13 Dove Chocolate Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

There's nothing like chocolate. Few can argue the fact that, of all the flavors possible in the universe, none are so ubiquitously craved as chocolate. Some may claim to dislike it, which is fair enough, but that might be bad news for reading on, because we're happily sinking our teeth into lots and lots of chocolate.

Dove is a recognizable brand, and no, we're not talking about skincare products. We are, however, talking about self-care of the highest order, coming in the form of chocolate. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel-filled, or crafted into truffles, Dove meets all your chocolate needs. We put the brand to the test by running out and finding a variety of their products, tasting them, and ranking them from worst to best. While we all have our quirks and preferences about our ideal flavors and textures, we had to try to be objective. Though we'd be lying if we said that even the "worst" isn't pretty darn great. 

These Dark Chocolate and Almond promises are very structured. First, imagine the difference between processed and natural peanut butter: That's the sort of textural difference you're getting with smooth, creamy milk chocolate and rich, pure dark chocolate. Now let's take it a step further. Imagine the difference between creamy and crunchy peanut butter: That's the sort of textural contrast you'll get with almonds added to your dark chocolate. 

Don't sleep on how enjoyable that contrast can be when you're used to plain, one-note chocolates. A nugget of almond made us feel like the treat was a bit fancier and gives us, literally, more to mull over as we chew. That being said, some people (including some of us who tested these Dove chocolates) really just prefer a smoother bite, and almonds added little to the comprehensive flavor besides a faint hint of toasty undertones. We can take or leave these, and when compared to much more pronounced flavors, we recommend you stray to greener pastures.

Introducing the first of the caramel-infused products Dove has to offer: Milk Chocolate and Caramel Promises. We enjoyed how smooth the caramel was, not at all chewy or cloying. Any bitterness present in chocolate is not invited to this party, so if you're looking for more of a nuanced, intriguing flavor profile, you'll want to look further down this list. We determined that the quality of both milk chocolate and caramel was superior to candies like Milky Ways, obviously, but if you don't already love the toothache-inducing sweetness of this flavor pairing, a Dove Promise won't change your mind. 

That's why we ranked it as low as we did — it's nice, but not mind-blowing. If you like milk chocolate but think that it's a little boring when all alone, try some of the varieties that incorporate another flavor besides caramel. It's a lovely, tender nugget of sweetness that's all bark and no bite. If you're shopping for a loved one, though, there may be no such things as "too sweet," so this flavor is also available as Valentine's Love Notes candies. They are the exact same chocolates just in wrappers printed with the letters "L," "O," "V," and "E" on the outside, plus warm messages like "I love when you smile" once unwrapped.

In the showcase of big brand, basic, readily available dark chocolate, Dove has a pretty great entry. Even though these are indeed Dark Chocolate Promises, there is still a little hint of sweetness that keeps it palatable to all chocolate lovers. It's a classic choice, delicious and dependable, but we couldn't get much farther. We used every one of our timeworn taste buds in an attempt to find intriguing notes of flavor undertones but just came up with one: good dark chocolate. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing too spicy either, which is why they don't rise to a higher ranking. When compared to the rest of the gems we tried, these particular chocolates were relatively forgettable.

Versatility is a hot selling point for these, though. Here's an equally hot tip: Use chunks of Dove chocolates in your next batch of brownies. They will melt beautifully and infuse a luscious flavor into any baked good they find their way into. You're welcome in advance. Interested in taking the next step on your chocolate-tasting journey? Discover the best chocolatiers in the United States and commit to testing their mettle, one sample at a time.

Want high-quality, reliably delicious Dove chocolate but in a more intimate, giftable form? And maybe just a bit more decadent, a cut above the usual bag of grocery store chocolate? These gorgeous Dove Truffles Valentine's Day Milk Chocolate Candy Gift Tins are the answer. First of all, the tin itself is pretty in pink and looks great even without gift wrapping (because maybe you're insecure about your ribbon-tying skills, in which case, we relate). Hearts and roses send the message you want them to, and each truffle is stuffed into elegant, artfully twisted pink and gold individual wrappers. 

