Healthy Hot Chocolate with Cacao Powder
This quick homemade hot chocolate with cacao powder is made with milk, honey, cacao powder and a touch of vanilla extract. Let me assure you that it’s nearly as easy to make as a powdered mix, but it’s even more delicious and much more nutritious. It’s a wonderful wintertime “treat” that’s really not a treat at all. [New VIDEO below!]
Ingredients
This healthy hot chocolate is made with just milk (or coconut milk for a vegan variation, see below), cacao powder, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla.
How to make hot chocolate with raw cacao powder
The recipe is super simple. First, whisk raw cacao powder into cold milk with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, a splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt (which balances the flavors) until smooth. Whisking the cacao into the milk before heating it allows it to dissolve completely (if you add it to hot milk it can clump up). Warm the hot chocolate on the stove, and you’re DONE!
Hot chocolate variations
Vegan hot chocolate
For a dairy-free hot chocolate, simply swap out regular milk for coconut milk. I prefer canned coconut milk (either whole-fat or low-fat) as opposed to boxed milks or almond milk because of its neutral flavor and silky texture (I find that nut milks can give the hot chocolate an off flavor, but that's subjective). To make it vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Mexican hot chocolate
To put a Mexican spin on this hot chocolate, add a sprinkle of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne before heating.
How to serve hot chocolate with cacao powder
Now for the fun part. You can absolutely serve this healthy hot chocolate on its own (which is how we drink it for breakfast). However, if you want to take it over the top (and who doesn’t?) you can dress it up! The kids beg for marshmallows, but as for me, I’ll take a billowy dollop of whipped cream, or, even better, Cardamom Whipped Cream. Oh YES.
Tips for making homemade hot chocolate:
- The best hot chocolate is made with cacao powder, which you can find at many grocery stores or online! Raw cacao powder is healthier and richer in chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder. However, you can use a good quality cocoa powder in its place.
- It’s important to whisk the cacao powder into the milk before heating it up (it will take a bit of whisking to dissolve). If you add the cacao powder to hot milk it can clump up.
- This hot cocoa is naturally sweetened with honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, but you can use regular white or brown sugar instead.
- I love this small saucepan and mini whisk for making hot chocolate, as well as for oatmeal and sauces.
- For a vegan version, use canned coconut milk in place of the regular milk (I don’t love the flavor of nut milk in this recipe, but that’s subjective). Swap out the honey for maple syrup.
- A pinch of salt helps to amplify all of the flavors.
- Try this hot cacao with Cardamom Whipped Cream!
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FAQs
Raw cacao powdered is a less processed form of cocoa powder. The beans are dried at a low temperature before being ground (which is why they’re considered raw). The powder is therefore higher in minerals, enzymes and antioxidants. Even better, it also has a richer, deeper chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder. I use it in all my baked goods (see below for other ways to use it!).
Yes! You can refrigerate the hot chocolate and simply reheat it before serving. The chocolate will settle at the bottom, so just give it a whisk or shake before reheating (I store it in a large jar). If you prefer, you can even serve it as healthy chocolate milk.
Other cacao powder drink recipes:
Baked goods that use cacao powder:
- Healthy Chocolate Pudding from Scratch
- No Bake Vegan Chocolate Pudding Tart
- Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
- Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Cacao Whipped Cream Frosting
- Easy Chocolate Almond Cake
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
- Crepe Cake with Cacao Frosting
- Individual Flourless Chocolate Cakes
Watch the video!
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Get the recipe!
Healthy Hot Chocolate with Cacao Powder
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (preferably 2% or whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the milk, cacao powder, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt (sometimes I also add a pinch of cinnamon or even cayenne, if I’m feeling racy). Whisk until smooth.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, and bring the milk to a simmer, whisking often. Give the hot chocolate a taste—if you prefer it sweeter whisk in a bit more honey. Serve warm.
Notes
- The best hot chocolate is made with cacao powder, which you can find at many grocery stores or online! Raw cacao powder is healthier and richer in chocolate flavor than regular cocoa powder. However, you can use a good quality cocoa powder in its place.
- It’s important to whisk the cacao powder into the milk before heating it up (it will take a bit of whisking to dissolve). If you add the cacao powder to hot milk it can clump up.
- This hot cocoa is naturally sweetened with honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar, but you can use regular white or brown sugar instead.
- I love this small saucepan and mini whisk for making hot chocolate, as well as for oatmeal and sauces.
- For a vegan version, use canned coconut milk in place of the regular milk (I don’t love the flavor of nut milk in this recipe, but that’s subjective). Swap out the honey for maple syrup.
- A pinch of salt helps to amplify all of the flavors.
- Try this hot cacao with Cardamom Whipped Cream!
Yummy! Modified a bit: 3 TBS of cacao for a richer chocolate and did 1/2 water, 1/2 whole milk, steamed and frothed the milk before adding. Sweetened with maple syrup. Delicious!
Love it!!
Snowy day here in SE Louisiana. Yep, not normal. Made this with coconut milk and raw honey. Added cinnamon to mine. Teenager loved it! Yum! Will be making again.
Hi Theresa, I'm so glad you and your teen loved it. Stay warm!!
