We Taste-Tested 14 Store-Bought Chocolate Milks—These Are the Only Ones Worth Buying

I don't purchase chocolate milk often, but I have a soft spot for it: The beverage feels deeply nostalgic, and whenever I drink it, it brings back pleasant childhood memories of birthday parties and fun days at the park. Sweet, milky, and chocolaty, it's hard not to love. And though it's exceedingly simple to make your own at home—all it takes is mixing cocoa powder and sugar with milk until dissolved—I'd wager that most people are purchasing their chocolate milk from the grocery store. The question is: Which brands are worth buying?

To find the best chocolate milk, our editors taste-tested 14 widely available brands, sampling both whole- and skim-milk options. We poured them into cups and sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with two worthy runners-up.

The Criteria

Great chocolate milk should taste clearly of chocolate. Though some sweetness is needed to balance the chocolate's bitterness, it shouldn't be nauseatingly sweet, and there should be some fruity, roasted notes from the cocoa powder. It should have a good body with a rich mouthfeel, at least as full and silky as whole milk, if not a little more so—no chocolate-flavored water, please!

Overall Winner

Shamrock Farms Whole Chocolate Milk

Almost every taster noted this product's chocolate-forward flavor. "Nicely chocolaty and not too terribly sweet," our associate editorial director, Megan, wrote. "Good body but not overly thick." Similarly, our editorial director, Daniel, enjoyed its creaminess and "nice" chocolate flavor. Our associate culinary editor, Laila, thought this was possibly "the most chocolate-forward of the bunch, with a touch of bitterness that adds some welcome complexity," and described its texture as "thick and lush."

Runners-Up

Farmland Fresh Dairies Chocolate Milk

Laila liked that this option was "not overly sweet, with a prominent chocolate flavor and a welcome sense of depth." Though Megan thought it was "nothing special," she acquiesced that it was "fine" for chocolate milk. Daniel, meanwhile, thought it'd be a good option for those who want "a less sweet option" for chocolate milk.

Trader Joe's Chocolate Milk

Though this option from Trader Joe's was too sweet and "one-dimensional" for Laila, it was a hit among our other tasters. Our former senior social media editor, Kelli, loved how sweet and chocolate-forward this option was, describing it as "creamy and dreamy," and Megan thought it was "nicely chocolaty and not too sweet."

The Contenders

• Alexandre Family Farm Eco Dairy Chocolate Milk, A2/A2
• Bowl & Basket Chocolate Milk
• Cream-O-Land Chocolate Milk
• Farmland Fresh Dairies Chocolate Milk
• Good2Grow Organic Low-Fat Chocolate Milk
• Hershey’s a2 Milk Chocolate Milk
• Hood Chocolate Low-Fat Milk
• Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk 
• Nesquik Chocolate Low-Fat Milk
• Promised Land Midnight Chocolate Milk
• Shamrock Farms Chocolate Milk
• Trader Joe's Chocolate Milk
• True Moo Whole Chocolate Milk 
• Wegmans 1% Low-Fat Chocolate Milk

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Chocolate milk is typically made with the same base ingredients: Milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Many of the brands we sampled contain additives, preservatives, anti-caking agents, and/or thickeners and stabilizers, including carrageenan, gellan gum, guar gum, modified food starch, and silicon dioxide. Artificial and natural flavorings, such as vanilla, are also common in chocolate milk. 

All of our top picks are made with whole milk, sugar, salt, and cocoa processed with alkali (also known as Dutch-process cocoa powder). This alkalizing process helps neutralize cocoa powder's natural acidity, which can give the ingredient a sharp, tangy flavor. In her guide to the best Dutch cocoa powders, former Serious Eats editor Stella Parks notes that Dutch-process cocoa powder is often "higher in fat, lower in starch, and more aromatic all around, with a mahogany color and a flavor profile that emphasizes cocoa's darker, nuttier, earthier tones." 

This may explain why our editors generally preferred chocolate milk made with alkalized cocoa and found those made with natural cocoa to be chalky and lacking depth. Our editors also strongly preferred the rich mouthfeel of whole milk chocolate milk and found skim or low-fat options thin, watery, and unpleasant to drink. For the most flavorful chocolate milk, we recommend purchasing one made with whole milk and alkalized cocoa powder.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.