Creamy white chocolate mochas, just like Starbucks but without all the added sugars! These keto hot beverages will keep you toasty warm. Or make yours into a sugar-free white hot chocolate instead. Easy and delicious.
Hey, are you cold? Because I am freezing. And I am so over this winter!
Who’s with me? Let’s all go whip up some White Chocolate Mochas and curl up with a good book. That’s really the only way to survive this never ending winter, as far as I can tell.
If you’re not a coffee person, or if you had too much caffeine already, make it a White Hot Chocolate. The choice is yours. Who cares as long as it’s steaming hot and you can wrap your hands around it.
I have something called Raynaud’s Syndrome, a fun thing where my fingers and toes go dead white if I get too cold. It’s genetic and my mum has it too. It’s actually quite painful. Somehow, my body signals my extremities that all the blood is needed in my core, and my blood vessels constrict, leaving one or more of my fingertips white and numb.
But not just numb, because it’s a weird painful sensation. And even after I am back in a warm house, it takes forever for the blood to get back in there. I can’t type or write or even cook. All I can do is wrap my hands around something warm and just… wait.
So I am all about the hot drinks and this White Chocolate Mocha is my new fave. Super easy to make and tastes like the Starbucks version. But not nearly so sickly sweet.
Sugar Free White Chocolate – Is there such a thing?
I have tried and tried to make keto white chocolate bars and thus far, none of my efforts have yielded something that truly lives up to my white chocolate dreams. I am not going to give up, though!
White chocolate is really just cocoa butter, sugar, and vanilla so it seems like it should be easy to just add in your own favourite low carb sweetener. But cocoa butter is a tricky substance and it doesn’t like to combine with other things. It often sits on top, an oily layer, with all the sweetener sunk to the bottom of the bowl.
I tried blending it once and then pouring it into molds and that helped but it still seemed chalky and not very smooth.
And I am not one to be satisfied with half-arsed, mediocre attempts. I still have a few ideas and tricks up my sleeve, so I may nail it someday. But until then, I can still use the cocoa butter to flavour other things and make them seem like white chocolate!
How to Make Keto White Chocolate Mochas
Or white hot chocolate, if you prefer!
This really is an easy recipe. A little chopped cocoa butter goes a long way, as it’s a very strong flavor.
Use your blender: Again, because cocoa butter doesn’t like to combine with other things very easily, this is the best way to force it to mix in. You don’t want an oil slick on the top of your lovely mocha!
Heat up the almond milk and cream: Get this combination nice and hot in a pot first. You want to get it to almost a boil before adding it to the blender.
Do you need the collagen? No, not necessarily. But it will help your mocha or hot chocolate get nice and frothy and it’s a great nutritional boost too.
Vanilla is key: Since, as I said, white chocolate is really just cocoa butter, sweetener and vanilla, you want a good dash of vanilla in there. Use the good stuff, the real vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla. You deserve it!
Best sweetener: This doesn’t rely on any particular sweetener for consistency, so feel free to use what you like best. If using a more concentrated sweetener like stevia, be sure to use the amount that equals 3 tablespoons of sugar in sweetness.
Add the coffee. Or don’t! That part is up to you. And a little whipped cream on top never hurt either.
Dairy-free? You can still make this! Skip the butter and use coconut cream in place of the heavy whipping cream.
Other Delicious Keto Hot Drink Recipes
Low Carb Mexican Hot Chocolate
Chai Spiced Drinking Chocolate
Creamy white chocolate mochas, just like Starbucks but without all the added sugars! These keto hot beverages will keep you toasty warm. Like a fat bomb in a glass!
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 ounce cocoa butter (chopped)
- 2 tbsp collage peptides (optional but helps consistency)
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 shots espresso (or 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee)
Place the butter, cocoa butter, collagen, sweetener, vanilla extract and salt in a blender.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the almond milk and cream. Bring to just a boil.
Pour the hot milk mixture into the blender and blend on high combine. Pour into two mugs and add coffee. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
Lisa says
Ooh, this sounds delish! I’m sorry you have Raynauds, my oldest sister has it as well, both my sisters and myself have autoimmune disorders such as this. I have Psoriatic Arthritis in both hands and holding a hot drink does help at times. Definitely going to make this today. I do love the winter time though, I’m weird and really don’t like the sun, more of a dark cloudy day girl. But I totally get being sick of certain seasons, for me it’s the summer. Hope you feel better soon.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Lisa! Sorry to hear you have psoriatic arthritis.
Karen says
I cannot get warm this winter either. And I live in San Diego! Until spring arrives, this yummy hot drink will do perfectly!
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Kim says
Sorry you have Raynaud’s. I know it can be tough.
