Not every chocolate milk is the best chocolate milk. I found that out during our chocolate milk taste test, in which we tried ten different chocolate milk brands. Seems like a dream, right? How can chocolate milk be bad? Well, it can certainly be subpar.
But we’re not here to talk about the worst chocolate milk. We’re talking about the best chocolate milk.
Even when it comes to the best chocolate milk, there’s a spectrum. On one end, there’s the super sweet chocolate milk that tastes like you let a seven-year-old say “when” as you were pouring Hershey’s syrup into a glass. Then, on the other side, there’s the artisanal chocolate milk for grown-ups. It tastes more subtle, more like a craft chocolate bar. The best of the best chocolate milk, as we found, is somewhere in the middle.
Here’s the best chocolate milk—or, if you’re really looking to have a fun Saturday night, a grocery list for an at-home chocolate milk tasting of your own. I highly recommend it.
- Alexandre Family Farm Chocolate Milk
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Even though it’s last on this list, I fully recommend you buy this chocolate milk. It’s so good. It tastes like cold hot cocoa with its deep, rich, chocolate flavors. It tastes like what a fancy hotel would deliver if you ordered chocolate milk from room service. But I was in the minority. Neither managing editor Gwynedd Stuart nor senior staff writer Jordan Myrick liked it. Believe you who you want to believe, but if you’re looking for a very grown-up chocolate milk, this is the best chocolate milk for you. It’s also A2 milk (here’s what A2 milk means) if that matters to you.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Great Value Low Fat Chocolate Milk
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If you are serving a crowd, then you need a gallon of chocolate milk from Walmart. The store’s low fat chocolate milk is extremely creamy. “It’s very rich for low fat milk,” said Gwynedd. “They might be lying.” It doesn’t have enough of a chocolaty punch for Jordan (they have a very high bar for chocolate milk), but I think it gives classic Hershey syrup vibes. And I’m so impressed by the richness of this purportedly low fat chocolate milk. (JK, Walmart, we believe you!)
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Sprouts Low Fat Chocolate Milk
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This low fat chocolate milk met Jordan’s standards for level of chocolatiness. You know it’s chocolate milk immediately upon pouring it into a glass. It smells very chocolaty. And it tastes very chocolaty, too—but more like a milk chocolate candy bar than cocoa powder. It’s not quite as creamy as Great Value. So, if you’re looking for a low fat chocolate milk that leans more heavily into the chocolate than the milk, this is the best chocolate milk for you.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Straus Chocolate Milk
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This is not Straus’s first appearance on one of our rankings. We love their mint chocolate chip ice cream. And their Greek yogurt is as decadent as it comes. Their chocolate milk is cocoa-y, it’s creamy. It’s a treat. It’s dark chocolate milk, not milk chocolate milk. It tastes like melted chocolate ice cream (oh, we also ranked their chocolate ice cream at number one). It’s better chocolate milk than you can make at home, for sure. Yes, you do have to shake it up as there is chocolate at the bottom, so you do have to put some effort into it. But it’s the best chocolate milk for true cocoa lovers.
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Fairlife Chocolate Milk
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Everyone insisted we try Fairlife chocolate milk. Apparently, it’s the gold standard for many chocolate milk drinkers. And I am happy to report that it is extremely good. It’s very, very sweet but not saccharine. It’s also pretty darn creamy. And there’s no lactose! It tastes like a childhood memory of chocolate milk. It’s the best chocolate milk to briefly forget the miseries of adulthood and remember the simpler times. Ah, sweet nostalgia.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Chocolate Milk
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Trader Joe’s chocolate milk is that happy medium we were looking for. It’s not quite as sweet as Fairlife and it’s a touch creamier. It tastes like a melted milkshake made with high quality chocolate. You almost get that touch of a fruity flavor like you do from Cadbury’s chocolate. And I just just couldn’t stop sipping it. I think I drank a full pint of this chocolate milk after our taste test finished. I’m an adult woman. I pay taxes. I get my car’s oil checked. I stress about scheduling an appointment at the eye doctor. That’s how much of an adult I am. And yet, I drank a full glass of TJ’s chocolate milk. “That is the stuff,” Jordan said when they took a sip. It really is the best chocolate milk.
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
Best Grown-Up
Best for a Crowd
Best Low Fat
Best Fancy
Best Nostalgic
Best of the Best
