Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Making your own hot cocoa mix is super easy and inexpensive, so you can enjoy a warm cup of sweetness whenever the craving strikes.
Homemade hot chocolate mix is simple to make and also happens to be fat free! It’s perfect for the holidays or anytime you need to warm up on a cold day.
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When I was in college and away from home, a kind lady in my church gifted me some dry hot chocolate mix with a mug. It was a simple (and delicious!) way to be able to enjoy a taste of comfort during the winter months.
I asked for the recipe for the hot chocolate mix and I’ve been making it ever since, with a few small tweaks over the years.
My kids vastly prefer the homemade mix to pre-packaged mixes from the store, and I have to agree with them.
As a bonus, the mix is fat-free, which means it came in quite handy when I was following a gallbladder diet and had to closely monitor my fat intake.
But it has a rich, sweet flavor that begs for marshmallows or whipped cream–perfect for holidays or winter evenings by the fire.
It also makes a tasty homemade gift you can package in mason jars!
Making Hot Chocolate from Homemade Mix
I’ve made several types of hot chocolate over the years, but this mix is the one that’s been put on repeat on our house.
It’s not super thick or heavy, but it’s sweet and creamy enough to feel indulgent.
If you want a thicker, European-style hot chocolate, you might prefer making hot chocolate with chocolate chips.
But for a general-purpose hot cocoa that’s easy to keep stocked in the pantry, this is the mix for you.
One thing that’s nice about this mix is that you can customize how rich and sweet you want your cup of cocoa to be, simply by adjusting how much mix you add to your mug.
I typically use 1/4 cup of mix with 3/4 cup of water, but you can increase that to 1/3 cup or 1/2 cup.
For larger mug sizes, as a general rule, you can just eyeball how much you’re putting in the mug, filling the mug about 1/3 of the way full with mix, then adding hot water.
More Tasty Homemade Gift Recipes You Can Package Easily:
How to Make Hot Chocolate Mix
It’s really easy to whip up a batch of this mix.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Nesquik Chocolate Mix
- Non-Fat Dry Milk
- Powdered Non-Dairy Creamer
- Powdered Sugar
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Mix ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined.
Transfer the dry mix to a storage container with a lid, then store in your pantry.
Mix with hot water. Whenever you want a cup of cocoa, simply add some of the dry mix to a mug, followed by hot water.
Since this mix has dry milk in it, you can just add water instead of milk!
Stir to dissolve, then enjoy, adding your favorite toppings as desired.
Notes and Adaptations:
- I use plain, non-dairy creamer (the powdered kind, sold in the coffee aisle of the grocery store). Feel free to experiment with different flavors of non-dairy creamer, if you’d like. I’ve also used vanilla creamer and it was tasty, too, but my kids prefer the plain.
- Dry milk can often be found in either the baking aisle or the coffee aisle of the grocery store. I usually buy the Great Value brand at Walmart, but you can also buy nonfat dry milk from Amazon.
- Most marshmallows are also fat free, if you want to add those to the cocoa. For whipped cream, I use a small amount of reduced fat Cool Whip.
Recommended Equipment:
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Ingredients
- 20.1 ounce Nesquik chocolate milk mix powder
- 3 cups non-fat dry milk powder
- 8 ounces non-dairy creamer powder (I use half of a 16-ounce container)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk together until well-incorporated.
- Transfer to an airtight container for storage.
- To prepare hot chocolate, add about 1/4 cup of mix to a mug, followed by 3/4 cup hot water. Stir to dissolve the mix. (See notes below regarding adjusting amount of mix according to taste).
- Serve and enjoy, adding marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- I use “original” non-dairy coffee creamer powder, but you can experiment with different flavors, if you’d like. I’ve used french vanilla flavor before, and it was tasty, but my kids prefer the plain variety. Make sure to buy powdered creamer, not liquid creamer!
- Nonfat dry milk powder can usually be found in the baking aisle or coffee aisle of the grocery store. I most often use the Great Value brand from Walmart, but you can also buy it on Amazon.
- You can adjust the sweetness and flavor intensity of your hot chocolate by adjusting the amount of powder in your drink. I typically use 1/4 cup mix with 3/4 cup water, but you can increase to 1/3 cup of mix or even 1/2 cup.
- If you prefer to eyeball things, add enough mix to fill your cup about 1/3 of the way, then add hot water.
Equipment
Nutrition
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