Hot Chocolate With Cocoa Powder

Author: Katie

This easy hot chocolate recipe consists of only 3 ingredients and takes no more than 5 minutes to prepare.

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4.80 from 34 votes

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Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 5

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American-Inspired

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1-2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder *see notes
2-3 teaspoon sugar (coconut, brown...) *see notes
⅔ cup milk of choice (whole milk, oat milk...)
2 teaspoon chocolate chips of choice (optional) *see notes

You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat ⅓ cup of milk over medium-low heat until very warm but not boiling.
Once hot, add it to a small serving bowl.
Add in cocoa powder and sugar and stir vigorously until fully dissolved. Start with 2 tsp of sugar and work your way up from there. You'll need less sugar if you include the chocolate chips.
Add the mix back to the saucepan and add the remaining ⅓ cup of milk. Add the chocolate chips if you want to include them.
Heat milk-cocoa mix until warm and the chocolate is fully dissolved. Serve in a large mug with toppings of choice.
Taste and adjust the amount of sugar to personal preference.

Video

Notes

Chocolate Chips: Unlike our Oat Milk Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Chips Hot Chocolate recipe, this hot cocoa is made from just cocoa powder, without any chocolate chips. However, feel free to add 1-2 teaspoon of chocolate chips of choice. You will then need to reduce the sugar a bit though.
Top Tip: It's really important that the cocoa powder and sugar are fully dissolved. For best results I recommend stirring with a small whisk.
Cocoa Powder: Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder work in this recipe. Dutch-process cocoa, however, has a more intense "chocolatey", bittersweet flavor while natural cocoa powder has a milder flavor. Add more cocoa powder for deeper chocolate flavors, add less for more subtle chocolate flavors.
Sweetener: You could use any type of sugar or another sweetener of choice such as maple syrup or agave syrup. For a sugar-free version, choose stevia instead. This recipe calls for 3 teaspoon of coconut sugar. Feel free to add more or less, depending on how sweet you like it.
Milk: Instead of oat milk you could try almond milk or soy milk for a dairy-free hot chocolate. The recipe also works with regular whole milk. Choose full-fat milk for a creamier hot chocolate.
Other Optional Add-Ins: ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, peppermint extract, a sprinkle of cinnamon, mini marshmallows (vegan), vegan whipped cream, vegan caramel sauce
Use a microwave: Instead of heating the milk on the stovetop, you could microwave it until hot (but not boiling).

Nutrition

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.

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