There’s nothing better than warming up to a cup of hot chocolate when it’s cold outside. With that in mind, most café hot chocolates and store bought mixes contain enough sugar to rival a soda. This healthier hot chocolate recipe will satisfy your cravings in a healthier way, and only requires five ingredients to make!
The ingredients that make up a standard cup of hot chocolate are fairly basic: melted chocolate, sugar and warm milk (or water). With that in mind, if you take a look at the ingredients on a generic hot chocolate mix for a semi-homemade version, you might be in for a surprise.
Some of these ingredients include: corn syrup, modified whey, cocoa, milk, artificial flavors, and at least a few preservatives that are unrecognizable.
That cup of hot chocolate you were looking forward to is starting to sound a little less appealing, right?
Let’s take a look at a few of the simple swaps that can be made for a healthier hot chocolate at home:
- Unsweetened, plant-based milks (oat, almond or coconut) instead of dairy to help reduce the overall sugar amount.
- Raw cacao powder, which is derived using a cold-pressed method that retains more of the antioxidants and nutrients than a process that involves heat.
- Maple syrup instead of cane sugar for a more natural sweetener of choice.
If you’re looking to enjoy a comforting cup of hot chocolate more often in a healthier way, then this recipe is quickly going to become your new go-to! You can even make it in batches and simply heat up on demand.
5 Ingredient Healthier Hot Chocolate
Serves 1
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 ½ tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Warm over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, or until the desired temperature has been reached. Pour into a mug and enjoy.
Carly Paige, health coach and cooking instructor, believes that healthy doesn’t have to be hard. Her mission is to show you simple swaps in and out of the kitchen to elevate your everyday that will transform your health. Carly is the author of Simply Swapped Everyday, a healthy guide and cookbook with over 75 plant-powered recipes and founder of FitLiving Eats – a place where she shares nutritious recipes and how-to guides.
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