Name: Date-Sweetened Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 teaspoon almond butter ((or any other nut/seed butter)); 1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder; 2 Medjool dates (, pitted (or 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup))

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This date-sweetened Hot Chocolate has become a weekly staple in my home, so I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer! All you need is a few simple ingredients to make this comforting dairy-free treat at home.

date sweetened hot chocolate topped with whipped cream

How to Make It

I’ve already got a popular healthy hot chocolate recipe here on my website, but I make this version when I don’t have almond milk on hand.

It’s inspired by my Vegan Latte and London Fog Drink, both of which become creamy by blending a hot beverage with dates and a small spoonful of almond butter. It may sound strange, but you’re just going to have to trust me on this one.

This vegan hot chocolate came to life during one of our first evenings of “social distancing.” I didn’t want to take the time to make a batch of homemade almond milk, or run to the store for a carton, so I wondered if I could make my own creamy hot chocolate at home, using just boiling hot water and my blender.

Hot Chocolate Ingredients

Instead of using a dairy-free milk, this recipe calls for water and almond butter to make your own instant almond milk. (I do this a lot for smoothies, too!)

If you have a nut allergy, I imagine you could use hemp hearts to make your own hemp milk or oat milk, too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Cacao powder
Almond Butter
Dates (or maple syrup)

Blend these 3 ingredients together with hot water, and you’ll have an instant hot chocolate that’s unbelievably rich and creamy.

hot chocolate in blender being poured into mug

Tips for Blending Hot Liquid in a Blender

If you’ve never tried blending something hot in your blender before, here’s what you need to know.

The hole in the top of your blender lid acts as a vent. When blending something hot, it’s important you loosely cover that hole with a thin dishtowel, so that the hot steam can safely escape without splattering all over your kitchen. If you don’t allow the steam to vent, the lid may blow off your blender, causing a mess and potential burns. So be careful!
If you’re concerned about blending something hot in your plastic blender container, you can blend the ingredients together using cold water, and then heat the chocolate milk up in a saucepan instead. I find that this can sometimes make the hot chocolate “thicken up” a bit more, but it’s less likely if you use maple syrup as the sweetener, instead of the dates. Or, you can choose to use a blender with a glass container, like the Ace Blender.
If you don’t have a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, I recommend using a fine mesh strainer to filter out any date pieces that don’t get pulverized as you pour the hot chocolate into your mug. Or, simply use maple syrup which will have less fiber to deal with.

I hope you’ll enjoy this quick & easy recipe the next time you need a hot chocolate fix!

hot chocolate with coconut whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Making a Kid’s Hot Chocolate?

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 cold filtered water, so the temperature is easier for them to drink right away.

This is a huge hit with my kids, so I hope it will be a success in your home, too!