The winter months are the perfect time to enjoy cozy, comforting foods and drinks, and a hot cup of cocoa is the epitome of a perfect cold-weather drink. If you’re hoping to make hot chocolate from scratch, you’re in luck, because this healthy hot chocolate tastes incredible. What’s great about making homemade hot chocolate is that you get to customize the flavor. If you prefer a dark chocolate drink, you can add more cacao powder; if you prefer a sweeter drink, you can easily add more sweetness.
Why Ditch the Packets? The Benefits of Homemade Hot Chocolate
In the past, many would mix one of the store-bought hot cocoa packets with water, then top it with a few mini marshmallows. Using the packets was convenient and found them to make a great cup of hot cocoa. But homemade hot chocolate is fantastic! It’s creamier, has a richer chocolate taste, and is lower in sugar than the store-bought packets. And, it’s super simple to make.
Healthier Hot Chocolate: Key Ingredients and Considerations
Traditional hot cocoa recipes use whole milk or half and half as the liquid base. Some even use heavy whipping cream. While the higher fat percentage of those will result in a creamier hot cocoa, it also adds to the total calorie content of the finished product. It is possible to enjoy hot cocoa on a regular basis, not one that is comparable to a large piece of chocolate cake.
The best thing about making homemade hot cocoa is that you can make it your way, with your favorite ingredients. If you’re on a low carbohydrate diet or limiting your sugar intake, you can use skim milk and a sugar substitute to make your cocoa. If you’re on a higher calorie diet or you like your cocoa super sweet, you can use whole milk and add a little extra of your favorite caloric sweetener.
Milk Options: Finding the Right Creaminess and Nutritional Value
Looking back, it's hard to believe some make hot chocolate with water. Milk is what gives hot cocoa its creamy consistency. It also adds high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and lots of other nutrients, resulting in a nutrient-rich beverage. Any milk can be used, but the higher the fat percentage in the milk, the creamier your cup of hot cocoa will be. I prefer to use organic grass fed milk, but you can use whatever type of milk you have on hand. You can also make this dairy free by using oat milk, or another milk alternative.
Read also: Exploring Diet Chocolate Drink Advantages
Sweeteners: Natural vs. Processed
There’s a variety of ways you can sweeten your cup of hot cocoa. You can use a granulated sugar, more commonly known as white table sugar. Or, you can use cane sugar or a variety of cane sugar like turbinado or demerara sugar, which have larger crystals. You could also use a liquid sweetener, like honey, maple syrup, or agave. I have tried every one of these sweeteners listed above in hot cocoa. I personally don’t like using liquid sweeteners. They have a different flavor and really do change the taste of the hot cocoa. Pure maple syrup and raw honey in their most natural form will have the most health benefits. I prefer to use these in this recipe as a natural sweetener.
The Magic of Vanilla and a Pinch of Salt
Vanilla is a must have ingredient in homemade hot cocoa. It works as a flavor enhancer and also helps to reduce the bitterness from the cocoa. While including a pinch of salt in your cup of hot cocoa isn’t absolutely necessary, it does help balance the bitterness of the cocoa and enhance the flavor. But, if you use too much, it can ruin your cup of cocoa.
Superfood Hot Chocolate: Elevating Your Cocoa Experience
A Superfood Hot Chocolate recipe made with cacao, adaptogens and a few spices make it a fun and healthy hot cocoa (with lots of benefits!) to enjoy all winter long. This superfood hot chocolate recipe is warm, silky, creamy and delicious while packing in a bunch of health benefits.
Adaptogens and Spices: Adding a Healthy Kick
I love to take a simple vegan and dairy-free hot chocolate recipe up a notch by adding some superfood spices and herbs for a lovely healthy concoction. Whether or not you decide to add the adaptogens, the other spices act as superfoods too! Cinnamon, ginger and turmeric are all great for inflammation.
