The Best Chocolate Bars and Vegan Chocolates of the Year
INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE SALON ANNOUNCES THE BEST CHOCOLATE BARS AND VEGAN CHOCOLATES
The International Chocolate Salon and TasteTV are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Chocolate Bar Awards and 2026 Vegan Chocolate Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement, craftsmanship and creativity among artisan and premium chocolate makers.
Receiving the top Gold Award for Best Chocolate Bar is:
Delysia Chocolatier — PB&J Chocolate Bar
The winning bar also received Gold recognition in the Best Flavored Chocolate Bar category, distinguishing it for both its overall quality and imaginative interpretation of a familiar flavor combination.
Receiving the top Gold Award for Top Vegan Chocolate is:
Wild West Chocolate — Huckleberry Cashew Oat Milk Chocolate Bear Claws
The judges praised the product’s creamy texture, berry tanginess, distinctive bear-claw presentation and memorable combination of huckleberry, cashew and oat milk chocolate.
“The 2026 winners demonstrate how today’s chocolate makers can combine technical excellence with a wonderful sense of imagination,” said a Judge of the International Chocolate Salon. “From an elevated interpretation of peanut butter and jelly to an oat milk chocolate bear claw featuring huckleberry and cashew, these products show that exceptional chocolate can be sophisticated, inventive and genuinely enjoyable.”
The annual juried competitions recognize products across a range of distinctions, including Best Taste, Best Texture, Best Ingredient Combinations, Most Unique, Best Dark Chocolate, Best Milk or Vegan Milk Chocolate, Best Flavored Chocolate and overall excellence. The Chocolate Bar Awards additionally recognize achievement in chocolate bar design and artistry.
Awards are presented at the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention levels, accompanied by independent star ratings and comments from members of the judging panel.
The 2026 awards were determined by the combined votes of the International Chocolate Salon judging panel. Judges include national and regional magazine, newspaper and digital editors, along with chefs, food professionals, topic experts and members of the Academy of Media Tastemakers.
Among the other notable 2026 Gold recipients were:
Chocolate Bar Awards
- Chocolats Passion — Coffee Caramel Pecan Bar, Gold for Best Taste, Best Texture and Best Ingredient Combinations
- Grupo Cima Dorada / Chocopunto by Mabel — 85% Reserva Zorzal Dark Chocolate, Gold for Best Dark Chocolate Bar
- Del Cacao al Chocolate — Teresa 68%, Gold for Best Dark Chocolate Bar and Best Texture
- Après l’Étoile — Caramel PB Cloud, Gold for Best Milk Chocolate Bar
- Painted Turtle Chocolatier — Candied Croissant Bar, Gold for Most Unique
- Painted Turtle Chocolatier — Cluckin Chocolate Chicken, Gold for Best Bar Design and Art
Vegan Chocolate Awards
- Chocolats Passion — Blackberry Almond Chocolate, Gold for Best Taste and Best Texture
- Lohcally Artisan Chocolates — Maple Balsamic Fig Solo, Gold for Best Ingredient Combinations, Best Texture and Best Flavored Chocolate
- Delysia Chocolatier — Apple Fritter Chocolate Truffle, Gold for Most Unique and Best Flavored Chocolate
- Painted Turtle Chocolatier — The Hiker, Gold for Best Dark Chocolate
- Grupo Cima Dorada / Chocopunto by Mabel — 62% Dark Chocolate, Gold for Best Dark Chocolate
- Playin Choc — Organic Peruvian M.lk Chocolate, Gold for Best Vegan Milk Chocolate
The complete results, including all Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention recipients, star ratings and selected comments from the judges, are available online:
2026 Chocolate Bar Award Results
View the complete Chocolate Bar winners
2026 Vegan Chocolate Award Results
View the complete Vegan Chocolate winners
Award recipients may use the official 2026 International Chocolate Salon Award Winner titles and logos in their product packaging, marketing, websites, retail displays and promotional materials.
About the International Chocolate Salon
Founded in 2007 by TasteTV and TCB Cafe Publishing and Media, the International Chocolate Salon celebrates excellence in artisan, gourmet and premium chocolate. The organization launched its annual chocolate and confection award competitions in 2009 and produces juried awards, public tasting events and chocolate-focused media programming.
International Chocolate Salon competitions include the Chocolate Bar Awards, Vegan Chocolate Awards, Toffee Awards, Caramel Awards, White Chocolate Awards, Truffle Artistry Awards, Chocolate Beverage Awards and additional annual honors celebrating excellence in chocolate and confectionery.
