Chocolate Milk Brands Compared: Sugar & Protein

October 2, 2026

GROUNDED Chocolate Milk carton with 10g protein

All the chocolate milk you love. Half the sugar of leading chocolate milk brands.* Real ingredients. No gums. No artificial sweeteners. GROUNDED is smooth, creamy and chocolatey, with 10g protein in every 8.5 fl oz carton. ^[1]

Looking for chocolate milk that tastes like a treat, with less sugar and straightforward ingredients? That is why we made GROUNDED. Here is how our Chocolate Milk compares with nine specific US products from Ripple, Oatly, Silk, fairlife, Horizon Organic, Organic Valley, Nesquik, Alexandre Family Farm and Straus Family Creamery.

Try GROUNDED Chocolate Milk

Written by GROUNDED. US product information checked on October 2, 2026.

Chocolate milk, made better

We made GROUNDED for people who love chocolate milk and want less sugar, real ingredients and no gums. Smooth, creamy and not too sweet, it is made with coconut milk, cocoa, pure vanilla extract and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Pea and sunflower protein bring 10g protein to every 8.5 fl oz carton. ^[1]

Real cane sugar brings the sweetness, without artificial sweeteners. Coconut milk brings the creaminess, without cow’s milk. It is chocolate milk you can look forward to at breakfast, between meals or when you want something chocolatey.

Choose Chocolate or try Mint Chocolate for a fresh peppermint twist.

What people want from chocolate milk

Our chocolate milk category review research brought us back to the things that make people want another sip: real chocolate flavor, a creamy texture, balanced sweetness and ingredients they feel good about. Reviewers also raised concerns about watery texture, weak chocolate flavor and artificial aftertaste.

Those themes helped shape the brief for GROUNDED: chocolate milk you love drinking, with less sugar and real ingredients.

Properly chocolatey: cocoa and pure vanilla extract are part of the recipe.
Smooth and creamy: coconut milk creates the creamy base, with no gums.
Not too sweet: half the total sugar of the three leading-brand drinks named below, with real cane sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
Easy to enjoy every day: a ready-to-drink 8.5 fl oz carton, with 10g protein built in.

Half the sugar. Full chocolate milk pleasure.

GROUNDED has the lowest total sugar among the ten specific products compared here. In equal 8 fl oz servings, GROUNDED has about 10.4g total sugar, compared with 21g in the selected Nesquik and Organic Valley drinks and 22g in the Horizon Organic box. That is at least 50% less total sugar than those three drinks.

*“Half the sugar” compares total sugar in GROUNDED Chocolate Milk with Nesquik Chocolate Lowfat Milk (8 fl oz bottle), Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk Box (8 fl oz) and Organic Valley Organic 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk (8 fl oz single serve), using equal volumes. Sources: ^[1] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8].

Chocolate milk brands compared: protein and sugar

Every figure below is for an equal 8 US fl oz serving. GROUNDED’s full carton is 8.5 fl oz and contains 10g protein and 11g total sugar; the table shows the slightly smaller 8 fl oz portion. GROUNDED’s values are scaled from its 8.5 fl oz carton and rounded to one decimal place. Other figures use each label’s 8 fl oz or one-cup serving.

Protein and sugar per 8 US fl oz
Brand	Protein	Total sugar	Added sugar
GROUNDED ^[1]	9.4g	10.4g	10.4g
Ripple ^[2]	8g	15g	15g
Oatly ^[3]	3g	16g	16g
Silk ^[4]	1g	17g	17g
fairlife ^[5]	13g	12g	6g
Horizon Organic ^[6]	8g	22g	10g
Organic Valley ^[7]	8g	21g	10g
Nesquik ^[8]	8g	21g	11g
Alexandre Family Farm ^[9]	10g	21g	10g
Straus Family Creamery ^[10]	16g	16g	9g

Total sugar is the full amount of sugar in a drink, including naturally occurring and added sugars. GROUNDED comes out lowest on total sugar across this selection. Added sugar is listed separately so you can read each label clearly.

The specific chocolate drinks compared

The table compares ready-to-drink chocolate milks and dairy-free chocolate milk alternatives. It uses one named recipe from each brand.

