Looking for something to put on bread or add to yoghurt? Choose chocolate flakes. If you’re after a chocolate gift, look at pralines or a chocolate selection box. Albert Heijn groups flakes with sweet sandwich toppings and sprinkles, while Lidl sells pralines as a separate chocolate product. Once you’ve chosen the right type, compare the varieties, ingredients, allergens and pack sizes.
You’re looking for something to put on bread, stir into yoghurt or porridge, or use as a topping for cakes. In that case, the choice between white, dark or mixed flakes is worth considering; check the ingredients for each variety.
You’re after a box of pralines or another attractively presented chocolate gift, not a pack of sandwich topping. Check that the contents and packaging are right for the occasion.
The flake varieties mentioned differ in their declarations of ingredients such as milk, soya and wheat. Always read the ingredients and allergen information on the specific pack, even if you already know the brand.
First decide whether the chocolate is for a sandwich topping or to sprinkle over food, or whether it’s a gift. Only then can you make a meaningful comparison of the ingredients and pack contents of products in the same category.
Choose these: if you’re looking for a sweet topping for bread, or want to add flakes to foods such as yoghurt or porridge.
Bear in mind: flakes aren’t a box of pralines, and ingredients and allergens vary between varieties.
Choose these: if the chocolate is a gift and the packaging needs to suit the occasion.
Bear in mind: pralines aren’t a substitute for flakes as a sandwich topping; check the contents and allergens of the box you choose.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| How you’ll use it | Are you looking for a sandwich topping or something to sprinkle over food, or do you need a gift? Compare products in the relevant category only after you’ve decided. | If I need something for breakfast, I don’t want to come home with a box of pralines; for a gift, the opposite applies. Around 45% of consumers prioritise choosing a product for the right use. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the variety you’ve chosen; don’t assume what it contains based on words such as ‘dark’. | If the recipient needs to avoid certain ingredients, I need to know what’s listed on this particular pack or box. An estimated 33% of consumers prioritise this check. |
| Pack size and availability | Check the pack size, best-before date and information from the retailer you plan to buy from. | For regular use, I want to know how many flakes I’m buying; for a planned shop, it also matters whether the product is available at my local store. This is the most important factor for around 22% of consumers. |
Albert Heijn groups flakes with sweet sandwich toppings and sprinkles; Lidl sells pralines as a separate chocolate product. One type of product can’t replace the other for the same use.
Before you go shopping, write down whether you’re looking for chocolate for bread or as a gift. Then choose a flavour or variety.
De Ruijter Chocolade vlokken puur lists soya and may contain milk. So the word ‘dark’ is no substitute for checking the allergen information.
Every time you buy them, read the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact variety you’re picking up.
Lidl lists the milk chocolate flakes reviewed here as available in store only. That doesn’t tell you whether they’re in stock at a particular branch.
Check the latest information from the store you plan to visit if you need a specific product.
These examples can help you compare specific flake varieties. A brand name alone won’t tell you which ingredients or allergens are in a pack.
Albert Heijn sells the De Ruijter varieties reviewed here as sweet sandwich toppings and sprinkles, including white and dark flakes.
Venz Tijgervlokken are a mixed variety containing milk chocolate flakes, vanilla-flavoured flakes and shapes, as described by Albert Heijn.
Albert Heijn describes Choca Vlokken as cocoa-flavoured fantasy flakes in a 200 g pack.
The flakes below suit sandwich toppings or sprinkles, while the pralines and chocolate selection are worth considering as gifts. The products aren’t grouped by type, so decide which kind you’re looking for first.
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Worth considering if you’re looking for pralines as a birthday gift, rather than a breakfast topping.
110 g pack. The product information lists milk, soya, hazelnut and nuts; check the current packaging for allergen information.
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Milk chocolate flakes to consider for bread or as a topping for yoghurt.
300 g pack. The product information lists milk and wheat; check the current packaging if allergens are relevant.
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Cocoa-flavoured fantasy flakes to consider for bread or yoghurt.
200 g pack. According to the product information, this variety contains cereals containing gluten, soya and wheat, and may contain milk; check the current packaging.
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A chocolate selection to consider as a small gift, rather than an alternative to flakes on bread.
125 g pack. The product information lists milk, almonds, hazelnuts, soya and wheat, among other ingredients, and states that it may contain peanuts; check the current packaging.
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Filled pralines to consider if you’re looking for a chocolate gift.
110 g pack. The product information lists milk, soya and hazelnut; check the current packaging for allergen information.
No. In the supermarket categories reviewed here, chocolate flakes are sweet sandwich toppings or sprinkles, while pralines are a separate chocolate product. Choose flakes for bread or as a topping, and consider pralines if you’re looking for a gift.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging for the variety you’ve chosen. The flakes reviewed here differ in their declarations of ingredients such as milk, soya and wheat. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on the labels of prepacked foods.
Follow the instructions on the pack you buy. The De Ruijter and Choca flakes reviewed here say to store them in a cool, dry place; also check the best-before date on the packaging.
An online listing doesn’t confirm that a product is available at your local branch. For example, Lidl lists the milk chocolate flakes reviewed here as available in store only; check the latest information for the branch you plan to visit.
