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It’s the perfect time to start curling up with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. However, I often find that typical hot chocolate feels a bit overly sweet and heavy—particularly for my kids! After trying a ton of boxed options, I decided to develop my own kid-friendly healthy hot chocolate recipe.
I’m happy to say this one is a hit! It’s absolutely child-approved and a recipe my own four children ask for all winter long. Even better? It has just four ingredients!
I will note that this recipe is refined sugar free and dairy free. Because of this, it’s not as rich and chocolatey as some people may prefer. I find it’s the perfect amount of sweetness for children or those who are working on health goals, however!
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Easy Hot Cocoa Recipe for Kids
If you haven’t made hot chocolate from scratch before, I’ve got great news: it’s not complicated! In fact, this healthy hot chocolate is so simple to make that it’s almost as quick as the store-bought packets!
In my home, a warm mug of hot cocoa is pretty much a necessity this time of year. Especially forkids, because hot cocoa is a very good motivator to stay outside longer.
You know when they want to come in after 10 minutes, and you’ve spent 15 minutes bundling them up? Just offer them hot cocoa if they stay outside a little longer. It works (almost) every time.
Ingredients
I have to be careful about what I feed my kids (and myself) because we all have food sensitivities. That means we can’t buy the store-bought hot cocoa packets, which are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other ingredients I can’t pronounce.
So this year, when my children started asking for hot cocoa, I decided to create our own healthy hot cocoa recipe. I’ve come up with a few variations, but this particular version is a favorite with my kids.
In fact, they’ve told me it tastes just as good, if not better, than the old “store stuff.” (Score!)
Here are the four simple ingredients in this homemade hot cocoa recipe:
- Almond milk
- Cocoa powder – I use cacao powder
myself,but you can use baking cocoa too. Cacao powder is more bitter, so you may need to increase the sweetener slightly if you go this route. - Honey
- Vanilla extract
myself,but you can use baking cocoa
too. Cacao powder is more bitter, so you may need to increase the sweetener slightly if you go this route.So simple and so good!
Instructions
Okay, let’s walk through how to whip up a batch of hot chocolate in just minutes.
Grab a small saucepan, and use it to heat the almond milk. Next, whisk in the cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract.
Make sure to whisk it well, so there are no lumps.
Alternatively, you can carefully pour it into a blender (or use an immersion blender). Just don’t burn yourself! Blend or whisk until it’s nice and frothy, then pour into a mug and serve.
See how simple that is?
Variations + More Hot Chocolate Recipes
- Peppermint hot chocolate: Add a few drops of peppermint extract while you are whisking.
- Creamy hot chocolate: Top with a dollop of your favorite whipped cream (use a non-dairy one if you want to keep this recipe dairy-free).
- Peanut butter hot chocolate: Yes, I have an entire recipe showing you how you can make a peanut butter hot chocolate!
Want even more ideas? Check out this post with the
Now when my kids come in from playing out in the cold snow, it’s no problem to whip up a batch or two of this easy hot cocoa recipe! Enjoy!
The Healthy Easy Hot Cocoa Recipe for Kids
- Author: Erika Bragdon
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 7 mins
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: beverage
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups almond milk (or your milk of choice)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup*
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Warm the almond milk in a small saucepan, then whisk in the cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to remove any lumps from the cocoa.
- Optional: place in your blender (make sure the cocoa isn’t too hot – you don’t want to get burned) and blend until frothy.
- Serve warm.
Notes
*add more or less honey, depending on how sweet your kids like it
Keywords: homemade hot cocoa, healthy hot chocolate, vegan, dairy-free
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