My kids love hot chocolate! In the Fall and Winter time, I can barely keep enough in stock as they drink it constantly. In an effort to save money, I create this Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. Now I love it more than the pre-packaged ones!
You’ll love this homemade hot chocolate mix recipe!
Do you remember the Homemade Nesquick recipe I shared with you recently? Well, it has been so cold here my kids have been hooked on hot chocolate.
I want to share how I changed my Homemade Nesquick into Homemade hot chocolate mix. It is SO easy! All you have to do is add powdered milk. Adding the powdered milk makes this hot chocolate nice and creamy and oh so yummy.
Have you ever made your own homemade mixes?
If you have been following me for awhile now, you know that I don’t love using pre-packaged mixes. I like to create my own mixes so I know exactly what’s in the food that I’m providing to my family and I think that homemade ones always taste better anyway.
My obsession first started when I made my own homemade taco seasoning. I was surprised by how simple it was to create and it tasted so much better than the packaged taco seasonings. That was the start of it all. I was hooked on creating my own homemade seasoning mixes.
Then I created my own homemade brownie mix. Wow! These were so amazing and I loved having the mixes on hand so I could make brownies in no time at all for my family. This continue to feed my obsession and my journey continued.
If you love all these recipes, I hope you try some of our other great seasoning and mixes recipes:
- Easy Homemade Chili Seasoning
- Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix Packet
- The Best Homemade Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Homemade Cornbread Mix
- Italian Dressing Mix
- Homemade Fajita Seasoning
This best homemade hot chocolate mix can save you money!
This is WAY cheaper than the boxed variety (and tastes better). A typical 10-count box of cocoa will coast you about $1 (if you get it on sale).
You can make this homemade hot chocolate mix for under $1 and it will give you over 20 servings! Plus, there is something to be said about knowing ALL of the ingredients in your cocoa. 😉
What is needed to make this DIY hot chocolate mix recipe?
You are not going to believe how easy this recipe is to make. You only need 4 ingredients to create this easy homemade hot chocolate mix and I bet you already have most of these in your pantry.
- Sugar
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Milk
- Salt
That’s all you need to create this easy recipe that is delicious and will save you money. There is no reason why you should make this recipe today! I promise, it really is easy.
What is powdered milk that is needed for this healthy homemade hot chocolate mix?
You do need powdered milk for this recipe so that your hot chocolate is creamy. Powdered milk is essentially an evaporated milk product that is used in cooking and baking recipes.
By using dry milk, you no longer have to worry about your milk in your refrigerator going bad. It’s a great way to extend the self life of milk in your home.
I found this product in the baking aisle of my local grocery store for this best hot chocolate mix recipe.
What substitutions can you make for these ingredients?
This recipe is very versatile. You can definitely use different ingredients if you prefer. I have used confectioners sugar instead of regular sugar when I was out. I did find that this made our hot cocoa a bit sweeter but we still enjoyed it.
Also, if you cannot find dry milk in your local grocery store, using instant coffee creamer will work as well. I don’t think that it makes the hot chocolate as creamy but is a great option if you cannot locate powdered milk in your area.
In addition, the salt in this recipe is optional. I find that it brings out the flavor in the cocoa powdered but is not needed if you are watching your salt intake.
How is hot chocolate powder made?
Once you have all the ingredients that you need for this recipe. You can combine them 2 different ways. You can either mix the ingredients together in a large bowl until they are thoroughly combined. Then you put the ingredients in an air tight container for storage.
However, you can also put the ingredients directly in a mason jar. A pint size mason jar would be needed to hold all the ingredients. Then secure the lid tightly on the jar and shake the jar until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Either of these ways would work great for this recipe. I usually just put them in the mason jar so I don’t have any dishes to clean up after I’m done creating this hot chocolate mix.
Then I store the mason jar in my pantry so it’s ready anytime someone in my family wants to enjoy a delicious cup of hot chocolate.
Now make sure you snag a super cute Mason jar to store your homemade mix inside. Amazon has several on sale here.