If you’re not familiar with maca, it’s a root from the member of the cruciferous family (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.) with over 20 amino acids and rich in phytonutrients. It has been shown to have a variety of health benefits, i.e. Maca is also considered an “adaptogen”. Adaptogens are names give to certain herbs/plants that help the body naturally adapt to stress. Maca adds a nice nutty flavor, but you can use Reishi too, which is an adaptogenic mushroom.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Cacao vs. Cocoa: Understanding the Difference
Raw Cacao is processed at much lower temperatures so more of the enzymes, minerals and antioxidants stay in tact. Cocoa powder (typically used in baking) is roasted at higher temperatures so it loses most (up to 90%) of it’s nutrients. The roasting makes it sweeter too; raw cacao is more bitter.
Raw cacao is rich in magnesium. Cacao contains an endocannabinoid that’s known as the “bliss molecule” that binds to cannabinoid receptors in the body. This is why pure chocolate can have a similar effect to CBD oil in the body. Cacao has 40 times more antioxidants than blueberries. And it has more calcium than cow’s milk. Cacao is known as a heart opener and has been used ceremonially for thousands of years to connect with the heart and people around you.
Note, you want to make sure you’re getting a high quality, organic raw cacao. Testing has shown cacao is easily contaminated with heavy metals, particularly lead and cadmium. Choosing organic is one way to lessen exposure.
If you’re avoiding chocolate…Use carob. There was a time when I was following the autoimmune paleo protocol and I avoided chocolate (so hard, I know). That’s when I discovered carob. It’s very similar to cacao though much sweeter. Carob is made from dried, roasted carob tree pods. It looks identical to cacao powder. It can be used as an alternative to chocolate in all sorts of things you’d use chocolate in - brownies, cakes, smoothies, etc.
Mushroom Magic: An Unexpected Addition
This drink makes a great delivery mechanism for other superfoods and adaptogens. You could add some mushrooms like chaga (immune support), cordyceps (stamina, anti-aging), reishi (immune support) or Lion’s mane (brain health). (note: some of these are not advised if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, have a blood disorder, low blood pressure or will be under going surgery). In general these mushrooms have many health benefits including being anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. (As always, do your own research before adding a supplement and consult your doctor if you’re concerned about a health condition.) Or throw in a little ashwaganda, an adaptogen that helps your body adapt to stressors and handle stress better.
Read also: Walnut Keto Guide
Keto-Friendly, Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate: A Guilt-Free Indulgence
This Keto-Friendly Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe makes creamy, rich hot chocolate with ingredients you probably already have on hand. This quick and easy hot chocolate can be part of a low-carb, keto, diabetic, gluten-free, grain-free, Atkins or Banting diet. There is even a dairy-free option!
Key Ingredients for Keto Hot Chocolate
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a softer, milder flavor.
- Granulated sweetener: Pretty much any zero-calorie sweetener will work for this recipe and easily dissolve in hot water. You can use Splenda, Swerve, Truvia, Monkfruit, or any other sweetener designed to substitute for granular sugar. If your sweetener measures 1:1 to sugar, use 2 tablespoons of sweetener for each serving. If your sweetener measures 2:1 to sugar (twice as sweet as sugar), use 1 tablespoon of sweetener for each serving.
- Powdered creamer: Use either powdered milk or powdered creamer. Using the dry milk powder is perfect for making pre-made mix to save for later. It is shelf stable and you never have to worry about keeping fresh milk on-hand.
- Heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk): The addition of cream not only decreases the carb content, but also gives the hot chocolate a velvety mouthfeel only present in the very best hot chocolate. This recipe can easily be made dairy-free by substituting the thick coconut milk from a can for the heavy whipping cream. I find that this adds a slight coconut flavor that I find works well with the chocolate-kind of like a Mound bar.
