This healthy hot chocolate is a delicious, naturally sweetened recipe that comes together as quickly as the hot chocolate mixes from the store. And it tastes even better!
Why You’ll Love It
When you make homemade hot chocolate, you get to customize the flavor. If you prefer a dark chocolate drink, you can add more cacao powder, and if you prefer a sweeter drink, you can easily add more sweetness.
A pinch of salt will help balance out the flavor, and since you can taste this mixture as you go, it’s practically foolproof!
When you make this hot chocolate recipe with dairy-free milk, it’s gluten-free, vegan & Paleo friendly. But, cow’s milk or any other milk can be used for this recipe, too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For a dairy-free hot chocolate recipe, try using unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk. You can also use hemp milk or soy milk for extra protein, or cashew milk, if you’d like.
I tend to keep raw cacao powder in my pantry, but Dutch-processed cocoa powder will also work flavor-wise.
Note: Don’t use homemade oat milk for this recipe, because it will thicken up when heated. Store-bought oat milk usually has additives that will prevent this, though. (Especially if you buy a “barista” style milk option.)
How to Make the Best Hot Chocolate
Add the almond milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and salt to a small saucepan. Over medium heat on the stovetop, whisk the mixture often, until it starts to simmer and the lumps dissolve.
As soon as the hot chocolate looks creamy and is as warm as you’d like, it’s ready to serve.
Carefully taste it (don’t burn your mouth!) and make any adjustments, as needed. Then pour it into a mug and add any toppings you love.
Mini marshmallows, vegan marshmallows, or coconut whipped cream are all delicious options. Or try it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, for a little spice.
Store leftover hot chocolate in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will separate when stored, but it will quickly come together again when you whisk it in a saucepan.
Looking for an easy make-ahead option? Try my Hot Cocoa Mix, which can be stirred into hot milk and makes a great DIY gift idea.
Frequently Asked Questions & Variations
Yes! I’ve tested a Peppermint Hot Chocolate with peppermint extract if you’d like a minty variation made from scratch.
Yes! You can use honey if you don’t need a vegan hot cocoa recipe, or try agave, coconut sugar, or any other sweetener you love. Zero-calorie sweeteners will need a different amount, so be sure to start with less, and add more to taste as you go.
I have a date-sweetened hot chocolate recipe made with hot water if you’d like to give that a try. (You’ll need a high-speed blender, in that case, to help break down all the fiber in the dates.)
Cocoa powder is vegan, but if you want to add chocolate chips or shaved chocolate on top, be sure to check the label to make sure it’s dairy-free.
Looking for more warm drink ideas? Try my easy chai latte, pumpkin spice latte, or cozy London Fog drink for more options.
Healthy Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir, using a whisk to break up any lumps. Keep stirring until smooth and piping hot.
- Pour the hot chocolate into a mug right away and serve warm. Top with coconut whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired, or any other toppings you love.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this dairy-free hot chocolate recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
Thank you for this Great recipe!! I made this for my 13 year old granddaughter and she loved it. I made it with unsweetened cashew milk, which makes it nice and creamy- much like whole milk without the dairy (or extra calories). Very Yummy and perfect for a cold morning or evening!
First time making hot chocolate from scratch and wow—It turned out amazing! I used half almond milk and half oat milk. So delicious!
I make this all the time! Easy and delicious!
Okay, I know it is a recipe for HOT CHOCOLATE but I made it cold and it was DELCIOUS!!!
YUM 😍😍😍! Oh my gosh! This just cured my craving 😬!
I halved the recipe, as I’m only allowed 1/2 cup of Almond milk/day and I used xylitol instead of maple syrup 😬😍!
10/10 👌😍❤️🎉 ☕️
Delicious! We make this all the time- sometimes we use all almond milk, sometimes we use other nut milks, or a combo of nut milk and coconut milk. All work fine. Love the 1 tb of cocoa ratio. My favorite is maple syrup, but when I am feeling like a I need break from sugar I use organic stevia- about 4-5 drops to taste.
I bought the crock pot cook book .witch ones have the food combo meals?
My first two cookbooks, Everyday Detox and No Excuses Detox, have recipes that are developed and labeled with food combining in mind.
We’ve made this more times than we can count! Thanks for such a great recipe!!
Love to double this recipe for the kids! So simple and delicious!
This recipe is perfect! Love that it’s healthy and doesn’t use sugar. My kids love it and so do I 🙂 Thank you!
Just delicious! The right amount of ingredients that really complement and bring out the cacao!
