The Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

The perfect blend of chocolatey flavor with one little secret ingredient makes this the Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe around. Rich, chocolatey flavor that’s perfectly creamy….great for cold winter nights and fantastic as a homemade gift.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Who loves Hot Cocoa? I used to be addicted to the packets of instant hot cocoa that our office used to buy in bulk. It wasn’t until I made my own Homemade Hot Cocoa recipe that I realized my addiction just got an upgrade.

Commercial Hot Cocoa mix, like Swiss miss, is loaded with stabilizers and other mystery ingredients but my homemade hot cocoa is made with simple ingredients so you can whip up batch after batch all season long.

I had some stellar hot chocolate in my lifetime and once you have something so amazing it makes your toes curl you can’t go back to the packet. You’ll crave this when you want a rich, creamy mug of hot cocoa.

It All Starts with the Best Ingredients

• Sugar – Confectioners’ Sugar is a powdered sugar that blends well when stirred into hot liquids like milk, cream or water. It’s also known as icing sugar.
• Cocoa Powder – I use a combination of dark cocoa powder and unsweetened cocoa powder for the richest flavor. You can use all dark cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder. You can substitute with Dutch -Process cocoa powder.
• Milk – Powdered milk, also known as milk powder, adds creaminess while keeping the cocoa mix shelf stable.
• Vanilla – I use powdered vanilla to add a hint of vanilla notes to the cocoa mix. If you can’t find powdered vanilla, you can substitute with powdered vanilla coffee creamer or just add a splash of vanilla extract to your hot chocolate when you make a cup of it.
• Salt – To balance the sweetness, I add a bit of kosher salt.
• Cornstarch – Adding cornstarch to cocoa mix prevents caking and helps thicken the milk.
• Chocolate – Dark Chocolate Chunks are added for garnish, they’re optional and can be skipped or substituted with milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate.
• Marshmallows – The marshmallows are also added for packing and garnish. You can skip them if making this hot chocolate mix for your pantry.

For the full ingredient list, measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.

How To Make Hot Cocoa Mix

I have no idea what they put in the Hershey’s hot cocoa but I had to make something better than the store bought packets of powdery mix with pantry staples and so, I spent a few days pondering on exactly how to make the Best Hot Cocoa Mix recipe ever.

I started by trying out some recipes I found on the internet and I tested so many recipes until I found one I could start with.

 This one from Alton Brown was my favorite so I adapted it a bit to make it even better, I added something super special to the mix that was a bit of genius, if I do say so myself. I whisked in a bit of Vanilla Powder, which is just powdered vanilla you can buy online (affiliate), to the mix taking something already pretty amazing and making it completely bonkers, insanely delicious.

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together to combine.
3. Transfer to an airtight container. 
4. Store for up to 6 months.

That’s it, it’s so easy!

To make hot chocolate using hot cocoa mix, heat whole milk, coconut milk, almond milk or heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming or in a mug in the microwave then stir the mix. You can also use hot water to make hot chocolate. Serve with marshmallows or whipped cream to enjoy during the cold months ahead.

What is Hot Cocoa?

Hot Cocoa or Hot Chocolate, Drinking Chocolate or Chocolate Tea is a beverage consisting of melted chocolate or cocoa powder mixed with heated milk or water and sugar. It can be topped with just about anything you like, we love a dollop of whipped cream.

The best hot cocoa (or should I call it hot chocolate…it can get confusing) I ever had was in the chocolate capital of the world, Hershey Park. Yeah, they sell the good stuff there. It’s like melty, liquid, chocolate crack.

And they only have it there in the winter because who wants to be sipping that stuff when it’s 90 degrees in the shade during the summertime. But in the winter, when you just spun around on a ferris wheel in 32 degrees and your face feels like it’s going to crack in half if you try to smile, that’s when you need a big cup full of this molten heaven that is the most perfect homemade hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa….are they the same thing?

The short answer, yes and no. Technically, Hot Chocolate is made by melting chocolate shavings in hot milk and Hot Cocoa is made with cocoa powder. But you can make hot chocolate with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings so, in essence, they are the same.

Hot Chocolate has a thicker, richer consistency where Hot Cocoa is a bit thinner and the added sugar makes it quite a bit sweeter. You can make your hot cocoa richer by stirring it into a mug of steaming half and half.

Hot Cocoa is so easy to make you’ll want to make a big batch to last all winter but I urge you to double or TRIPLE the batch and give it to your friends.

Or give it to people you want to be friends with. OR mail it to your favorite celeb crush and THEY will want to be friends with you. Bonus points if you send along some of these homemade Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing made from scratch.

How to Make a Hot Chocolate Bar

If you decide to keep all your Hot Cocoa Mix to yourself, you can use it to create an epic holiday Hot Chocolate Bar. To set up your Hot Cocoa Bar, simply make the entire recipe for Hot Cocoa in a slow cooker or crock pot for guests to serve themselves.

• Homemade Marshmallows (They’re so easy, it’s scary!)
• These super fun Snowman Toppers are so cute.
• Mix in a bit of Bailey’s, Frangelico, Chocolate Liquor or a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
• Serve with cinnamon sticks, candy cane, or Biscotti

We also use this Hot Cocoa Mix to fill out festive Hot Cocoa Bombs! They’re super fun to make and even more fun to melt.

Either way….make a gigantic batch of the Best Hot Cocoa Mix and ruin your kids forever because they’ll never let you buy it at the store again. It’s simple and spectacular.

More Easy Hot Chocolate Recipes

• Mexican Hot Chocolate
• Polar Express Hot Chocolate
• Crockpot Hot Chocolate
• Funfetti Birthday Cake White Hot Chocolate
• Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board

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