This easy sugar free hot chocolate mix makes ultra rich, decadent keto hot chocolate. It takes five basic ingredients and about 2 minutes of your time to make. And check out all the delicious flavor variations!
I can’t tell you how much money I’ve wasted on keto-friendly or sugar free hot chocolate mix. I keep hoping they will be as delicious as my own homemade keto hot chocolate.
But they never are. They’re either far too sweet, or not sweet enough, or they have unnecessary additives and ingredients.
And they are usually ridiculously expensive too. I’m over it. From here on in, I am sticking with my homemade keto hot chocolate mix. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and I can make it exactly the way I want it!
It also makes a great gift for keto friends and family.
Why make your own hot chocolate mix
Stop wasting your money on the store-bought stuff, my friends. Your own homemade version is infinitely better! And you can adjust it and customize it to your tastes.
The sugar-free hot chocolate mix you see in most grocery stores is full of junk, so don’t even go there. It’s often sweetened with aspertame or sucralose, and has fillers like cornstarch to make it thicker.
The keto hot chocolate mixes you see on Amazon and the like are better options, but they often miss the mark in flavor. Many of them are unpalatably sweet or just have an odd taste.
And they can have some suspect ingredients and fillers too. The very popular Lakanto brand contains brown rice, of all things!
Homemade keto hot chocolate mix is not only easy, but allows you to control for the ingredients, the sweetness level, and the nutrition. I will never purchase a pre-made mix again.
Developing this recipe
I’ve been making my own sugar free hot chocolate pretty much from the moment I went low carb. Usually I just do it ad hoc, when I am in the mood for a cup of cocoa.
But a ready made mix makes life easy, especially when you’re on the go. So I set about testing out perfect best ratios of ingredients.
I wanted to make a mix that could just be combined with hot water, so I tested out both heavy cream powder and coconut milk powder. But it just didn’t live up to my exacting standards.
It wasn’t creamy enough and it had an unpleasant flavor. My daughter likened it to the cheesy powder you can put on popcorn! It also added too many carbs and was too expensive for my liking.
So I went back to basics and created a sugar free hot chocolate mix that can be stirred into any preferred milk or milk/cream combination. Then I tested out a number of flavor variations like mint, mocha, salted caramel, and Mexican chocolate!
Ingredients
- Keto sweetener – Whether you prefer Swerve, allulose, or BochaSweet, you can use your preferred sweetener in this recipe.
- Cocoa powder – I recommend a good Dutched cocoa powder for the best flavor. Raw cacao powder won’t dissolve as easily.
- Unsweetened chocolate – This is what makes it true hot chocolate, rather than just hot cocoa! It intensifies the chocolate flavor and makes it more thick and rich.
- Collagen – This is optional but it produces a truly rich and frothy keto hot chocolate. If you choose to skip it, I recommend adding ½ teaspoon glucomannan for a thicker drink.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla always helps bring out the best in chocolate recipes.
- Salt – Just a little salt brings out the flavor in sweet recipes.
How to make keto sugar free hot chocolate mix
So simple and easy! Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Use your preferred sweetener: The best part about this recipe is that you can use what you like! Just use something that will dissolve easily when mixed with a hot liquid. I use powdered Swerve but allulose and BochaSweet both work well.
- Adjust the sweetener to taste: We all have different tolerance for sweetness and we experience keto sweeteners very differently. If you aren’t sure how sweet you want it, use less and add more if necessary, after you try it out in a hot chocolate drink.
- Combine in a food processor: Using a food processor helps combine the ingredients really well, and it breaks the chocolate into tiny pieces that dissolve more easily. And yes, you can add the liquid vanilla extract right in there too. The food processor method distributes the vanilla throughout the mix.
- Stir into hot milk: Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of mix per 10 to 12 ounces of hot liquid. My favourite way to make keto hot chocolate is with 8 to 10 ounces of unsweetened hemp milk and about 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) of heavy cream.
Variations
Really, the flavour possibilities for this sugar-free hot chocolate mix are virtually endless. A few things I tested out:
Peppermint hot chocolate mix
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract along with the vanilla and other ingredients. How much depends on how strong your extract is. I found that about 1 ½ teaspoons was right for me, and I use Frontier peppermint extract.
Mocha hot chocolate mix
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of espresso powder in with the other ingredients. Or if you can’t find that, use 3 or 4 Starbucks via packs.
Salted caramel hot chocolate mix
Use salted caramel collagen in place of the plain collagen, and add 1 teaspoon caramel extract along with the other ingredients. You may want to cut down on the sweetener, as flavoured collagen usually has added sweeteners.
Top with my keto caramel sauce, if desired.
Mexican hot chocolate mix
Add 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne along with the other ingredients.
How to store homemade keto hot chocolate mix
Place the prepared mix in an airtight container with a lid, such as a glass jar or tupperware. The mix will last up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the mix for up to 6 months.
Keto Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup grassfed collagen (optional)
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Hot Chocolate Mix
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process on high until well combined.