Added turmeric and use erythrol instead of syrup and no vanilla and unsweetened hemp milk
Delicious hot chocolate. Just the recipe I was looking for. 2/2 awesome recipes from Detoxinsta and will be trying out more!
This hot chocolate is absolutely delicious!!! Perfect amount of sweetness and chocolatey goodness 🥰❤️ You have to try it!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback!
I have made this recipe for the past 2 years. If I forget the proportions, I always look for back this exact recipe from Detoxinista. It’s delicious and nutritious! Thank you so very much.
Thanks, Kellie. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the hot chocolate recipe!
I made this for my family today and it was fantastic! I used 3/4 cup almond milk and 1/4 cup coconut milk, and when I served it did half of the hot chocoate mixture and half almond milk, just to cut down on the sugar a bit. It was still fabulous. Thanks for a great recipe!
I was so hungry for a healthy cup of hot cocoa. So grateful for your recipe! I used a 1/4 cup more almond milk. Just delicious!
I used creamy oat milk instead and added a bit more cocoa and milk. A little bit too much syrup for the 1 cup of milk for my preference but overall yum!!!
This was fantastic with popcorn and butter on Christmas day!
Was craving this. had to go to the store for more cacao and it hit the spot. I love it. so comforting
My go to hot chocolate! I use oat milk and no toppings (nut allergies in the house). The rest of the recipe is the same as yours. Thank you!
I love you Megan
Very nice!
This hot chocolate is AMAZING! I made it for my boys feeling good knowing there were clean ingredients. I didn’t expect it to be so delicious! I ended up making a double serving for myself right after with a shot of espresso.
Best hot cocoa ever! I put a cinnamon stick and sf cool whip on top. Yum!
Thank you very much for this recipe! I don’t add maple syrup. I add a lot of Ceylon cinnamon instead, and top it with oat based whipped cream from whole foods. Delish! Thanks!
Absolutely delicious!! Great recipe!
Absolutely perfect, especially for the cooler change in weather. Dark, decadent, and creamy. I haven’t had hot chocolate in years because of the sugar, so I am thrilled at how well the maple syrup worked! Made it twice this week!
Finally a dairy free, refined sugar free hot chocolate that’s delicious! I skipped the saucepan and made this using my steam wand on my coffee machine. Combined very well and was nice and smooth. I also used macadamia milk and it was such a treat!
I made this last night with cashew milk and may or may not have added some rumchata. So delicious! This will be my go-to hot chocolate recipe!
Delicious!!! I made this for my 4 year old daughter and she loved it! I topped it with a little homemade whipped cream that I sweetened with a smidge of pure maple syrup. Love that this was so tasty but without the refined sugar! Will be my go to recipe.
Last year I was diagnosed with a very rare autoimmune disease and have to change nearly everything to avoid painful, potentially deadly flare ups. No dairy, no soy – and I am a vegetarian! The holidays are here and I was missing hot cocoa. I have tried different homemade dry mixes. Then a friend of mine pointed me to this website. Two words — THANK YOU! This hot cocoa recipe is wonderful, and it is truly the best one I have found. Sometimes a person needs the warm hug a cup of hot cocoa can give. I missed that last year and am thrilled to have found your recipe and will be telling everyone I know about your website!
Delicious, easy recipe!
So good and so easy to make!
Hi, just to let you know, Consumer Reports has done independent tests on various dark chocolate bars (including) organic, and most brands rank high in lead and cadmium metals. 🙁 So, not as healthy as we all thought.
This is my go-to hot chocolate recipe!! Absolutely the best
Delicious! I made it with creamy Oat Milk and quadrupled the recipe. Very nice spiked for a cold winter night. 👌
YUM!!! I made a date paste then added all the ingredients to a pot – sprinkled a bit of my diy sugar free pumpkin spice. No refined sugar and it was DELISH. Thank you!!!
So good!
This recipe was good! It had a weird aftertaste, but other than that it was super easy to make and tasted good. I would recommend adding more milk than what the recipe calls for.
OH MY GOODNESS…. DEEEEEEELICIOUS!!! I made your healthy hot chocolate recipe with homemade cashew milk and added a sprinkle of cinnamon. It is so creamy and chocolatey. The best ending to this cold, rainy day. Thank you!
amazing! used coconut milk and was able to add tiny bit more of salt and sugar for my pregnant taste buds lol thanks for fulfilling my craving !
Wowza
Just made this I didn’t have vanilla extract so used a tablespoon of ice cream and figured it would sweeten it up came out great thanks! Reminds me of a dark hot chocolate flavor