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These plant-based options from the likes of Hotel Chocolat and Moo Free are nothing short of cracking
Spring hasn’t even sprung yet but Easter eggs and hot cross buns are already lining supermarket shelves. For those who want to get ahead for the Easter bank holiday weekend (29 March to 1 April), this is eggcellent news. Even better, for sweet-toothed vegans and dairy-free chocoholics, we’ve been on the hunt for the best vegan Easter eggs around.
As always, there’s a cracking variety of vegan Easter eggs this year, courtesy of the Easter Bunny (read: Hotel Chocolat, Happi, Moo Free and more). From fruit-flavoured and dark chocolate delights to vegan oat milk Easter eggs and filled options (should a hollow shell not cut it), there are tempting treats galore.
Whether you’re hiding them for a team of eager Easter egg hunters to find, or you’re planning to devour them yourself, we’re here to help you track down the most scrumptious plant-based options by taste-testing a smorgasbord of vegan Easter eggs (well, someone had to do it).
If, for you, it’s all about dark, flavourful vegan chocolate, we think you’ll enjoy Love Cocoa’s Maldon salt Easter egg. Or, if you want a decadent, creamy, vegan milk chocolate treat, the geometric egg from Kakao is a must. As for a salted caramel treat for the senses, we’d go for the vegan chocolate brand Happi.
For more vegan Easter eggs to get eggcited about, keep reading.
To cut a long story short, we ate a lot of vegan Easter eggs. We assessed the quality and taste of the chocolate, the thickness of the egg and any eggceptional design features. We also looked at whether the eggs came with any other Easter treats, such as chocolate buttons or truffles. Environmental impacts of the packaging were considered, too. So, without further ado, let’s get cracking.
We were hit with a deliciously buttery, sweet aroma when we unwrapped this salted caramel Easter egg, so, you can be sure it’ll be a real treat for the senses. Made with oat milk, Happi’s smooth chocolate is on the darker side, but it’s boosted by the sweet flavour of salted caramel, which makes this egg exceedingly moreish.
It’s been made without palm oil, gluten and soya, and it’s fairly large (170g), so feels like a treat, and we liked that the surface has a geometric, cracked appearance. The egg is wrapped in a transparent material made from home-compostable wood pulp, and Happi says the packaging doesn’t contain any single-use plastic. It doesn’t hurt that the design of the box is bright and fun, either.
Espresso martini-inspired, this is one of the more intriguing options we tried, and should appeal to chocoholics with a major sweet tooth. Certified by The Vegan Society and hailing from Asda’s OMV! vegan range, it’s really delicious, and we were really quite shocked that it costs as little as it does. The milk chocolate alternative is sweet, with a subtle taste of coffee to it, while creamy white chocolate drops, crunchy caramel flakes and cocoa nibs feature for a satisfying bite.
It’s surprisingly large (160g), considering it’s only a fiver, and, while the rippled-effect shell isn’t especially thick, we were pleased to find that it’s also packed with sweet, chunky and crunchy areas, courtesy of that vegan white chocolate, caramel and cocoa nib deliciousness. What a treat.
For a cheap and cheerful vegan chocolate treat, you can’t go wrong with Moo Free’s rocky road egg. This vegan milk chocolate egg is certified free from dairy, gluten, soya and lactose. It’s mid-sized and boasts a chunky mishmash of deconstructed rocky road elements nestled into one side of its shell.
There’s creamy white chocolate, crispy rice balls covered in chocolate, toffee pieces, raisins and mini marshmallows, all of which introduce some variation in texture to the egg, elevating it and making it that little bit more fun to eat. Admittedly, the rice milk chocolate didn’t blow our minds, but it’s decent, and kids will appreciate the colourful packaging with eggs that they can colour in.
We were very pleased with this offering from B Corp-certified chocolate company Divine, as it’s an affordable and absolutely delicious delight that any dark chocolate devotee would be thrilled to receive.
It’s made with Fairtrade cocoa and sugar, and natural ingredients, resulting in chocolate that boasts a really lovely, if slightly unusual, taste – we’d describe it as almost fruity, with a touch of cinnamon-esque spice.
Certified by The Vegan Society, it also comes packed in plastic-free packaging, while there’s a rippled effect on the surface that makes it look a little more premium than its price point would suggest. If you’re looking for a dark chocolate hit, this one’s for you.
H!P is a name to know if you love creamy plant-based chocolate, and this cookies and cream creation did not disappoint. The flavour is subtle – there aren’t any cookies hidden inside, rather the chocolate has been combined with teeny pieces of cookie for a moreish, crumbly, crunchy texture.
Made with oat milk and 41 per cent single-origin Colombian cocoa, the vegan milk chocolate is deliciously sweet and creamy, and, for us, hits the spot.
The egg is big (160g), but there’s a tiny packet of mini oat milk chocolate buttons, if you’re left wanting more. It ticks the box when it comes to plastic-free packaging, too.
Hotel Chocolat has really thought outside the box with this dark chocolate design. A vegan Easter egg with a cartoon egg splattered across it – very meta, and we love it. It’s a fun concept that’s been well executed, too, with creamy vegan white chocolate for the egg white and bright yellow yolk.
Made from 70 per cent cocoa, the chocolate egg doesn’t disappoint. It’s smooth and has a rich flavour that feels balanced between bitterness and sweetness, so it’s not too intense if you’re not a hardcore dark chocolate devotee.
With a fun splat of metallic pink on an otherwise minimalist design, the packaging is also a win.
Love Coca’s Maldon sea salt dark chocolate is eggceedingly good. There’s a subtle, salty kick from the Maldon sea salt flakes, which enhances the flavour of the cocoa, making it taste a little sweeter and a little less bitter than you might expect from a dark chocolate choice.
