Ranking 10 Chocolate Syrup Brands From Worst To First
Out of all the delicious goodies in your average chocoholic's repertoire, is there anything better than a good chocolate syrup? Drizzle it over desserts, mix it into a cold glass of milk, or drown a frosty bowl of ice cream in the stuff — chocolate syrup is one of those pantry staples no self-respecting chocolate-lover can do without. But with such a diverse array of options to choose from, there are serious disparities in quality, flavor, and ingredients from one syrup to the next.
If you've ever snuck a peak at your chocolate syrup's nutritional label, you'll know it's not exactly the healthiest condiment of choice. That said, indulging in a tall glass of chocolate milk doesn't necessarily have to mean pulling the ripcord on your healthy eating plan.
We at Daily Meal have carefully sampled and examined ten popular chocolate syrup brands to determine the best ones of all, taking into account such factors as taste, ingredients, available variety, and the reputation of the brand that markets them. Read on to get the inside scoop on one of the world's most beloved ice cream toppings.
10. Aldi's Berryhill Chocolate Flavored Syrup
While Aldi's is a magical wonderland of high-quality, affordable products and America's top-rated grocery store has plenty to offer consumers, a great chocolate syrup is not one of them. Berryhill's version of the iconic topping simply doesn't stack up against competitors when it comes to flavor, which is — let's face it — the most important factor in choosing a dessert.
The syrup's label clearly informs consumers that it is both naturally and artificially flavored, and a look at the ingredients list confirms the presence of cocoa. However, the top three ingredients in the product are high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, and water. It also contains a number of emulsifiers, preservatives, and other hard-to-pronounce chemicals that don't inspire much confidence in this particular chocolate syrup's potential health benefits. Furthermore, it lacks the rich cocoa flavor one would expect from a good chocolate syrup. Despite the attractive price tag (at $2.35, it's less than half the price of some competitors), take a pass on this one.
9. Great Value Chocolate Syrup
The chocolate syrup marketed by Walmart's own Great Value brand proudly advertises itself as naturally flavored and made with real cocoa. While that is somewhat accurate (it does, in fact, contain cocoa as an ingredient), it's far from innocent as far as low-quality ingredients go. Much like Aldi's Berryhill brand, Great Value Chocolate Syrup's top three ingredients are high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, and water, followed by cocoa and sugar. The taste here is slightly better than that Berryhill syrup, but it still lacks the deep flavor of chocolate that one would hope for in such a product.
Priced at $2.18, it's an inexpensive option. If you happen to be watching your spending but can't imagine life without the occasional chocolate milk, or need a large amount of chocolate syrup for an event and don't want to strain your wallet, Great Value's product is a decent choice. But don't expect sheer greatness when it comes to flavor and quality ingredients. One could easily opt for a better choice for just another dollar or two.
8. Signature Select Chocolate Syrup
Albertson's flagship brand, Signature Select, also offers a Chocolate Syrup. Although it's not necessarily bad, there are plenty of reasons why it isn't particularly worth getting excited about, either. The top three ingredients, once again, are the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, and water. While it does contain cocoa and sugar, this chocolate syrup features such a startling amount of chemicals — mostly preservatives and emulsifiers — that they are enough to put off anyone who has a healthy suspicion of what goes into their bodies.
The product has a basic, mediocre chocolate flavor that isn't particularly bad or good. It's a chocolate-flavored syrup, nothing more, nothing less. At $2.79, it's more affordable than some alternatives, but isn't really worth the savings. If you're a chocoholic committed to splurging on only the best chocolate products on the market, this choice isn't the one for you.
7. Smucker's Sundae Syrup Chocolate Flavored Syrup
When it comes to jellies, jams, preserves, and other spreads, Smucker's is a major brand that rarely disappoints. Their take on standard chocolate syrup isn't exactly disappointing, but it also isn't likely to make your list of ultimate chocolate products anytime soon. It's another chocolate syrup that simply lives up to the description on its bottle, and not much more.
However, it does get a bump due to its ingredients. While the top two are still high fructose and regular corn syrup, the product's third ingredient is nonfat milk, followed by cocoa. It contains the preservative potassium sorbate and emulsifier polysorbate 60, but it lacks some of the chemicals contained in cheaper varieties of chocolate syrup. Priced at $3.99, you get slightly less product than other brands (only 20 ounces for Smucker's versus 24 ounces for Great Value or Signature Select), but the bottle features a nifty no-mess cap, making it easier to go back for a sundae top-up.
6. Favorite Day Chocolate Flavored Syrup
It's hard to beat the high from a productive Target run (bonus points if you hit the store on just the right day); one of the store's food brands, Favorite Day, offers plenty of products that are just as good or better than their name-brand counterparts for much cheaper, and their chocolate syrup is a perfect example. It features a satisfying chocolate flavor for only $2.19, a fraction of the cost of some of the more expensive competitors. That said, satisfying does not necessarily mean mind-blowingly delectable.
