This healthy hot chocolate recipe is dairy-free and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Sweet, creamy, and ready in 10 minutes, it's a perfect cozy treat for a cold night.
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I’d take a mug of this healthy hot chocolate over a store-bought mix any day! This healthy hot chocolate recipe calls for 7 simple ingredients, is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and is vegan and dairy-free. Still, it’s sweet, creamy, and full of rich chocolate flavor—the ultimate cozy treat for a cold night…or morning. (Jack and I may occasionally drink it for breakfast…)
We love mugs of this healthier hot chocolate on their own, but like classic homemade hot chocolate (or even Swiss Miss!), it’s great with toppings too. Load up your cup with a scoop of coconut whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and/or mini marshmallows. A few gingerbread cookies or peanut butter blossoms on the side wouldn’t hurt either. I hope you love this healthy hot chocolate as much as I do.
Healthy Hot Chocolate Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this healthy hot chocolate recipe:
- Raw cacao powder – Cacao powder is a less processed form of cocoa powder, and it’s high in antioxidants, iron, and magnesium. It makes this recipe rich and chocolatey, but good for you, too! Feel free to substitute unsweetened cocoa powder if you don’t have cacao on hand.
- Maca powder – Its malty flavor adds depth to this healthier hot chocolate. But that’s not all! It has health benefits too. It’s chock-full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and it’s said to improve brain health.
- Almond milk – I use almond milk because it’s what I keep on hand, but feel free to substitute any type of milk you like. Cow’s milk, coconut milk, or my homemade oat milk would also work here.
- Maple syrup – It sweetens this healthy hot chocolate naturally. Plus, I love the maple flavor with the malty maca and rich cacao. If you prefer, you could use another natural sweetener like honey or agave nectar.
- Coconut oil – For richness and healthy fats! Don’t worry—this nourishing treat is still far lighter than a hot cocoa recipe made with whole milk and/or heavy cream.
- Cinnamon – It adds warm depth of flavor.
- And a pinch of salt – Don’t skip it! It makes all these delicious flavors pop.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Healthy Hot Chocolate
I make this healthy hot chocolate recipe in the blender because it’s a quick and easy way to get all the ingredients to combine smoothly. Just combine the almond milk, cacao, maca, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Alternatively, you can whisk the mixture together by hand or use an immersion blender to blend it until no lumps of coconut oil or cacao powder are remaining.
Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and warm it over medium-low heat on the stovetop until steaming.
Taste and adjust the healthy hot chocolate. You’ll know it’s right when you can’t stop tasting spoonful after spoonful. Pour it into mugs, top it with your desired fixings, and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Make peppermint hot chocolate: Omit the maca powder and add a drop of peppermint extract.
- Make spicy hot chocolate: Add a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Make it extra-chocolatey: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips to the saucepan with the hot chocolate. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking often, until they melt into the mixture and it becomes smooth. Be careful not to bring it to a boil, or the chocolate could separate.
More Cozy Drinks to Try
If you love this healthy hot chocolate, try one of these hot drinks next:
Healthy Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon maca powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Tiny pinch of sea salt
Optional toppings:
- Coconut whipped cream
- Shaved dark chocolate
Instructions
- In a blender, place the almond milk, cacao powder, maca, maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt and blend until smooth. (You can also whisk this together by hand in a bowl).
- Transfer to a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until steaming, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired. If it's too thick, add a little more almond milk.
- Pour into mugs and serve topped with coconut whip and shaved dark chocolate, if desired.
Any chance I could warm this in the microwave instead of on the stovetop?
After looking at the ingredient list on my regular hot chocolate powder container…I was pretty horrified! So I began to surf the net to see what the alternatives were and I came across this amazing blog and recipe. I was a little hesitant as I had never made a hot chocolate from scratch before however took a leap of faith with this recipe…. and boy am I glad I did! It was so delicious and it surprisingly tasted so much better than the regular stuff I use out of the container. This recipe is definitely a keeper for sure. Thank you so much for sharing, you have your newest home made hot chocolate milk convert here!!!
Hi Vanessa – welcome! I’m so glad you liked the healthier hot chocolate 🙂
So yummy! I don’t have the best blender though and found that the coconut oil didn’t liquidise enough and left little lumps, errrgh! If you have a cheap blender or are doing this by hand, maybe leave out the coconut oil…
Thanks for the recipe!
How long should u leaveon the heat for? 🙂
Just until it’s as hot as you would like to drink it – a few minutes, depending how quick your stove heats up.
Do I have to use almond milk or will regular full fat milk be acceptable? This is just what I have on hand right now. Thanks!
You can use any milk!
Use fresh Nigerian Dwarf goat milk 🙂 Rich, creamy and super healthy 🙂
I made this recipe 3 times now and it is my absolute favorite! It is not too sweet, not too rich but still very tasty. Thanks!
Hi Cecilia, I’m so happy to hear!
This looks amazing! Where did you get that sauce pan? So adorable.
This sounds amazing!
Can I ask where your lovely white pot is from?
Oh man!!! There is a hot chocolate chain in Seattle that makes something that this reminds me of!! Its my favorite one they make!! So of course making it at home would be especially fabulous!
So excited to try this…I have been searching for a recipe to use my cacao powder in, it’s so delicious!
I hope you enjoy 🙂
This was so good i made it last night, used soy milk instead almond milk and also added some shaved dark chocolate on the top, it was delicious
Thanks for posting!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe,
It looks amazing and so easy to make.
I am going to make it tomorrow.
I think it will be delicious.
Thank You!
This sounds fabulous, I love the idea of the coconut whip!
It will be perfect for winter!
Perfect looking hot chocolate. Love that you added maca and cinnamon…two of my favorite add-ins as well. Will be making this soon!
So yummy! I will try to find maca powder next time i shop. Os there anyore maca recipies?
‘ve found organic maca powder at Trader Joes and most health food stores carry it as well (Natural Grocers, Whole Foods)
These looks like such a luxurious hot chocolate! I’m definitely going to be making this on a cold Sunday like today!
Oooooooh and add a dash of chipotle or cayenne and maybe the tiniest smidge of orange zest….. I am ON IT!!!!
It definitely feels like December where I am!! (Canada, haha)
This looks fanastic, will definitely be trying it out soon 🙂
This sounds and looks SENSATIONAL!