GROUNDED: Chocolate Milk. Dairy-free; Coconut milk; pea and sunflower protein. Label serving: one 8.5 fl oz carton. ^[1]
Ripple: On-The-Go Chocolate Milk, 8 fl oz. Dairy-free; Pea protein. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[2]
Oatly: Oatmilk Chocolate Unshareables, 8 fl oz. Dairy-free; Oats. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[3]
Silk: Shelf-Stable Dark Chocolate Almondmilk, 8 fl oz. Dairy-free; Almonds. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[4]
fairlife: Chocolate 2% Ultra-Filtered Milk, 52 fl oz bottle. Dairy; Cow’s milk; lactose-free. Label serving: 1 cup. ^[5]
Horizon Organic: Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk Box, 8 fl oz. Dairy; Cow’s milk. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[6]
Organic Valley: Organic 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk, Single Serve, 8 fl oz. Dairy; Cow’s milk. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[7]
Nesquik: Chocolate Lowfat Milk, ready-to-drink 8 fl oz bottle. Dairy; Cow’s milk. Label serving: one 8 fl oz carton or bottle. ^[8]
Alexandre Family Farm: A2/A2 Organic Chocolate Milk, bottled 4% milkfat. Dairy; Cow’s milk. Label serving: 1 cup. ^[9]
Straus Family Creamery: Organic Whole Chocolate Milk – Lactose Free. Dairy; Cow’s milk; lactose-free. Label serving: 1 cup. ^[10]

The fairlife entry is chocolate ultra-filtered milk; Nesquik is the bottled drink. The tables use the named recipes above, so a different flavor or pack may have different nutrition.

Real ingredients. No gums. No artificial sweeteners.

GROUNDED’s recipe starts with coconut milk, cocoa and pure vanilla extract, with cane sugar, pea and sunflower protein, olive oil, citrus fiber and Himalayan salt. Every ingredient has a place in the recipe. ^[1]

We use cocoa for the chocolate flavor and coconut milk for a smooth, creamy texture. There are no gums or artificial sweeteners in GROUNDED Chocolate Milk. It is also dairy-free and vegan.

For comparison, the selected Ripple recipe lists gum arabic, guar gum and gellan gum, and Silk lists locust bean gum and gellan gum. The fairlife recipe lists acesulfame potassium and sucralose; Nesquik lists natural and artificial flavor and several stabilizers. ^[2] ^[4] ^[5] ^[8]

Calories and saturated fat at a glance

Here are calories and saturated fat for the same 8 US fl oz serving. Each source also provides the full nutrition label, including calcium and vitamin D.

Calories and saturated fat per 8 US fl oz
Brand	Calories	Saturated fat
GROUNDED ^[1]	151	3.8g
Ripple ^[2]	140	0.3g
Oatly ^[3]	150	0.5g
Silk ^[4]	90	0g
fairlife ^[5]	140	3g
Horizon Organic ^[6]	150	1.5g
Organic Valley ^[7]	150	1.5g
Nesquik ^[8]	140	1.5g
Alexandre Family Farm ^[9]	210	5g
Straus Family Creamery ^[10]	230	7g

Choosing dairy-free chocolate milk

GROUNDED, Ripple, Oatly and the selected Silk almondmilk use plant-based ingredients instead of cow’s milk. fairlife and Straus are lactose-free dairy drinks, while Alexandre’s A2/A2 chocolate milk is also cow’s milk. Dairy-free, lactose-free and A2 describe different things.

Check the package for allergens and storage instructions. GROUNDED contains coconut and is made in a facility that also handles milk, gluten and soy. Silk contains almond, and the dairy drinks contain milk. Follow the storage instructions for the specific pack you buy.

Compare GROUNDED head-to-head

Take a closer look at the exact recipes, sugar, protein and ingredients in each comparison:

Your next chocolate milk: GROUNDED

Smooth, creamy chocolate milk. Half the sugar of the three leading-brand drinks named above. Real ingredients. No gums or artificial sweeteners. And 10g protein per 8.5 fl oz carton. That is GROUNDED Chocolate Milk.

Shop Chocolate Milk, try Mint Chocolate Milk or explore the range.

For more on choosing a dairy-free drink, read our dairy-free chocolate milk guide.

Sources and comparison method

The figures come from the official US product pages and nutrition images below. This is a comparison of published label information. We compare the labels’ declared US servings at 8 fl oz (one cup), scaling GROUNDED from its 8.5 fl oz carton. Calculated values are approximate because labels use rounding. Formulas and pack sizes can change; check the label on the product you buy.