diff --git a/std/testing/asserts.ts b/std/testing/asserts.ts
index ce72149984..18cf9134e0 100644
--- a/std/testing/asserts.ts
+++ b/std/testing/asserts.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 /** This module is browser compatible. Do not rely on good formatting of values
  * for AssertionError messages in browsers. */
 
-import { red, green, white, gray, bold } from "../fmt/colors.ts";
+import { red, green, white, gray, bold, stripColor } from "../fmt/colors.ts";
 import diff, { DiffType, DiffResult } from "./diff.ts";
 
 const CAN_NOT_DISPLAY = "[Cannot display]";
@@ -289,9 +289,9 @@ export function assertArrayContains(
     return;
   }
   if (!msg) {
-    msg = `actual: "${actual}" expected to contain: "${expected}"`;
-    msg += "\n";
-    msg += `missing: ${missing}`;
+    msg = `actual: "${format(actual)}" expected to contain: "${format(
+      expected
+    )}"\nmissing: ${format(missing)}`;
   }
   throw new AssertionError(msg);
 }
@@ -342,7 +342,10 @@ export function assertThrows(
       }"${msg ? `: ${msg}` : "."}`;
       throw new AssertionError(msg);
     }
-    if (msgIncludes && !e.message.includes(msgIncludes)) {
+    if (
+      msgIncludes &&
+      !stripColor(e.message).includes(stripColor(msgIncludes))
+    ) {
       msg = `Expected error message to include "${msgIncludes}", but got "${
         e.message
       }"${msg ? `: ${msg}` : "."}`;
@@ -375,7 +378,10 @@ export async function assertThrowsAsync(
       }"${msg ? `: ${msg}` : "."}`;
       throw new AssertionError(msg);
     }
-    if (msgIncludes && !e.message.includes(msgIncludes)) {
+    if (
+      msgIncludes &&
+      !stripColor(e.message).includes(stripColor(msgIncludes))
+    ) {
       msg = `Expected error message to include "${msgIncludes}", but got "${
         e.message
       }"${msg ? `: ${msg}` : "."}`;
diff --git a/std/testing/asserts_test.ts b/std/testing/asserts_test.ts
index fb25d46cf7..c333d41dac 100644
--- a/std/testing/asserts_test.ts
+++ b/std/testing/asserts_test.ts
@@ -151,15 +151,11 @@ test("testingArrayContains", function (): void {
   const fixtureObject = [{ deno: "luv" }, { deno: "Js" }];
   assertArrayContains(fixture, ["deno"]);
   assertArrayContains(fixtureObject, [{ deno: "luv" }]);
-  let didThrow;
-  try {
-    assertArrayContains(fixtureObject, [{ deno: "node" }]);
-    didThrow = false;
-  } catch (e) {
-    assert(e instanceof AssertionError);
-    didThrow = true;
-  }
-  assertEquals(didThrow, true);
+  assertThrows(
+    (): void => assertArrayContains(fixtureObject, [{ deno: "node" }]),
+    AssertionError,
+    `actual: "[ { deno: "luv" }, { deno: "Js" } ]" expected to contain: "[ { deno: "node" } ]"\nmissing: [ { deno: "node" } ]`
+  );
 });
 
 test("testingAssertStringContainsThrow", function (): void {