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 1/2 tsp 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 1/2 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 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 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 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup grassfed collagen, (optional)
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Carolyn, this stuff is absolutely delicious!!! Sometimes when I want an ultra-decadent “mocha”, I add espresso powder to it. This is such a handy mix to have, too. Thank you, thank you for another WONDERFUL recipe! 😊😊😊
This may have been answered already, but I have no food processor. Will a blender do what the food processor does, especially with the unsweetened baking bar?
If it’s a good one that can break up the unsweetened chocolate, then yes!
Decadent! True chocolate flavor. Thick and dreamy. When I want to pamper myself, I make a cup. It is so KETO friendly that you could have two cups but you won’t need two cups to satisfy your sweet craving.
Can i use vanilla bean for this? Is it overkill?
Do as you want. Sounds good to me!
I would like to make this, but I have a question. Is the unsweetened chocolate like the Baker’s chocolate squares or a candy chocolate bar or unsweetened chocolate chips?
Like baker’s chocolate. No sweetener whatsoever. 🙂
Over the top fantastic….rich and creamy.
Love this recipe. Was craving hot chocolate and this did it! Thank you.
Another amazing recipe! Perfect, easy and yummy!
Not only does this make great hot chocolate. It’s also good mixed with plain greek yogurt!
Great idea! Can’t wait to try that!
Is there a difference in collagen and collagen peptides?
Thank you for your great recipes!
Same thing!
Yum, made it today. Really enjoyed it on this wintery Sunday afternoon in Australia.
Great flavor, easy to make, another addition to my permanent recipe collection. thank you so much!
Oh yum, this is good! I am not a huge fan of erythritol, but I recently found a Swerve Allulose Blend at my Publix store but it must not have sold well; it was on clearance for $4, so I bought two. It’s really good and doesn’t have any aftertaste. I had some grass-fed collagen protein in Salted Caramel so I used some of that and it was delicious. I added a little maca powder but not enough to change the flavor. Thank you, and I can’t wait to try some of the other variations!
didn’t know swerve had a Allulose product my H E.B. doesn’t carry it.
They do! It’s not the Swerve brand. It’s the HEB brand non-sugar sweetener in the blue bag.
Carolyn, I just love watching your videos. All of your recipes are explained so well. Thank you for making keto easier.
Absolutely fantastic…better than any other hot chocolate mix I have ever had. I haven’t made it with water, but it’s delicious with milk. I’ve also added it, without extra liquid, to a cup of nespresso coffee. But the absolute best way I’ve enjoyed it is sitting by the fire on a snowy evening. Made it with milk, added a healthy glug of Bailey’s, topped it with whipped cream. Paradise in a mug!
This recipe is great! After making it as is, which was really good, I decided that I wanted tweak it a bit for my taste. I used chocolate collagen and omitted the chopped chocolate bar. Increased the collagen to about 2/3 cup. I like mine a bit saltier so I increased the salt and mixed in unflavored electrolyte powder. I found it easiest to mix everything in a food processor. Thank you Carolyn for this recipe!
Can protein powder be substituted for collagen powder in this recipe? TY!
You are welcome to experiment!