Is this okay for children?! I know all chocolate has some caffeine but just wondering, anyone’s kids try it? Haha
Hi Amanda! This cocoa is absolutely okay for kids. In fact, it's the only hot cocoa my kids drink (they love it and prefer it over powdered mixes)! I hope you enjoy. 🙂
I just made this recipe using coconut milk and it was delicious. I added cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and brown sugar. My intent is to offer it after either one of my singing bowl sound bath or drum circle events. Thanks for sharing this easy-to-make recipe!
I’m so happy to hear, Eileen! (And your drumming and sound bath events are right up my alley 😊). Thank you for sharing!
I make this all the time - the whole family loves it! Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear!!
I can't wait to try it. i want to swap it for one of my two daily coffees, for better health benefits.
Thank you for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy!!
This is very good..... I've made it twice with soy milk. Thank you!
I'm so happy to hear!
We love this recipie and everything we make using our Oatsome Oat milk, good stuffs!
Thank you so much for your comment, Erica, and I'm so happy to hear you love the hot cacao!
We enjoyed this recipe! I might add more cocao powder next time for a richer taste. I love the cayenne and cinnamon tip 😍
I'm so glad you enjoyed!!
Hello,
I love this hot chocolate!
I just wondered if you knew the calorie amount per cup?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Olivia, I'm so glad you love the hot chocolate! Unfortunately I don't have a calorie count, which will vary depending on the milk you use. I hope you have a cozy fall!
I love this hot chocolate drink! I use cacao in my coffee in the morning, makes it much richer. But I'm so glad I tried this hot chocolate recipe. I used honey and I used nonfat powdered milk actually and it turned out great.
I'm so glad you enjoyed!!
This is now going to be my go to recipe for hot cocoa. Thank you so much Niki, you are a doll.
Hi Jeannie, thank you for you comment, and I'm so glad you enjoyed!!
Very good! The cardamon whipped cream was a life changer. Real, unadulterated food is always going to be healthier despite what some commenters may say. Protein, minerals, nutrients in the FULL-FAT MILK (I used local raw milk), antioxidants, and fiber from raw cacao powder - who needs chocolate-flavored collagen peptides when they can sip on this!?
I'm with you all the way!! 😊
I tried this recipe twice and the milk split. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Tanya, I'm sorry to hear you're having issues! What kind of milk were you using? If you're using whole milk it definitely should not split (if it did split it could be an issue with the freshness of the milk). However, almond milk can split, which is why I don't recommend it for this cacao. Let me know!
Hi. I'm not sure why you call this a healthy drink? Possibly you're not aware of the bad health implications from added sugars and saturated fats? Pretty much all nutritional advice is to keep these to a minimum as they are strongly linked to shorter life expectancy and serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and type two diabetes.
If you replaced the milk in your cocoa with low fat milk or a low fat substitute ( coconut milk is high in saturated fats which have yet to be proven to be healthy) and took out the added sugars ( honey/maple syrup) then it would be healthy. Oh and the salt? Unless you have a sodium deficiency then adding salt to anything is not healthy. And really not in anyway needed in a cup of cocoa.
For sure people may wish to sweeten their drink. But it should be with the minimum amount of sugar necessary for them to enjoy it, and with the knowledge that it isn't healthy and to be aware of guidelines for amounts of added sugars considered to be within safe limits.
As part of a healthy, wholefood diet, then this could be fine so long as there isn't added sugars and much saturated fat in anything else consumed that day.
But as a stand alone drink, it's pretty unhealthy.
Using honey or maple syrup is healthy. And gives alternatives for sweeteners. Raw cacao has many heath benefits. Ask any nutritionist, this is a much healthier choice than regular hot chocolate!
Can't wait to try I am going to do oat milk I dot do dairy milk. 🙂
*don't lol
Yay! I hope you enjoy!
I have tried mine with water and with oat milk using dates to sweeten with pinch cinnamon and pinch chilli. Still not quite happy but tweaking
I just made it with oatmilk and added cinnamon and cayenne as I love Mexican chocolate. So yummy
I love that!!
My son brought me a block of raw cacao from Guatemala at Christmas. He's used it with macadamia butter or tahini and oat milk.This recipe is perfect, thank you.
Hi Terri, what a wonderful gift! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cacao.
This reminds me of making hot chocolate when I was a kid, using the unsweetened Hershey cocoa but the cacao is much richer. I used to make a paste of a small amount of cold milk with the powder, and used a fork to mix until it was a smooth paste, then added the hot milk. It seems to incorporate the cacao faster than mixing it into the whole cup of milk. I am on a low sodium plan and try to avoid adding salt,, but this is one food that really benefits from just a few grains of sea salt, so I recommend that the salt be added, just alot less than a pinch.
I also tried mixing the cacao and milk in a blender (for a larger batch) and that worked as well, as long as the powder is added before the milk, to avoid a cacao dust storm 🙂 I think making it ahead and storing in the refrigerator gives it a chance to marry the milk and cacao for a smoother taste. I don't added the salt/honey/vanilla til I'm ready to heat it so it can have sweetness adjusted for each person.
Thanks so much for your comment! Sometimes I also make a big batch in the blender and heat it as needed. Great tip!
Best homemade hot cocoa recipe I've ever tried! Very rich, but still healthy. Perfect! Thank you!
I'm so glad you enjoyed, Rick!
This recipe is amazing. I do not like the fat from adding dark chocolate and this was perfect for me.
Hi Shey, thank you for your comment, and I'm so glad you enjoyed!