You only need three ingredients to make your own homemade hot chocolate mix. Keep it on hand for whenever your sweet tooth strikes and make a single mug or enough for the whole family.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Classic homemade hot chocolate with rich cocoa flavor and balanced sweetness.
Dairy-free: This recipe is made without powdered milk and can be mixed with your favorite milk (dairy or nondairy).
Serves: 12 eight-ounce mugs of cocoa
Similar to: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
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Ingredients and substitutions
Confectioner's sugar - We're using confectioner's sugar because it's fine and melts easily and quickly into warm milk. It also incorporates seamlessly with cocoa powder since they have a similar texture.
Cocoa powder - This recipe can be made with natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder.
Salt - Just enough salt is added to balance with the sweetness of the sugar and help bring out the flavor of the cocoa.
Cinnamon - Cinnamon adds a cozy, warm flavor to your hot cocoa that's perfect for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. This ingredient is optional, but worth the try if you like cinnamon.
Milk - Since this simple hot chocolate mix doesn't include powdered milk, it must be prepared with your favorite milk. Cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, or your favorite variety all work in this recipe.
Tips and tricks
Make in a mason jar - Your hot cocoa ingredients can be added to a mason jar, sealed and shaken for easy preparation and storage.
Give as a gift - Prepare a mason jar of hot cocoa mix, add a tag with instructions, and give as a gift during the holidays. A jar of hot cocoa could be paired with a new coffee mug or some homemade cookies.
Prepare with milk - Since this recipe doesn't include powdered milk, it must be prepared with some sort of milk. Cow's milk or dairy-free milks all work with this hot chocolate mix.
Frequently asked questions
Store bought hot chocolate mixes are made with powdered milk, which rehydrates when mixed with water. This makes your hot chocolate creamy and rich. This mix doesn't include powdered milk, so it must be prepared with milk. Cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, and other types of dairy-free milk all work with this recipe.
Yes, this hot chocolate mix is dairy-free. To make your prepared hot chocolate dairy free, use your favorite dairy-free milk like almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
Yes, 1 cup of powdered milk or instant nonfat dried milk can be added to the recipe as written below. To prepare, add about ¼ cup of prepared mix to a mug filled with 8 ounces of hot milk or hot water and stir until combined.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup (113 g) confectioner's sugar
- ½ cup (42 g) cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all ingredients and stir to combine. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Optionally, add all ingredients to a 16 ounce mason jar, seal, and shake to combine.
- To prepare hot chocolate: Add two tablespoons of hot chocolate mix to 8 ounces of hot milk. Feel free to add more to achieve your desired flavor and sweetness. Stir until dissolved and serve immediately. (The average coffee mug is 12 ounces, so you may need extra hot chocolate mix to match the amount of milk used).
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Storage - Prepared hot chocolate mix will keep for up to six months stored in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Use fresh cocoa powder and sugar for best results.
- Coffee mug size - The average coffee mug holds 12 ounces of liquid. Keep this in mind as you may need to add 3 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix to a coffee mug filled with hot milk.
- Prepare with milk only - This recipe cannot be made with water. Store bought hot chocolate mixes also contain a dried milk powder, which rehydrates with a creamy, milky texture when hot milk is added. To make this recipe dairy-free, use your favorite nondairy milk like almond milk or oat milk.
- To add powdered milk - To make this recipe with powdered milk, add 1 cup of powdered milk or instant nonfat dried milk to the recipe above. Add about ¼ cup (or more as desired) of prepared mix to hot water or milk.
This is so good. I doubled the recipe and stored it in a large jar. We will make again.
I made these up for a few friends for an early Christmas celebration. The feedback I got was was very enthusiastic. I’ll have to make more for myself.
This recipe is GREAT!! However, it doesn’t show in the nutrition section how many tbsp’s equal the 47 calories. Can you elaborate on that? Thanks
Hi Michele, glad you enjoy the recipe! One serving is two tablespoons.
Can you make this with almond milk???
Yes almond milk will work!
I have been looking for a hot choc mix I could have on my low carb diet. This might be it?? I see 12 g carb. What is the serving size? 12 g a T?, cup of cocoa finished w/ milk? Please help/ Thanks
Hi Marilyn, the serving size and calorie count is for two tablespoons of hot chocolate mix, but does not include the milk. Hope this helps!
Made a batch and the kids loved it! Really easy and we had all the ingredients already.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Wayne!