cocoa?
Choose according to the flavour you enjoy and the exact bar’s nutrition panel, not cocoa percentage alone. Montezuma's lists 0.6g sugars per 100g for Absolute Black 100%, Lindt lists 7g for Excellence 90%, Divine lists 13.9g for its 85% bar, and Waitrose & Partners lists 14g for Green & Black's Organic 85%; compare energy and saturated fat as well.
Does a vegan dark-chocolate recipe rule out milk allergens?
No. Lindt says its Excellence 90% bar is made to a vegan recipe but is not suitable for people with milk allergy; M&S also describes its 85% bar as vegan while stating it is not suitable for people with milk, nut or peanut allergy. Read the current pack’s allergen declaration for the bar you are considering.