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.
Coutman says
I made this for the 2nd time!
but with a turmeric and ginger powder mix, cayenne, cinnamon, and monk fruit. Tomorrow I will add Ashwaganda powder, for stress and sleep. And maybe Lion’s Mane. I used coconut milk.
I am replicating a mix I bought and ran out of that I love. It is so close, I might not replace the store bought one.
Not feeling well tonight, this is helping, Perfect!
Love your recipes!
Thank you!
Missy says
This may be a dumb question, but is coconut milk low carb?
Carolyn says
Yes, it certainly is.
Crystal V says
Last night I had a craving for hot chocolate, wondered if there was a recipe on here… lo and behold, the recipe was updated the same day! Ah, serendipity.
Definitely giving this recipe 5 stars; had to do everything by hand, since we don’t have a food processor, but the flavor – and little happy dance my husband did – made the effort 100% worth it.
Carolyn says
Glad it met the moment!
Betsy Pedersen says
Trying to find hot choc mix recipe that uses cocoa powder, powdered heavy cream and Boca Sweet – we moved and can’t find recipe – thanks !
Carolyn says
This is my only recipe and I’ve never had a different one. Not sure what you’re thinking of, sorry!
Deepa says
Hi how does the liquid vanilla not clump with the other dry ingredients when being mixed?
Carolyn says
Simply because the food processor breaks it up. Try it.
Roz says
Wowza! This is soooooo good! And it was so easy!
Nancy says
This is fantastic! I heat 6 oz of almond milk with 2 oz of Nutpods creamer in my frother, put in a mug and then stir in 2 Tbsp of the mix. My favorite to do this with is the Toasted Marshmallow nutpods 🥰
Maria Plott says
Just made a batch of your hot chocolate mix. It is wonderful! I haven’t had any hot chocolate in a long time due to my diabetes and other sugar free mixes I tried were not good. Thank you for the work that you do with this.
Renee A says
Really delicious. you would not know this is sugar free. I used almond milk with a little cream. tasted amazing.
MJean says
delicious! absolutely delicious! only problem is that I find it hard to stop at just one cup, or two, or three!
thanks for another great recipe!
Randy says
Perfect. I’ve been looking for something like this.
One suggestion: add only about a 1/3 of cup of hot milk first, stir it up into a paste, THEN add the remaining milk. Stir again; this will make an even mixing guaranteed.
Sue says
I love this recipe. I just made a double batch. It’s so much better than anything you can buy & is wonderful with a splash of orange vodka on a cold, snowy day. 😉
Lynn Clarke says
Hi Carolyn,
All of your recipes are so well written and the stories are the best. I own 2 of your books and they are my favorite. I can’t wait to try this recipe it looks amazing. I have read through most of the comments and questions looking for my answer and alas no one has asked. I don’t have a food processor would I be able to use a blender instead? We have been planning to move England in our retirement and it’s finally happening this year. Purchasing any electronics has been off the table for a couple years. Thank you in advance and thank you for sharing your fantastic recipes here and on FB.
Carolyn says
One reader told me she grates the chocolate in by hand. Perfect solution!
Diane Wesson says
This sounds awesome. I do haveno one question. How does the liquid vanilla don’t all of the powdered ingredients?
Jan J says
I think you had some autocorrect and I can’t figure out what the question is! “How does the liquid vanilla don’t all of the powdered ingredients?”
Maureen says
I can’t wait to try your recipe. I love the idea of being able to mix the ingredients in advance and adding warm milk when you want hot chocolate! What a delicious treat! Thanks for sharing yet another delicious recipe!
Lisa Gray says
This is fantastic!
Tam says
love it.
Tracy says
I use plain unsweetened almond milk for this, add three big fluffy ChocZero Smallows, let them soften for a few minutes, then snuggle in a chair with a blanket and enjoy.
Gretchen Birdwell says
Love this hot cocoa!! It’s a great way to start the day and/or end the day!
Jeaneth says
Delicious! 😋