Also, I love using the cute and decorate jars to make homemade hot cocoa mix recipe gift sets. I have made this before for teachers for Christmas or teacher appreciation.
In addition, I love giving these to neighbors as well. They are so easy to make in big batches and everyone loves receiving this homemade mix as a gift.
How do you create a delicious cup of cocoa with this homemade mix recipe?
After you have created your homemade hot cocoa mix, all you have to do is mix 1-2 Tablespoons of the mix with a cup hot water. I add the amount of mix needed based on how chocolatey you want your cocoa.
All you have to do is stir until the mix is thoroughly dissolved and then your hot chocolate is ready to be enjoyed.
How would use top your cup of hot chocolate?
Ok now that you have created a delicious and easy cup of hot cocoa, what would use to top it? My kids love topping theirs with mini marshmallows. We also have a pack of those on hand!
Also, whipped cream is always a winner on hot cocoa! Also, you can top it with your favorite type of chocolate chips. I love using a mixture of white and milk chocolate chips.
However you decide to enjoy it, you’ll love having this homemade chocolate mix in your pantry for your family to enjoy.
You might also like to try this easy and delicious Snow Ice Cream Recipe.
This homemade hot chocolate mix is much easier to make than you might think. It is also much cheaper to make your own hot chocolate mix than to buy in the store.
- 1 1/3 cup sugar (granulated or powdered)
- 2/3 cup baking cocoa
- 1/2 cups powdered milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
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Combine ingredients in a mason jar. Shake until everything is well combined.
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To make hot chocolate, add 1-2 tablespoons of homemade hot chocolate mix to hot water. Stir and enjoy!
Adding the powdered milk makes this hot chocolate nice and creamy and oh so yummy.
Crock pot hot chocolate recipe is rich and creamy with just 5 ingredients.
If you enjoy this homemade hot chocolate mix recipe, I hope you try these other beverage recipes as well!
- Kid Friendly Cotton Candy Drink Recipe
- Easy Grinch Punch Recipe
- Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino Recipe
- Iced Hot Chocolate Recipe
- How to Make a Slushie with Kool-Aid
- Pineapple Lemonade Recipe
- Crock Pot White Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Easy Sonic Ocean Water Recipe
- Copycat Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade
Minnie@thelady8home says
That’s a lovely article. This is a better idea than buying the hot chocolate mix. You can use sugar as per your need.
brandy says
My husband is allergic to coconut. Really hard to find mixes without it. Thanks
Rebecca says
This is great! I havd been looking for a good homemade recipe since all of the prepackaged mixes all have hydrogenated oils in them…trying to clean up my diet without giving up all of my favorite things. To make this a Mocha Hot Chocolate…how much esspresso powder would you suggest adding to the mix? I am not a coffee drinker but do like a little bit in my cocoa. Thanks again 🙂
Sarah says
MMMmmmm….just lovely. Thank you so much for the share!
Janel Wright says
Can you use sugar substitutes and if so how much. Have family that is diabetic
Scott says
Can you use splenda instead of sugar?
Andrea says
Any ideas that we can use for a sugar substitute?
Carrie says
Andrea – I haven’t tried it but I think that Stevia would work.
Carrie says
Scott – I haven’t tried that but I think you could!
Maddie says
Just made your hot cocoa mix and put it in 4 oz jars going to fill another 4 oz jars with marshmallows and put them together and make a snowman out of them for my Coworkers at work
Joy Ragnow-Guzy says
Is there any substitute for the milk? I’m lactose intolerant
Sam says
I don’t add sugar instead I use a lot more powdered milk which has plenty of its own sugar. I do use 60% cocoa chocolate chips about 10. 1/4 c powdered milk to 1tsp cocoa. I drink it every night to help me fall asleep. I don’t like warm milk so I add cocoa. Milk protein is added bonus by increasing milk powder. It has L-tryptophen, precursor to and it produces seratonin that helps you go to 3sleep. “Warm milk before bed” really does work
Rosie says
Great hot chocolate mix! It dissolves great and stays dissolved. I sometimes add a couple or Red Bird peppermint pieces. Next time I might crush those and add to the mix. Plus you know what you are putting in the mix since you know all the ingredients!