With a lovely rich taste and mouthfeel, the chocolate is single-origin and free from palm oil. The egg is a good size (150g), finished with an appealing rippled effect, too. What’s more, the packaging is not only lovely to look at, it’s also plastic-free.
Love Cocoa is a member of 1% for the Planet, so you can feel even better about your purchase, as it’s supporting a worthy cause.
If you’re looking for something a little bit special – perhaps a little over the top, even – this vegan cookie Easter egg from Cutter & Squidge has you covered. It’s handmade, and so decadent it could be a dessert. There’s a dark chocolate shell that is more sweet than it is bitter, while the egg is brimming with layers of filling (which does make this egg messy and a little difficult to eat).
While we weren’t too keen on the buttery, creamy caramel layer (some people may find it a bit much), we really enjoyed the whipped, plant-based chocolate ganache and vegan honeycomb peppered throughout, which gives the egg a nice, subtle crunch.
It’s all topped off with caramel and chocolate ganache-filled mini chocolate eggs, and crumbly cookie pieces. Finished with a pretty golden shimmer, this is nothing short of a showstopper.
Let us introduce you to Plucky, a dark chocolate chick from luxury chocolate brand Montezumas. It may not be an Easter egg as such but it’s hollow, round(ish) and a fun choice – plus, it’s a nice size if you’re looking for something on the smaller side.
Made with organic ingredients, and free from gluten, palm oil and preservatives, Plucky comes perched on a small packet of dark chocolate buttons, too.
The dark chocolate tastes superb, with a rich, deep and intense flavour, while the mouthfeel is lovely and velvety. A delicious gift for anyone who appreciates really good quality dark chocolate, Plucky is bound to go down a treat.
Hotel Chocolat dubs this egg as “extra-thick”, and it’s not wrong. The shell comes in large, chunky, individually wrapped halves, made with 45 per cent nut milk. It is creamy and smooth with a mild taste – we could really taste the hazelnuts from the band’s signature nutmilk coming through. It isn’t very sweet, so, while decadent, it’s far from sickly.
That’s not all, though, as, nestled inside each half of the egg, there’s an assortment of pralines, caramels and truffles, including peanut butter jelly, salted caramel and nutmilk, and, our personal favourite, crunchy peanut butter and nutmilk buche. Housed inside a pretty white container, it looks the part, too, so would make a lovely gift. If you want a vegan showstopper, you needn’t look further.
This whimsical treat looks like it belongs in Willy Wonka’s factory. Handcrafted in Notting Hill and hailing from the luxury chocolatier Melt London, it’s made with dark chocolate and real strawberries. The taste is unusual, with the tartness and sweetness of the strawberries really coming through.
It’s large in size (weighing a whopping 300g), and, with its smooth, glassy finish, it looks particularly premium. It’s also really, really thick. We actually struggled to crack it – partly because we didn’t want to destroy its pretty pastel red, green and speckled gold design. Nestled regally in black tissue paper in its shimmery, plastic-free box, if you love fruity chocolate, this is definitely for you.
Nomo’s chocolate is a little on the sweeter side and is a milky alternative to dairy chocolate. As Nomo means no missing out, the brand makes chocolate that’s free from dairy, gluten, egg and nuts. This egg is modest in size (weighing 92g), with a little chocolate lolly making it ideal for kids. That said, our adult tester was very much on board with the extra treat, too.
Made with sustainably sourced Rainforest Alliance cocoa, the chocolate is combined with crisped rice pieces for a satisfying, subtle crunch. The packaging is covered in jokes, puzzles, and room for kids to colour in, so there’s some fun to be had once the chocolate’s been polished off – there’s even space to design their own monster.
This vegan Easter egg from premium brand Kakao made us question whether it was actually plant-based. Made with oat and rice milk, it has a milky, sweet taste and buttery mouthfeel. The shell is housed in some rather extravagant prism-shaped packaging, and it comes as two individually wrapped, very large (and very thick) geometric halves.
When we cracked into the egg, it seemed to splinter into layers of thin slithers in places, which was pretty satisfying. Inside the egg, you’ll find an assortment of 12 vegan chocolate treats. A seriously decadent selection, there were peanut butter truffles, creamy white chocolate truffles and more – our personal favourite was the Jaffa orange truffles, which were tart but still sweet, and absolutely delicious.
Booja-Booja’s Easter offering isn’t technically a chocolate easter egg but rather vegan chocolate truffles housed in a pretty papier mâché shell – Fabergé, eat your heart out.
The egg-shaped packaging is painted by hand, with delicate, colourful designs, then finished with a bow for the final flourish. The bright turquoise shell we received was adorned with blue, orange, and golden floral detailing. While there are several truffle flavours you can choose between, the designs will be different, no matter which you choose.
Made with small roasted hazelnut pieces and dark chocolate, and dusted with cocoa powder, the truffles themselves were a delight, with their buttery, sweet taste and a rich, velvety feel that melts in the mouth. A lovely gift or an indulgent present for yourself, we don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
We knew we were in for a treat as soon as we opened the Happi salted caramel Easter egg. It leans more towards a darker vegan milk chocolate and tastes (and smells) divine, thanks to the sweet, butteriness of the salted caramel. The H!P cookies no cream egg was also a strong contender for the top spot, thanks to its deliciously crumbly texture. For fans of dark chocolate, the flavour of Love Cocoa’s sea salt dark chocolate egg is beautiful. Asda, Divine and Moo Free offer nice, budget-friendly options, while Kakao’s premium egg will go down a treat if you’re splashing out.
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