Healthy Hot Chocolate [5 Ways]

Looking for a healthy hot chocolate recipe? Look no further than these 5 healthy versions including banana hot chocolate, peppermint hot chocolate, chai hot chocolate and more! All made with healthy, nutritious ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!

I vividly remember coming in from playing outside in the snow to begging for a mug of hot chocolate afterwards. Those packets of powdered who-knows-what + extra marshmallows anyone?! That was living!

I thought it would be a fun little tribute to my childhood to create five versions of healthy hot chocolate (I won’t be buying packets of swiss miss anytime soon!) to share with you. Have no fear, these will not skimp on flavor or sweetness and take you back to those rosy cheek, runny nose days of your childhood!

Why Make These Recipes:

These hot cocoa recipes are all packed with healthy ingredients. Here’s why you should try them!

• Dairy-Free – by using coconut milk or almond milk all of these recipes are dairy-free and so long as you stick with maple syrup (though honey will also work) they’re fully vegan too!
• Kid-Approved – my todddler says these taste amazing! She particularly likes the banana hot chocolate.
• Ready in minutes – especially if you prepare the cocoa and spices beforehand you can have your healthy hot chocolate on the table in minutes!

Ingredients in Healthy Hot Chocolate

All of these healthy hot chocolate recipes use a similar blend of ingredients. 1 cup of dairy-free milk to 1 tablespoon of raw cacao (cocoa powder can also be substituted). Each version has it’s own twist. Here’s what you’ll need:

Vanilla Bean Coconut Hot Chocolate:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp raw cacao
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 tbsp coconut butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Chai-Spiced Hot Chocolate:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp raw cacao
• 1 tsp chai spice mix (1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger, pinch of cardamom)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Banana Hot Chocolate:

• 1 medium ripe banana
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp raw cacao

Mexican Hot Chocolate:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp raw cacao
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Peppermint Hot Chocolate:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp raw cacao
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

How to Make Healthy Hot Chocolate

Follow along as I make these 5 healthy hot chocolate recipes with step-by-step guidance!

Easy Swaps + Variations

• Swap the milk – I’ve included instructions for using either coconut milk or almond milk in each of these recipes. However, you can easily replace with any type of milk including both dairy and plant-based milk options.
• Replace raw cacao with cocoa powder – I like using raw cacao powder for its health benefits but cocoa powder can easily be used in place.
• Use honey for maple syrup – I’ve opted to use maple syrup as the sweetener to keep these healthy hot chocolate recipes vegan but you can replace with honey if desired.
• Use vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean – if you don’t have vanilla bean you can use 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract instead.
• Feel free to froth your milk – if you’d like to you can easily froth your milk before mixing but its not necessary.
• Top with whipped cream – though this kind of defeats the purpose of healthy hot chocolate, for a sweet treat you can top your hot cocoa with whipped cream and chocolate shavings!

Storage Instructions

For the dry ingredients you can easily combine them and store them for up to 6 months in an airtight container or mason jar. Mix with wet ingredients before serving.

Ideally these healthy hot chocolate recipes will be consumed immediately since they taste best while still hot!

More Healthy Drink Recipes

• Matcha Golden Milk Latte
• Oat Milk Lattes – 3 Ways!
• Healthy Hot Chocolate
• Turmeric Latte Recipe
• DIY Cold Brew Coffee
• Superfood Hot Chocolate

Now for the recipes…

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