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for this recipe. My fiancé finally made the keto plunge and the one thing he really misses is the white chocolate mocha from Starbucks. I’ve just ordered my cocoa butter and waiting for that to arrive to try the recipe. Just one question though… I don’t have a way to make espresso. I just have a regular coffee maker. Any suggestions on making the strong coffee? Maybe a few TB of coffee for the half cup of water?
Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes and helping us to stay successful doing low carb.
Carolyn says
For regular coffee, it’s usually one coffee scoop per cup. So do it 2x as strong and it should be good. Another option is the Starbucks Via packets, and only adding half the water.
Kim says
Thanks so much!! Made it this morning for my fiancé. He loved it!! It was a tad sweet for me but so is the original from Starbucks. He loved the sweetness and thought it was better than the original. You really hit the nail on the head with this one! Another Mr Picky Pants approved recipe lol
Carolyn says
Love hearing that!
Shona Davis says
Thanks Carolyn for a great recipe, I added a tablespoon of fresh raspberries for a white chocolate raspberry mocha. It was delicious.
Kate says
Re making white chocolate – I wonder if allulose or bochasweet would blend better with the cocoa butter rather than erythritol. When I attempted to make white chocolate my erythritol sank to the bottom too even though it was powdered and I used an immersion blender to try and mix it. I know the chocolate alchemist blog recommends and sells allulose.
Nicole M Foster says
I can’t wait to try this! I, too, am over this winter and can’t wait until spring temperatures. I just tried your hot chocolate recipe from your Everyday Ketogenic Cookbook and holy cow!!! It needs a rating so I’m going rate it here. 🙂 5 stars all the way – sooooo good! I tasted my son’s Starbucks hot chocolate a few weeks ago, and yours is just as rich, creamy and chocolatey. I won’t ever be jealous of my son’s hot chocolate again. Thank you!!!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much! let me know what you think of the white chocolate version.
Nicole M Foster says
Just made the white chocolate version- sooooo good! I tried it with and without coffee, and both are equally tasty. Love all of my options now for a hot drink!
I have a cold and didn’t feel like pulling out the blender so after heating the cream and almond milk, I put everything else into the pot and blended it with my stick blender on the low setting. Worked great!
Erica B says
If anyone happens to have a bottle of lecithin in their pantry (perhaps left over from various white chocolate experiments, as is my case,) a small amount added to recipes like this one helps emulsify the ingredients without blending. I haven’t tried Carolyn’s exact recipe, but I did try the ingredients in different proportions whisked together with a touch of lecithin, and my drink stayed nicely emulsified as I consumed it. I’ve since come to see lecithin as a worthwhile multi-purpose pantry item. I also use it to make seed-based breakfast porridge more creamy and less watery. It should emulsify salad dressings as well.
Thanks for the recipe, Carolyn!
Courtney says
Looks so incredibly indulgent!
Heather Seeley says
This is the perfect way to warm up!!
Aimee Shugarman says
Super tasty and easy!
Jen says
This is so much more budget friendly too than heading to Starbies all the time. Thanks!
Jennifer says
I make this mocha all the time!! So easy and delicious!
Jeanie Galat says
On making white chocolate… Have you tried using powdered cream in your recipe? I have used it with great success when making milk chocolate. I use “Anthony’s” powdered cream. It doesn’t have any funky ingredients and has 0 carbs.
Carolyn says
Yes, I’ve tried and it simply sinks to the bottom and won’t combine with the melted cocoa butter.
Jeanie Galat says
You have probably done every approach possible. My apologies if I am repeating questions towards areas you may have already covered… The cacoa butter shouldn’t exceed 120 degrees during the initial heating. And then… Do you “temper” your chocolate? (mixing and cooling until your white chocolate reaches the appropriate temperature before pouring your mixture into a form?) 82- 85 degrees is about right for white or milk chocolate- about 88-90 degrees for dark. It has taken me quite a few runs at getting this process right and I have to use a digital thermometer to hit the right temps. Best of luck to you! You are a favorite for keto recipes in my household. Thank you!
Ariana Morris says
Thank you for giving an actual recipe. Last one I found combined sweetened and condensed milk with Toranii white chocolate syrup. I have a question, however. This is a bit of work for every time I want to make a quick cup of coffee, and I am trying to replace my favorite International Delight white chocolate creamer. Is it possible to make a mixture that can store in the fridge? I have a feeling the mixture will split and the chocolate will congeal separately. Perhaps an emulsifier like someone suggested using in the drink itself?
Carolyn says
Good question. Not sure if it would separate. The collagen might keep it together.
Elle says
Looks yummy. Need to try this!
Just a note… there is a spelling error in your recipe list of ingredients. I know you meant COLLAGEN .
Carolyn says
Thanks. Sometimes it’s auto-correct!