Healthy Hot Chocolate Recipe (vegan & dairy free!) | Ambitious Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Which non dairy milk makes the best hot chocolate? ›

Almond | This milk can add a nutty flavour and is slightly less creamy than most plant based milks, perfect if you don't want your hot chocolate too creamy. Coconut milk | This milk creates a creamy sweeter hot chocolate, this can add a slight taste of coconut. Soya | This milk is a very common plant based milk.

If you have a major sweet tooth, hot cocoa might be the better option. But if you're someone who enjoys richer flavors, hot chocolate is the better choice. Although hot cocoa is the sweeter drink, both hot chocolate and hot cocoa are full of sugar, so neither is really healthier than the other.

Although hot chocolate doesn't necessarily need an even more creamy, decadent taste, using milk certainly enriches the experience. We suspect that milk adds a creamier taste than water alone, and when combined with the notes of chocolate, the smooth undertones of the milk simply add a delicious backdrop.

Using water from your home, as opposed to milk that you have to purchase, certainly makes for a more budget-friendly option, and if you're preparing hot chocolate for a crowd, using water makes the process that much simpler.

Our taste test winner for the best non-dairy hot cocoa base is unequivocally oat milk. The creaminess of this beverage is unprecedented and makes us wonder why we had never thought about buying a half-gallon from the grocery store for this very purpose. Our main determining factor for this showdown was creaminess.

Taste and Texture Comparison

Oat milk tends to offer a sweeter taste and is naturally more thick and creamy—perfect for warm beverages in the morning and sweet treats. While almond milk is less creamy, it offers a subtle, nutty flavor that pairs nicely in savory dishes and cereals.

Enjoying a mug of hot chocolate daily is typically considered safe, provided it's consumed as part of a balanced, varied diet and lifestyle. However, the safety of drinking hot chocolate every day largely depends on the composition of the hot chocolate and one's individual health circ*mstances and dietary restrictions.

As surprising as it may sound, yes, hot chocolate can help you lose weight. Unsweetened cacao powder produces antioxidants that help with the fat-burning process and makes you feel fuller for longer. Also, being low in fat and sugar, your body gets lower calories from cacao powder.

The cornstarch version thickened quickly, making the hot chocolate very thick and creamy, and in the end we decided on a combination of cornstarch and confectioner's sugar, for the ideal texture and sweetness.

You could also use oat milk or any dairy-free milk you'd like along with the coconut milk! Unsweetened cocoa powder: a high-quality cocoa powder or cacao powder is essential. I highly recommend using Ghirardelli's 100% cocoa. I think it has the best flavor for hot chocolate (and trust me, I've tried quite a few!)

Is 2% or whole milk better for hot chocolate? ›

Whole milk contains fat which is what is needed to add the right flavor to your hot chocolate. If, however, you don't like the thickness or flavor of whole milk, you should use at least two percent milk, half and half, or cream.

Any kind you like. I usually stick with 2% milk to try and make my cocoa healthy… ish, like this Healthy Hot Chocolate, (and milk has protein and calcium after all!). If you prefer whole milk for more creaminess, be my guest!

Yoghurt or Mascarpone: A tablespoon of thick yoghurt or mascarpone can lend a creamy, dense texture to your hot chocolate. Gelatine: A less common method, but gelatine can provide thickness if used sparingly. Be sure to dissolve it properly to avoid any lumps. Oats: Ground them finely and whisk them into the beverage.

Starbucks makes its hot chocolate with mocha syrup that's used for a variety of other drinks in the store. A barista combines mocha syrup with a couple squirts of vanilla syrup and heated milk, and he then finishes off the drink with a sweet pile of whipped cream.

In conclusion, when it comes to heating plant-based milk, soy milk and oat milk are the best options, while coconut milk can also be used without issue.

The test made a few things clear: soy milk, at its best, tastes closest to cow's milk. Oat tastes like a sweetly nutty cereal milk while almond tastes like the water left in your sink after washing the breakfast dishes.