To make hot chocolate
- Heat 10 to 12 ounces of your favorite keto-friendly milk (I like 10 ounces hemp milk with 1 ounce heavy cream… divine!). Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of mix until well dissolved.
Jessica says
Can I use this to make chocolate milk? Maybe with powdered sweetener? Mix in a blender? Having a hard time finding a powder mix for my recentally obsessed child, but he does not like hot drinks. It is amazing by the way! I LOVE to use this to make my coffee a mocha!
Carolyn says
It won’t mix well with cold milk. You’re better off making it with hot milk and then chilling it (it will need shaking or stirring to re-combine it).
Debbie Smith says
Love this
Jen says
This is SO GOOD and SO EASY! For years I’ve been wanting something like this; I’ve always mixed up something random each time I wanted hot chocolate and it always took too much time and I never knew how it would turn out. It’s heavenly to have this in the cupboard and whip it out anytime. My collagen was old and had bugs in it so I didn’t use any thickener and it’s just fine. I probably added a little more sweetener than it calls for. I LOVE having the chopped up unsweetened chocolate in it! I bought almond milk for the first time ever and really like it. I use mostly that and add a little heavy cream. I’m in Texas and we’ve been having lots of unusually cold weather, so this really hits the spot.Thank you so much for this, Carolyn!!
Wendy says
All of the ingredients are powdered except the vanilla extract. It is liquid. So, doesn’t it clump when adding to powdered ingredients? How does it get distributed evenly?
Carolyn says
Did you read the blog post? 🙂
Karen says
I love having a hot chocolate mix ready to go rather than mixing one cup at a time all at once. This mixed up easily in my processor, I did add some additional swerve to the mix after the taste test and used 10 oz almond milk with 2 oz heavy cream and it was delicious, rich and creamy! Glad I can have hot chocolate any time without the guilt-Thank you Carolyn, your recipes are the best!
Annie says
I have been looking for a low carb hot chocolate for my hubby. This is the best one! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Sheryle Coaty says
I sure missed hot cocoa until I made this! So simple to have in a jar by the microwave. Just heat the milk and mix in. I add a little liquid stacks since I like it sweeter. Good job Carolyn. Love your recipes, they are the best.
Natasha says
I made this recipe tonight for my family because they were craving hot chocolate, they were surprised that it was homemade, they instantly loved it! I will definitely not be buying store-bought hot chocolate again.
Susan says
I made this and have had several wonderful cups of cocoa from it, made the way you say you like it best. I’ve discovered that if I heat the milk hot enough, the cocoa mix does not sink to the bottom of my mug, like all the other cocoa mixes in the world do. This is a definite keeper recipe. I love being able to drink hot cocoa again.
Sammy says
My family has been trying to eat less sugar, and this was such a great replacement for our usual hot chocolate mix. My kids were skeptical but they all loved it! Thanks for a great recipe.
Allyson Zea says
Perfect for the cold weekend!!
Jenny Fleming says
Just made your Keto Hot Chocolate Mix. Loved it! Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Sue says
Just thank you! This is perfect.
Theresa Charest says
Can I substitute a Dairy Free Collagen Creamer for the collagen?
How can I turn this into a mix that I can use with water?
Carolyn says
Did you read the blog post? 🙂
Carolyn says
This is not a recipe to be made with water. 🙂
Jen says
I don’t have collagen, can I sub with Coconut MTC powder?
Carolyn says
It won’t give it quite the same frothiness, but it will be tasty!
Sharon says
Awesome! Have been craving hot chocolate. Love the fact can make a bunch and it is ready for next time! Thanks
Christy says
Am i really adding a wet ingredient, vanilla extract, to a dry mix and then store it in a jar on the counter? Or do i add the vanilla to each cup that i make? Thanks.
Carolyn says
You’re adding to the dry ingredients and blending. It will be well distributed that way and it’s so little, it basically becomes part of the dry mix.
Christy says
Thanks for explaining and clarifying. 🙂
Sherhonda Allen says
Dear Carolyn:
Once upon a time a chocolate lover (me!) was devastated when her doctor labeled her with The Big D (diabetes).
Oh no, the chocolate lover lamented. I can never again sit before the fire with my feet up and have a mug of hot chocolate!
One day, the chocolate lover found Carolyn’s website.
Now, she takes her laptop to her favorite chair and scrolls through Carolyn’s yummy recipes with her feet up while enjoying a mug of Carolyn’s rich, creamy, delicious hot chocolate. From time to time, she gets a far away look on her face as she dreams about food.
She wishes she could thank Carolyn.
The End
Yup. It’s THAT good! Thanks Carolyn! I work in a public library. My mind thinks in story form, lol!
Carolyn says
YAY!!!
Jenny says
This is delicious!! Thank you so much, I wanted a cocoa mix that was rich and delicious but healthy and here it is! Wonderful on a cold night!
Debbie says
I made this yesterday! This was so so good. I ordered the Salted Caramel Collagen and can’t wait to make Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa. Thank you so much for this recipe of hot cocoa. This was what I was looking for a long time. So glad I found it on your website 🙂