We loved them before we even tried them. Everything good about the regular milk chocolate, which was plenty, got upgraded to a creamy, dreamy truffle. Just be warned — since it's a major punch of milk chocolate, they're going to be too cloyingly sweet for some. They're just right if you're someone who, for example, prefers milk chocolate chips to semisweet in your cookies. 

The battle between milk and dark chocolate is fast and furious, and Dove offers plenty of twists on each. Meanwhile, white chocolate sits back and watches it all go down because these babies have no competition. Dove's only foray into white chocolate creations at the moment, these whimsical White Chocolate Strawberry and Creme Promises are perhaps the brand's most polarizing offering. Some of us love to enjoy a bit of white chocolate every so often, while others scoff at its departure from the rich depth of regular chocolate. We were interested to determine how Dove approached it and to decide if the addition of strawberry would help or hurt.

It was a bit difficult to single out the quality of white chocolate when it's so intertwined with the rather inescapably artificial strawberry twist. Once we conceded that there was no way one of these pretty Promises could taste like either "real" chocolate or real strawberry, we actually liked them much more. They resemble squares of chewable strawberry ice cream. We always tend to pick something with milk or dark chocolate, but since these proved a win for the white-chocolate fans and had a fun fruity flavor, we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The only other Dove truffles out there, this is the yin to the Milk Chocolate truffles' yang. Chocolate makes a great all-purpose gift, but dark chocolate truffles are sure to indicate brownie-point-winning attention to detail. We might have fought over who got to keep the leftover for this one. Speaking of brownies, these thick Dark Chocolate Truffles reminded us of brownies (the chewy ones, not the cakey ones), a connection that speaks to just how extra they are. 

Even so, we would probably choose a Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffle before we'd choose these if we wanted something decadent, so they didn't quite pass muster. If you're a true truffle fanatic and seek them in every flavor known to mankind, you might want to check out our ranking of Lindt Lindor truffles. If you decide to really go the extra mile and make your own truffles, be sure that you don't mess up the crucial step of chipping the chocolate.

Sometimes, a nugget of classic milk chocolate is exactly what we need to get by. No matter what's going on in the chaos of normal life, after a bit of chocolate, it's going to be at least a slightly better day. We were ready for these simple Milk Chocolate Promises to be bland, but the treats seriously have a lot of flavor. Like many milk chocolates out there, the general consistency borders on waxy, but Dove's higher quality products keep it from Hershey's bar territory.

The milk chocolate promises are also available in heart shapes, which we didn't rank because they are essentially the same thing, just all dolled up for the Valentine's Day holiday. They're hearts, so they're automatically corny, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Whether packaged as hearts or squares, these milk chocolates taste as good as they look. If they were the only milk chocolate we could eat for the rest of our lives, we'd survive. 

When your chocolate is 82% cacao, it's pretty darn dark. But just go for it and test the waters by trying these Deepest Dark Chocolate Promises. You might find out that you actually really love the experience of the purest dark chocolate Dove has to offer. We detected notes of espresso on our taste buds, coming through stronger once we identified them. This is a great chocolate to have with a cup of coffee, honestly, in case you want to incorporate more joy into your mornings. It's also pretty amazing that chocolate with such a high cacao percentage doesn't get the unfortunate chalky texture that some others do.

You're getting to the real essence of the bean when you embark on this mini journey. But it's definitely a journey, a commitment, not exactly a whenever-the-mood-strikes chocolate. If we're honest, they would likely get lost in the abyss of our overcrowded pantry shelves waiting for those moments when we crave only the darkest of chocolates. Others further down the list would last a few days max. Most of the time, chocolate needs to be just a tad sweeter and creamier.

We're into the top five as we tear into these Dark Chocolate Ganache Promises. It can be really hard to find a use for the word "sumptuous," but these bites truly are sumptuous. Remember the brownie-like truffles? Well, these are more like molten lava cake, but in convenient little chocolate form. There are multiple layers of deep chocolate flavor, and the layers are distinct enough that the candy isn't just a pocket of mushy, gushy chocolate. Be sure to take a second glance at these as you pass the Valentine's Day display at your local grocery store. 

