Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ditch the hot cocoa packets from the grocery store. They’re filled with processed ingredients. Learn how to make a Homemade Hot Chocolate – made with real food ingredients.

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Closeup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate syrup

Why Not to Buy Store-Bought Hot Chocolate

Kids love to drink hot cocoa, but have you ever checked out the ingredients on a packet of store-bought, pre-packaged hot chocolate? It’s full of artificial ingredients, sugar substitute and other harmful chemicals.

Here’s the ingredient list for a packet of Nestle hot chocolate:

organic sugar, corn syrup solids, dairy product solids (from milk) cocoa processed with alkali, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated coconut or palm kernel and hydrogenated soybean), and less than 2% of sodium caseinate, cellulose gum, salt, sodium citrate, guar gum, artificial flavor, mono- and diglycerides, sucralose.

Plus, why drink a chemically-laden hot chocolate when you can make your own with just FOUR INGREDIENTS. Really.

How to Make This Homemade Hot Chocolate – Step by Step

1. In a small saucepan, heat all ingredients except collagen for hot chocolate over medium heat. Whisk gently as milk warms up. Once heated, turn off the stove and add the collagen. Set hot chocolate aside.

2. Open can of coconut cream. Drain coconut water. Transfer coconut cream to a large bowl and add vanilla extract and honey. Use a hand mixer to whip coconut cream to desired consistency.

3. Serve in mugs and top with coconut whipped cream. You’ll likely have some left over. You can double the hot chocolate recipe to make more and use the leftover coconut cream.

4. OPTIONAL: Drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup or melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and drizzle on the whipped cream.

Homemade Hot Chocolate is So Easy to Make

Hot cocoa is SO easy to make yourself. And, you can add grass-fed gelatin collagen hydrolysate to get a boost of protein, amino acids and other nutrients. There’s no taste, so the kids won’t even know it’s in the hot cocoa. Unlike regular gelatin, this version does not congeal and mixes well in drinks.

I even have an optional recipe for a coconut whipped cream you can add to make it even more delicious.

And this recipe is for 3 servings but if you like to serve it in big mugs like me – it might be closer to 2 big servings.

A Delicious Homemade Hot Chocolate

The flavors in this homemade hot chocolate are so much more robust and deeper than the pre-packaged hot chocolate powders you. The creaminess and sweetness are perfectly balanced! Making this yourself will make you never want to buy store bought again.

Variations

You can get creative with twists on this homemade hot chocolate here are some ideas:

  • Peanut butter hot chocolate: Swirl in 1 tablespoon peanut butter per cup. (Almond butter works, too, but I didn’t love it.)
  • Mexican hot chocolate: Stir a pinch of ground cinnamon into your cup. Cinnamon stick garnish optional.
  • Peppermint hot chocolate: Add a drop (really, just one drop) of peppermint essence into your cup.
  • Spike it: A splash of bourbon or spiced rum would be quite nice.

Top Tips for This Homemade Hot Chocolate

  • This is a total kid-friendly recipe.
  • You can add grass-fed gelatin collagen hydrolysate to get a boost of protein, amino acids and other nutrients.
  • Drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup or melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and drizzle on the whipped cream.

Closeup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top

Check Out These Other Great Drink Recipes

Did you try this Homemade Hot Chocolate recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below to let me know how it went. You can also FOLLOW ME on FacebookInstagram and Pinterest to see what other fun things I’m getting up to.

Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate in a glass

Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe

Don't Mess With Mama
Ditch the hot cocoa packets from the grocery store. They're filled with processed ingredients. Learn how to make a healthy homemade hot chocolate.
5 from 56 votes
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 3 servings
Calories 189 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Hot Chocolate

Coconut Whipped Cream

  • 12 oz. organic coconut cream (from a can) refrigerated overnight
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tsp  raw honey

OPTIONAL Garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan, heat all ingredients except collagen for hot chocolate over medium heat. Whisk gently as milk warms up. Once heated, turn off the stove and add the collagen. Set hot chocolate aside.
  • Open can of coconut cream. Drain coconut water. Transfer coconut cream to a large bowl and add vanilla extract and honey. Use a hand mixer to whip coconut cream to desired consistency.
  • Serve in mugs and top with coconut whipped cream. You'll likely have some left over. You can double the hot chocolate recipe to make more and use the leftover coconut cream. 
  • OPTIONAL: Drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup or melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and drizzle on the whipped cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 242mgSugar: 24gVitamin A: 265IUCalcium: 190mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword easy hot chocolate recipe, healthy hot chocolate
Tried this recipe?Mention @dontmesswithmama on Instagram

Gluten-Free Real Food Recipes for KidsWant More Recipes?

Check out my book, Gluten-Free, Real Food Recipes for Kids. I wrote this book with YOU in mind. Parents who want to provide kids with wholesome meals without artificial colors, preservatives and other additives. All the recipes are gluten-free – with many options for grain free or Paleo, dairy free, egg free and vegetarian.

What’s Included In This Book

It’s filled with 130+ pages of content and recipes, including:

  • Real food nutrition 101
  • Detailed information on how to properly soak and sprout nuts, beans, grains and seeds
  • A guide on how to spot chemical additives and what to avoid
  • Kitchen essentials and cooking tools
  • Tips on how to get kids to become better eaters and help in the kitchen
  • 70+ gluten-free recipes – such as snacks and appetizers, beverages, condiments and dressings, main meals, desserts and more

 

 

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Photo credit: Bigstockphoto.com /nata_vkusidey

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9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Wow, this hot chocolate recipe looks so delicious! I never knew making it from scratch could be so easy! I can’t wait to make this for my husband this month upcoming month. He is OBSESSED with hot chocolate.