This syrup's ingredients are quite standard as far as chocolate syrups within this price range go, with high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, and water making up the top three, followed by cocoa and sugar. It also contains the standard preservatives and other chemicals, but then again it isn't claiming to be anything different. It's simply a tasty, cost-effective version of its name-brand counterparts.
5. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
All other factors aside, it's hard to beat the rich nostalgic taste of Hershey's chocolate syrup. Along with Nestle's Nesquick, more than a few of us have grown up with the stuff, and are therefore always going to have a special place in our hearts for the chocolate syrup of our childhood. The thing is, ingredients and health probably didn't factor into the picture at all when we were kids. As adults, we're more likely to explore beyond the flavor we love and give the nutrition facts and ingredients a closer inspection.
Though its flavor is superior to lower-rated competitors, the ingredients list is much the same. Hershey's top three ingredients are high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, and water. It contains cocoa and sugar, but the label also features more than a few chemicals and artificial flavors that higher-quality syrups manage to do without. At $3.49 for a 24-ounce bottle, Hershey's chocolate syrup is a solid go-to product that never fails to disappoint. But just because it tastes good and has a nostalgic appeal doesn't necessarily mean there aren't better options out there.
4. Nestlé Nesquik Chocolate Syrup
Another staple of childhoods all across the country, Nestlé's Nesquik Chocolate Syrup offers a healthier take on the beloved chocolatey topping without sacrificing flavor. Its top three ingredients are sugar, water, and cocoa, without corn syrup (high fructose or otherwise) in sight. It does, however, contain preservatives and artificial coloring, including the controversial red dye 40.
Then, some might want to consider the Nestlé corporation itself. The internet abounds with both alleged and proven environmental and human rights violations committed by the company, including some suspected animal welfare issues. As a result, the company has been the target of multiple boycotts. So, if you're sensitive to any of these issues, it might be worth doing some research before opting for a Nestlé product, regardless of how good it tastes. If you're not one for brand politics, however, the tasty chocolate syrup is priced at only $2.69 for a 22 ounce bottle.
3. Torani Puremade Dark Chocolate Sauce
If you're looking to splurge on a top-quality chocolate syrup, Torani Puremade Dark Chocolate Sauce should be on your radar. As its name suggests, its consistency is more that of a sauce, but it is capable of making a killer chocolate milk or ice cream topping. Just bear in mind that this is a dark chocolate sauce, so the flavor is super-intense, making it a great choice to add a little chocolatey goodness to your favorite at-home coffee creation.
While Torani's chocolate sauce does pack about the same caloric punch as other chocolate syrups (around 50 calories per tablespoon), it also qualifies as a healthier choice thanks to the fact that it contains no artificial flavors or preservatives. Its top three ingredients are pure cane sugar, water, and invert cane sugar, so it's hard to call it healthy, but the lack of suspicious chemicals is a plus. At $5.24, it's one of the more expensive choices out there, but you might find the deep flavor is worth it. You also have the option of trying out the brand's White Chocolate Sauce, which doesn't have quite the same intensity as the dark chocolate flavor.
2. Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauce
Another indulgent chocolate syrup that counts more as a sauce, but can easily serve the same purposes, Ghirardelli's Premium Chocolate sauce has a creamy consistency paired with an intense, downright addictive flavor that comes from better ingredients than most. At the top of that list is cane sugar, water, and invert cane sugar, followed by cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla extract — the latter of which is a standout among chocolate syrups, which tend to use the artificial flavor vanillin rather than the more-expensive vanilla extract.
Most importantly, its ingredients list excludes high fructose and regular corn syrup, as well as the laundry list of preservatives in lower-quality syrups and sauces. Ghirardelli's offering does include soy lecithin, however, which acts as an emulsifier and may or may not be good for one's health — it also rules this one out for anyone who needs to avoid soy products. Priced at $5.89, it's the most expensive option among its peers, but frankly, this one is worth the higher price.
1. Trader Joe's Organic Midnight Moo Chocolate Syrup
Can anyone honestly say they dislike Trader Joe's? It's an endless array of affordable, high-quality products and produce that never fail to impress. This is also true of Trader Joe's Organic Midnight Moo Chocolate Syrup, the top-rated chocolate syrup.
Aside from the great name, the flavor is to die for; it's rich, creamy chocolate that somehow manages to beat out even the more nostalgic syrups. On top of that, Trader Joe's version is organic and features no strange chemicals.
Its top three ingredients are organic cane sugar, water, and organic cocoa powder — the others are organic tapioca syrup, salt, and lactic acid, meaning this syrup has only six ingredients. The sugar content (at 22 grams total) is still too high to call healthy, but it's certainly a better choice than other syrups packed with corn syrup and preservatives. At $3.99 for a 15.8-ounce bottle, the Midnight Moo Syrup is also a great value for your money. If you're a chocoholic who has yet to try this for the first time, you're in for a transcendent experience.