Tips and Tricks for Keto Hot Chocolate
- Sweetener Substitutions: If you don’t have my favorite sweetener on hand, feel free to substitute what you have. If you do substitute, be sure to adjust the quantity if necessary to obtain the correct sweetness level.For example, the sweetener I use is twice as sweet as sugar, if yours measures cup for cup like sugar, you will need to double the amount. Super-sweet sweeteners such as pure stevia powder or pure monk fruit powder may not provide enough bulk to combine with the cocoa. Because of this, the cocoa may form into lumps.
- Dairy-Free Option: To make this recipe dairy free, you can use any type of nondairy milk. Unsweetened almond milk is a good option that is both low in calories and carbs!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Keto Hot Chocolate Mix
- Combine ingredients: Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Make hot chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons of the hot cocoa mix to a large mug then add hot water and mix until completely dissolved.
Single-Serving Protein Hot Chocolate: A Post-Workout Treat
This single-serve, rich and creamy protein hot chocolate has zero added sugar and 18 grams protein! The sweetness in this healthy hot chocolate recipe comes from the zero sugar sweetener used in Autumn’s Protein Powder, monk fruit extract. And because we’re using my zero sugar protein powder in this recipe, we’re getting the added perks of an additional 10 grams of complete protein!
Milk Options for Protein Hot Chocolate
My hot chocolate can be made with a variety of different milks, depending on what your body (and taste buds) prefer. I personally prefer using whole milk, as it helps boost the protein content by an additional 8 grams and it tastes the most similar to a traditional hot chocolate. However, you can also use unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, hemp seed milk, cashew milk - any nut or seed milk that you prefer! I just recommend not using oat milk.
Tips for Making Protein Hot Chocolate
- Don't boil the milk: Boiling liquids will curdle protein powder, so it’s important to warm the milk to your desired temperature and not any higher.
- Whisk thoroughly: The best way is to heat the milk over the stove top first, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the protein powder. Make sure the milk is not too hot (boiling), as this will cause the protein powder to curdle.
- Enjoy immediately: This is definitely best consumed immediately. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth at the end of the day, then this is the perfect dessert to whip up. The high protein content of this hot chocolate helps to boost satiety, prevent hunger and reduce sugar cravings.
Flavor Variations: Experimenting with Your Hot Chocolate
- Healthy Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon: Simmer the milk with a cinnamon stick. Discard the stick or serve it inside your cup as a garnish.
- Vegan Hot Chocolate: Use almond milk or coconut milk.
- Hot Chocolate with Coconut Oil: Another option to add decadence.
- Mexican Hot Chocolate: Simmer the milk with a cinnamon stick (as suggested in cinnamon variation above).
- Irish Hot Chocolate: Add a splash of Irish Cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s, or Irish whiskey.
- Peanut Butter Healthy Hot Chocolate: Add a spoonful of peanut butter.
- Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream: The classic hot chocolate topping! Feel free to use the can (I won’t judge).
General Recipe for Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
- 2 cups milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Add the almond milk, unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and salt to a small saucepan.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir, using a whisk to break up any lumps.
- Keep stirring until it's smooth and reaches your desired warm temperature. (There is no need to bring it to a full boil.)
- Carefully taste the hot chocolate and make any necessary adjustments. For a darker chocolate flavor, add an extra dash of cocoa powder. For more sweetness, add an extra splash of maple syrup.
- Pour the hot chocolate into a mug right away and serve warm.
Toppings and Serving Suggestions
There are endless ways to top your cup of hot cocoa, but I personally think that less is best. The homemade hot cocoa itself is delicious, so you want to be careful not to overdo it or make it overly sweet. That said, adding a few mini marshmallows, a few tablespoons of whipped topping or a few mini chocolate chips can’t hurt. You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg to spice up your cup. Mini marshmallows, vegan marshmallows, or a dollop of coconut whipped cream are all delicious options. Serve it alongside sourdough snickerdoodle cookies or a fresh sourdough croissant for the perfect winter treat.
Storing Leftover Hot Chocolate
Leftover hot chocolate can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let the cocoa cool completely and place covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.