This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Did you know you can make hot chocolate without milk or refined sugar? This idea came to me while making almond milk from almond butter. If you’re not familiar with the concept, you can make almond milk simply by blending together a spoonful of almond butter with water. It turns unbelievably creamy, with no straining required.
So, I figured we could use the same concept to make hot chocolate, by adding dates and cacao powder into the mix.
What’s amazing about this date-sweetened hot chocolate, is that it tastes just as delicious as the traditional version, but it’s fruit-sweetened and still retains the fiber from the dates. (Because you don’t have to strain it.) I love it so much more than the powdered packets I grew up with!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“So easy and it tastes excellent!! I made it with my kids and we all LOVE it!!” – Cecilia
How to Make Date Hot Chocolate
Step 1:
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. You’ll need approximately 8 to 12 ounces of hot water per serving.
While you wait on that, add two pitted Medjool dates to a blender, along with a teaspoon of almond butter and a tablespoon of cacao powder. (You can eyeball the cacao and almond butter– I usually do!)
Step 2:
When the water is done boiling, pour 8 to 12 ounces into the blender. Then secure the lid and blend until the mixture looks creamy, with no visible pieces of dates.
Safety Tip: Make sure you use a blender that has a vent in the lid when blending hot liquids. Lightly cover the vent with a thin dishtowel, so that steam can escape without splattering you. This is not the time to use a bullet-style blender, as there’s no where for steam to escape safely.
Date-Sweetened Hot Chocolate (with Fiber!)
Ingredients
- 8 to 12 ounces water
- 1 teaspoon almond butter (or any other nut/seed butter)
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 2 Medjool dates , pitted (or 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. While you wait on that, add the almond butter, cacao powder, and pitted dates to a high-speed blender.
- When the water is done boiling, measure out one cup, pour it into the blender, and secure the lid. Note: Cover the vent in your blender's lid with a thin dish towel to allow steam to safely escape without splattering you. This is not the time to use a bullet-style blender, as there's no way for the steam pressure to safely escape.
- Blend until the mixture looks smooth and creamy, with no visible pieces of dates. Pour it into a mug right away and enjoy. If you don't have a powerful blender, pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer on the way to your mug, to catch any date pieces that might have been missed.
Notes
- Any nut butter should work well for this recipe, but I think almond and cashew butter have the most neutral flavor. If you use peanut butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter, their flavor may be slightly more prominent, so just keep that in mind.
- When I make this for my kids, I sometimes use only 1 teaspoon of cacao powder instead of a full tablespoon. (This gives it more of a “milk chocolate” flavor.) I also use 1/2 cup of boiled water and 1/2 cup of filtered water from my fridge, so the temperature is easier for them to drink right away.
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Healthy Hot Chocolate (with almond milk and maple syrup)
- Hot Chocolate Mix in a Jar
- Date Balls
- Chocolate Protein Balls
- Date Snickers
If you try this date hot chocolate recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
I was skeptical about this hot chocolate. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the taste but it’s sooo good and soothing. I think I finally found my morning coffee replacement 😋
THANK YOU! Made it with almond milk. Added a bit of vanilla and cinnamon, plus my collagen protein powder. Soooo good and creamy!
Absolutely delicious! I used cashew butter instead of almond butter and added four dates instead of two since mine were fairly old.
This is was good! Subbed coffee for the water.
That sounds like a delicious mocha! Thanks for the feedback, Caren. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thank your all your efforts and delicious recipes. all the love for you from KSA
Oh my goodness! Thank you for this recipe; I was looking for a little treat on this cold, winter day. The dates were perfect- just sweet enough! Used cashew cream instead of nut butter since that is what I had and used 1/2 boiling water, 1/2 almond milk for a little extra calcium. Also through in 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds as a thickener. So yummy! Can’t wait to make it again, thank you!
Incredible! I am in awe of your ability to take a few simple healthy ingredients and turn them into something unexpected and AMAZING! This is delicious!
Look forward to trying! Curious why you chose water and nut butter vs. say coconut milk or oat milk, and no nut butter?
I don’t like the taste of store-bought non-dairy milks, so the water + nut butter combo is my way of making homemade nut milk. If you tend to keep homemade nut milks in your fridge, you can use that instead. But, I think this ratio makes it nice and creamy!