The ganache layer is a little thin, though. We would love it if these chocolates got the Oreo Double-Stuf treatment. Even so, we're besotted with these things. Perfect chocolate filled with pools of more perfect chocolate? Stock up now or miss out. Of all the Valentine's-inspired spinoffs, this was the second best. They're just a little intense, perhaps trying a little too hard, to be the perfect bite. We wouldn't want one of these every time we craved chocolate. Somewhere between a truffle and a regular square, it's a fun mashup that's delicious — a jack of all trades.

This Deeper Dark Chocolate is no joke. It is the exact chocolate you want to keep in your bedside secret stash for late-night cravings. Or when you realize you've been reading that book an hour past your bedtime and there's no end in sight, so you need a snack before heading into the next chapter. There's a rich, roasted flavor to this chocolate that makes you feel like you're eating something small-batch from a local business. Not too intense, but not too dull. It's going in our regular rotation. 

We ranked this one high, awarding it fourth place despite some stiff competition. It's simply the ideal percentage of cacao for a tantalizing depth of flavor with notes that are hard to put your finger on, and it's just shy of being too dark for the everyman's tastes. We loved everything about it and tip our hats to Dove for achieving the ideal, balanced, perfect deeper dark chocolate.

Folks, listen. If you're going for Promises, please go for the Sea Salt and Caramel Dark Chocolate ones. We agreed that dark chocolate can stand up much better to the river of caramel than milk chocolate can, and the salt provides a necessary dash of savory flavor to cut through all that sweetness. Not to mention that salt sharpens any other tasting notes, so the carmel's complexities shine brighter than they do when paired with milk chocolate. Not only does this chocolate beat its milky cousin, but it also beats many competitive brands. With each element distinct and discernible on the palate, it's an artful and well-constructed bite.

Eating one of these gems is like consuming a bite of confidence — some moderate saltiness keeps things real, some sweetness from the caramel adds luxury, and some dark chocolate brings a zing of energy as the main takeaway. It's crazy how tantalizing these are. That salty finish is dangerous because it makes you want more sweetness, so you eat another chocolate, then get that salty finish again ... and so on, and so on, until there are none left. Oh well — just another opportunity to run to the store and pick up more flavors to try. They're so good that we wish we could take a bite out of one huge chocolatey caramel confection, perhaps even something as huge as an absolutely perfect whole tart.

We would like to apologize to anyone with a peanut allergy, because these things are good and we are ranking them as such. The ratio in these promises is quite right, neither too thick a dark chocolate shell nor too gloopy a nutty filling. We found that every bite was a deeply fulfilling harmony of childhood comfort food (peanut butter sandwiches will never get old in our minds) and a luxurious grown-up refinery (thanks for your hard work, Dove food developers). The saltiness of a nut butter just makes the dark chocolate backdrop really sing.

Chopping these up and baking some into your favorite classic peanut butter cookie recipe would be next-level brilliance if you ask us. Next time you want to throw a bag of Reese's in your cart, consider trying these instead. Can't get enough of the combo of chocolate and peanut butter? Try whipping up a super-easy recipe like chocolate peanut butter haystacks.

This is just what you would hope for with a seasonal candy option. Actually, it's just what we hope for, period. Get it while the getting's good because this is the golden goddess of Dove chocolate. We're just as surprised as you are!

Often, varieties veer into kooky flavors that miss the mark. But swirling milk and dark chocolate together creates a whole new product. We found that it really challenged us to savor each little promise, mindfully discerning the waves of dark and light. But there's nothing wrong with just popping one in your mouth when ya need chocolate but can't decide on which one. We could really eat these every day for the rest of our lives, and we suspect you could, too. Rather than laboring to create a single chocolate flavor that can do it all, Dove brilliantly put their two already-amazing classic milk and dark chocolates together. It's love at first sight.