Healthy Hot Chocolate is the perfect cozy winter drink. Vegan hot chocolate that is low calorie and easy to make with only 3 ingredients!
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There is no better cozy drink than hot chocolate. Rich milk and sweet chocolate make the most epic combo for this warm, delicious treat!
Hot cocoa is normally loaded with sweeteners and funky ingredients – but this healthy hot chocolate recipe solves that problem!
Made with only 3 simple ingredients, dairy free, vegan and low in sugar (while being totally delicious!) -this hot cocoa is a must try!
Why is this hot chocolate healthy?
- Low Sugar – This hot chocolate has 6g of sugar compared to classic hot chocolate which has 11-20g of sugar per one cup sugar. The sugar comes from all natural maple syrup!
- Low Fat – Hot chocolate is traditionally made with whole milk, which is higher in fat. This healthy drink is made with almond milk which is lower in fat and calories
- Minimal Ingredients – Traditional hot chocolate mix from the packet has over 15 ingredients, most of which are sugar. This easy hot chocolate recipe only has 3 ingredients
- No Junk! See above -this drink is made with ingredients you can pronounce. No artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or weird add ins!
Ingredients for making Healthy Hot Chocolate
There are only 3 ingredients for this healthy, dairy free hot chocolate:
- almond milk or other milk of choice
- cocoa powder
- maple syrup
There are a bunch of substitutions listed below so make sure to check them out in the shaded green box.
How to make Healthy Hot Chocolate
Making this healthy hot cocoa couldn’t be any easier! You’ll need just about 5 minutes of time.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup vigorously until combined.
- Heat over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once warm – pour into mug and enjoy!
Serving Vegan Hot Chocolate
I like this hot chocolate as is, but you can of course add marshmallows and whipped cream for even more flavor/fun!
Toppings: Whipped cream and marshmallows are both perfect toppings. We added some shaved chocolate on top of this too! You could also sprinkle with cinnamon!
Mix Ins: Feel free to add other mix ins like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter, peppermint extract/candy canes.. the options are endless!
Can you make this hot chocolate ahead? I wouldn’t recommend making this hot chocolate ahead of time. It only takes 5 minutes to make, so you won’t be saving much time.
If you’re looking for other treats to serve this with try our Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies, Sweet Potato Brownies, or Healthy Chocolate Cake
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR DAIRY FREE HOT CHOCOLATE
This dairy free hot chocolate only has a few ingredients so there isn’t too much to customize, but here are some ideas
Milk: Any milk will work in this recipe (dairy or dairy free milk). I like regular unsweetened almond milk or organic whole milk but oat milk, coconut milk, rice milk or soy milk should all work. Make sure to use unsweetened milk.
Cocoa Powder: I haven’t tried substituting cocoa powder with anything but I think cacao powder would work.
Maple Syrup: You can substitute maple syrup with honey or agave nectar. My advice is just to sweeten to taste because every sweetener is different and you may want more or less. I haven’t tried using any artificial sweeteners or stevia.
Vegan: Use dairy free milk and top with vegan marshmallows or coconut whipped cream.
Cinnamon/Mexican Hot Chocolate: For a fun spicy feel add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and cinnamon
Add Ins: Peanut Butter, Caramel and peppermint extract are all delicious add ins. You can also try this Healthy Peppermint Mocha.
If you love hot chocolate, this Hot Chocolate Ice Cream is one of our favorite desserts!
Healthier Hot Chocolate FAQ
This recipe is the healthiest hot chocolate! With only 3 ingredients and under 75 calories per cup – you can’t go wrong!
Everything is healthy in moderation! This hot chocolate is low in sugar and in calories, making it the perfect treat to mindfully indulge in. We wouldn’t recommend drinking hot chocolate every day.
If you’re drinking hot chocolate every day or multiple times a day it might be hard to lose weight. Although this healthy hot chocolate recipe is pretty low calorie, we wouldn’t recommend it every day if weight loss is your goal. However -it’s a great lighter option for the occasional treat!
This healthy hot cocoa recipe is very low calorie at under 75 calories per cup. Regular powdered hot cocoa mix usually has over 100 calories per serving
Other healthy drink recipes
If you’re looking for other festive lattes check out these drinks. If it’s the holiday season you can also check out our Healthy Christmas Recipes
Healthy Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 4 cups almond milk (dairy, almond, coconut milk all will work)
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- In a sauce pot whisk together milk, cocoa powder and maple syrup vigorously until combined.
- Heat over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once warm – pour into mug and enjoy!
Lauren says
I tried this with carob powder and it was delicious!
Jill says
I had been craving hot chocolate but trying to reduce my sugar intake. I saw this recipe pop up on Instagram stories and had to try it right away. SO DELICIOUS! Easy to make, you probably always have the ingredients on hand. Just the right amount of sweetness, without being overly sweet, and the perfect amount of chocolate. Next time I am going to be sure to add the whipped cream and marshmallows!!! Such and easy and delicious recipe (added bonus to being healthier).
Susan McGill says
Can you refrigerate the leftovers?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’ve never tried that. I think it would separate so I wouldn’t recommend it
BETH says
I DO NOT OWN A PRINTER. YOUR SITE DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO SAVE YOUR RECIPES TO PINTREST. VERY FRUSTRATING ARRANGEMENT.
The Clean Eating Couple says
There’s a purple pin button on the top of the page. It’s right underneath the title of the blog post. There are two buttons next to it that say jump to recipe and print recipe. So just try that 🙂
Segille says
SO EASY and SO AMAZING! Thank you so much for such a great recipe!!!
Alexandra says
I make this for my 2 and 4 year old and it’s always a hit!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy they both enjoyed it!
Kendall says
Can you divide this recipe to make just one serving?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yes, just use the slider bar next to the servings to adjust it for one!
Elissa says
Was craving some chocolate when this came up on my Instagram feed and I ran right to the kitchen to make it. So quick and easy with such simple ingredients! It’s delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Elissa!
Alexandra says
My 3 and 1 year old love this hot chocolate and I love that it’s only 3 good ingredients! So tasty!
The Clean Eating Couple says
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks Alexandra!
Chrissi says
This totally cured my chocolate craving while trying to eat clean! I used a coconut milk/almond milk mixture. It was perfect! Thank you for sharing!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Chrissi! So glad you liked it!
Molly says
So easy and rich!! This was a great, guilt-free treat after playing in the snow!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Molly! This is the perfect thing to warm up with!
Tracy says
This recipe was perfect! Soooooo good!!!!!!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yay! So happy you liked it, Tracy! Thank you!
Hannah says
Super easy and yummy recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Hannah! Thank you!
Jessica says
Stupid easy! Soooooo tasty. Wow ! Make this and make it now. I added a little extra maple to make it a bit more sweet and added marshmallow Fluff. So yummy.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it Jessica, Thank you!! Love the idea of adding fluff 😍