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Three children's hands holding white mugs of hot cocoa, arranged in a circle on a wood table, viewed from above.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa from scratch with natural cocoa, a little honey or maple syrup, and about 4 to 9 g of added sugar per mug.
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Course: Drinks
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes
Servings: 4 small 5 to 6 oz mugs
Calories: 68kcal
Author: Sarah Bullard, MS, RDN
Cost: $3 for 4 mugs ($0.75 per mug)

Equipment

  • 1 small sauce pan

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk; any milk works)
  • 4 tbsp Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not Dutch-processed)
  • 11/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1-2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

Make Cocoa on the Stovetop

  • Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it steams. Don't let it boil.
  • Whisk in the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and sweetener until smooth.
  • Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  • Pour into mugs. Add salt to taste in each mug.

Notes

  • I made it with 2½ cups of milk, and it was rich enough to stretch to 3 cups.
  • If you use dairy or pea protein milk, each serving will be closer to 8g of protein.
  • If your milk is fortified with calcium, each mug would have about 290 mg of calcium (22% of the daily value).
  • One of my kids didn't like the salt, and the others did. Adding it at the end lets everyone make their own.
  • Use natural cocoa. Plain Hershey's Cocoa is natural, and darker Dutch-processed cocoa has far fewer flavanols.
  • Honey isn't safe for babies under 1 year. Use maple syrup or sugar for little ones.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ounces | Calories: 68kcal (3%) | Carbohydrates: 10.6g (4%) | Protein: 1.7g (3%) | Fat: 2g (3%) | Sodium: 94mg (4%) | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 6.25g (7%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)