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This healthy homemade hot chocolate mix is so rich and creamy and only takes 5 minutes to stir together! Just add warm milk (or dairy free milk of choice). Great DIY holiday gift for teachers, neighbors, or friends!
Hands up if you want a mug of rich and creamy hot chocolate that’s super easy to make and is good for you too!
Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Thisdelicious, dairy free hot cocoa mix only takes a few minutes to stir together and has just 5 simple ingredients. And two of them – cacao and gelatin – are superfoods, loaded with antioxidants and great for skin, bone, joint, and gut health!
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Raw cacao has become a staple in my pantry – I use it in everything from this decadent chocolate protein shake to my DIY body butter.I love that it’sunprocessed and never heated, keeping all it’s powerful antioxidants intact. It’s also a good source of fiber and magnesium, which most of us could use more of.
The other star of this healthy hot chocolate recipe is collagen hydroslysate, a cold-soluble form of gelatin made by Great Lakes Gelatin.If has similar benefits of gelatin, but stirs in smoothly and doesn’t form clumps or a gel. And it’s non-GMO and made from cows raised on pasture.
I stir it into coffee, yogurt, oatmeal, and even into our homemade elderberry syrupto help us fight off cold and flu! I love that we can finally get in a daily dose of gelatin for skin, bone, joint, and gut health with zero effort and without even noticing it’s there! It’s a thousand times easier than making bone broth and convincing the kids to drink it each day!
Just to reiterate – this cold-soluble gelatin (aka: collagen hydrolysate) will *not* gel. If you’re making homemade jello, the homemade marshmallows pictured, or something else that needs to gel, you’ll want to order the regular version of Great Lakes beef gelatin.
Tips for Making Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
- For higher protein, lower sugar version, double the collagen + cut the sugar in half
- For dairy free, be sure to use almond, coconut, or other dairy free milk when you prepare it!
- To make multiple servings at once, I find it easiest to prepare it in either a large measuring cup (if heating in the microwave), or a medium saucepan (if heating on the stove), then pour it into mugs to serve.
- For an added immune boost, I whisk in 2 grams of colostrum powder just before serving!
- For extra prebiotics, stir in 1 Tbsp acacia powder (adds 6 grams soluble fiber)
- This mixture is a great for holiday gifting, especially if you add a few of those giant homemade marshmallows!
Hot Cocoa Mix – an easy, DIY Gift!
We’re passing little jars of this mix out as gifts to teachers, neighbors, and friends this year. With all the allergies out there, it’s nice to give a homemade gift that is free of dairy, gluten, egg, soy, and other major allergens so everyone can enjoy it!
But, beyond all the health talk, I also love that this recipe is crazy easy!No chopping, blending, or pre-heating. Just measure and stir the dry ingredients, and you’re ready to roll.
We whisk this hot chocolate mix into raw milk from our local dairy. But, it can easily be added to coconut milk, almond milk, or whatever other dairy free milk substitute you like.
The key to a perfectly smooth mug of hot chocolate is whisking, not just stirring, the mix. I usually heat my milk in a large measuring cup with a spout so I have plenty of room to whisk the mix without it sloshing over the sides. Once it’s all mixed, I pour it into the mugs to serve.
And I’ll tell you a little secret – it makes a fabulous chocolate milk if you refrigerate it! 😉
Healthy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix (Dairy free)
This healthy homemade hot chocolate mix is so rich and creamy and only takes 5 minutes to stir together!
5 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hot chocolate, Hot Cocoa, Hot Drinks
Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 20
Author: Dena Norton
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 cup hydrolyzed collagen peptides
- 1 Tbsp vanilla powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Optional toppings: homemade marshmallows (whipped cream, shaved chocolate, or cacao nibs would also be great!)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients and store.
To prepare, add 2-3 Tbsp dry mix to 8 oz of milk of choice (use coconut or almond milk for dairy free), whisking vigorously (you'll still have some clumps on top). I like 3 Tbsp for a darker chocolate flavor, but you can also start with 2 and add more at the end to suit your taste.
Heat mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop until steaming. Remove and whisk again until smooth.
Add any desired toppings and serve!
Makes approximately 3 cups of dry mix, enough for 16, 8-oz servings of hot chocolate.
Notes
- For higher protein, lower sugar version: double the collagen + cut the sugar in half
- For dairy free, be sure to use almond, coconut, or other dairy free milk when you prepare it!
- To make multiple servings at once, I find it easiest to prepare it in either a large measuring cup (if heating in the microwave), or a medium saucepan (if heating on the stove), then pour it into mugs to serve.
- For an added immune boost, I whisk in 2 grams of colostrum powder just before serving!
- For extra prebiotics, stir in 1 Tbsp acacia powder (adds 6 grams soluble fiber)
- This mixture is a great for holiday gifting, especially if you add a few of those giant homemade marshmallows!
- If you don't have vanilla powder, you can skip it or add a tiny splash of vanilla extract to each prepared mug of hot chocolate.
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