Pat Troyka says
Every other hot chocolate mix recipe I’ve found takes 2 cups of powdered milk, yours says 1/2 cups. Is that supposed to be 1 1/2 cups, 2 1/2 cups or 1/2 cup?
Debbie Collins says
If you want to use milk, could you leave out the powdered milk?
Carrie says
yes you can.
MJ says
I just made my 6th batch of this! Yum. I used half regular cocoa and half black cocoa for a really rich tasting hit chocolate. Then separated some into a jar and added a few drops of peppermint extract. It’s a winner!!!!
Carrie says
Yum! That sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Perry says
This sounds great and gonna give it a try! What do you do to determine an expiration date as well for the Nesquick milk recipe?
vici m moser says
I added crushed candy canes and in some I added chocolate chips.Great
Carrie says
That sounds delicious!
Carrie says
I just follow the expiration dates on the ingredients used to make them. I haven’t had an issue with either going bad. They generally last for 12-18 months (depending on expiration dates on the ingredients) and we usually use it all by then. Thank you!
Erin says
What fat content milk powder do you use? (If you already addressed this, I’m so sorry!) I have non-fat milk powder and I’m wondering if that will work!
Carrie says
I used a non-fat powdered milk when making this and it worked great – thank you!
Robin says
I make hot cocoa bombs and I prefer to use milk not water. Can I use this recipe with milk as well? Thanks in advance!
Robin
Carrie says
Yes, I think this would be delicious with milk as well – Thanks!
disney says
THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 100% would make again
Carrie says
Thank you so much!
Melissa D says
I didn’t have non-fat dry milk powder but I DID have buttermilk powder so I used that instead. I was leery of how it would turn out but I am pleasantly surprised and will continue to make my hot chocolate this way. Just wanted to throw that out there for those who, by chance, have buttermilk powder instead of non-fat dry milk powder. I also found that when creating your drink that the ratios were correct, 1-2T for every cup of water. Turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Carrie says
I’m glad you enjoyed it and great to know about the buttermilk for everyone that might not be able to find milk powder. Thanks for sharing!
Terri Sue Nelson says
Are you talking instant powered milk or regular?
Carrie says
I used the regular but instant will work great in this recipe too!
Cheryl Gulota says
This was very good! I was skeptical because of the only 1/2 cup for powdered milk. I used 100% cacao powdered, it is a healthier option because you do not loose the antioxidants from the cacao bean, I use this in all my recipes that call for cocoa powder. I did sift the powder sugar and cacao powder. I tried it out with just water and it was very good. I am going to try it with both milk and almond milk. I have been drinking dark hot chocolate and adding peppermint mocha kahlua, excited to try this mix with it. Nice to have a hot chocolate without all the chemicals. Thank you for your recipe
Carrie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I need to try it with the cacao powder – I bet that was delicious!
Darlene says
How can I make this Low Carb and what is the best sugar substitute for Diabetics. Please answer ASAP. I’m craving it so bad and don’t won’t to miss up my blood sugar levels?
Carrie says
I’m not sure about that – You’ll want to check with your doctor on the best sugar substitute for diabetics. Thanks!
Emily Jo Hasley says
I’m planning to make the mix substituting a Sucralose sweetener for any sugar. Fingers are crossed. Love hot chocolate in the cold month and it’s snowing now in Colorado. Perfect time to make it. Thanks so much, Carrie!
Carrie says
You’re welcome! Please let me know how it works with the sucralose sweetener!
Prema says
Thanks for the great recipe. My 9 old is used to chocolate milk ( milk mixed with large amounts of store bought chocolate syrup ) daily in the morning since she was a toddler. We are trying to get her to limit sugar intake and tried store bought hot cocoa powders with not much success. I am so relieved that she not only loves this home made one but says this is the best hot cocoa she ever had. Rest of my family likes it too.