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This sugar free hot chocolate mix is so easy to make and only takes four ingredients! Chocolate milk made with this hot chocolate mix is Hadassah’s favorite snack right now. I love that she gets to enjoy something yummy without all the sugar in standard chocolate milk mixes.
Trim Healthy Mama Fuel Type
The mix itself is a THM Fuel Pull, and the fuel type of the hot chocolate or chocolate milk will be determined by the type of liquid you use to make it. (Find detailed notes about that in the recipe below.)
This hot chocolate makes a great Fuel Pull evening snack to stave off hunger and give you some protein!
Is this hot chocolate mix a THM sipper drink?
This drink is not a sipper and is meant to be enjoyed with a meal or as a snack. (It does contain protein of its own due to the collagen.)
Great gift idea!
This hot chocolate mix makes a great gift! Give jars of it away for Christmas with cute labels and a ribbon tied around the top if you’re feeling fancy.
How to make hot chocolate and chocolate milk with this hot chocolate mix
I like to use 3 tablespoons of mix per 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) of liquid when making hot chocolate, but adjust according to the strength you prefer. I don’t necessarily make my daughter’s chocolate milk as strong as my own. And I don’t know that I would make chocolate milk as strong as I would hot chocolate. Add to taste.
Liquid Options
- MY FAVE: For the liquid, I like to use 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup half and half, and a dash of vanilla. This would be a light S, Trim Healthy Mamas. Use all almond milk instead of almond milk and water for an even creamier result. I don’t recommend using just water to make this hot chocolate mix. Not gonna lie – I do like the addition of a bit of dairy (like half and half) for optimal creaminess.
- FUEL PULL/DEEP S/DAIRY FREE: For a Fuel Pull hot chocolate, use 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and ½ cup water. This would be Deep S compliant as well, although it doesn’t contain any of its own fat. This is a good option for dairy free folks. (Don’t use all almond milk in this case because 1 cup is the limit in a Fuel Pull setting.)
- FOR CHILDREN: For my daughter’s chocolate milk I just use regular dairy milk, but this isn’t advised for adults who would like to lose weight.
Dissolving
The hot chocolate mix dissolves best in liquids that aren’t cold. For hot chocolate I heat the liquid first, then whisk in the mix.
For making chocolate milk with cold liquid, blending will give you the best result without clumps. For my daughter’s chocolate milk I usually heat the milk just a bit to take the cold edge off of it, then add the chocolate powder and shake to mix. It dissolves better this way than in milk cold right out of the fridge.
Add the hot chocolate mix after heating the liquid, not before.
You’ll get the best flavor adding the mix after heating the liquid. Cocoa powder gets more bitter when heated, and sweetness dissipates with cooking.
Sweetener
I recommend making a test cup of hot chocolate and then adding more sweetener to the mix if desired. Use THM Gentle Sweet instead of THM Super Sweet Blend if you want a more true sugar taste. (You’ll need to use about 3x the amount of Gentle Sweet as Sweet Blend according to THM’s sweetener conversion chart.)
Keep in mind that if you change the volume of sweetener in the recipe, you may need to add more or less chocolate mix to your cup to compensate for strength.
Collagen vs whey protein powder
The collagen is in the recipe for bulk, creaminess, and protein; I don’t recommend omitting it. (Doing so would drastically change how much mix you would use.)
You could try using whey protein powder or plant protein powder in its place, but the taste is on you. I prefer the lack of flavor of collagen – and it’s dairy free for those of you who need that. That being said, whey protein powder would probably make for a creamier hot chocolate mix (similar to a dry milk powder in a standard hot chocolate mix).
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for helpful info and answers to frequently asked questions!
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Fun fact:
November 2021 marks my 8 year blogging anniversary (or “bloggiversary”). It was my tradition for the first several years to post a new hot chocolate recipe for each bloggiversary. I haven’t done that for awhile (you can only make hot chocolate so many different ways, ya know), but this year I’m bringing the tradition back with this hot chocolate mix recipe. I’ve gotta say – this is my favorite hot chocolate in terms of ease and flavor.
Click here to check out all of my hot chocolate recipes!
Sugar Free Hot Chocolate & Chocolate Milk Mix
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups (8 servings)
Description
This sugar free hot chocolate mix is so easy to make and only takes four ingredients! Chocolate milk made with this hot chocolate mix is Hadassah’s favorite snack right now.
The mix itself is a THM Fuel Pull, and the fuel type of the hot chocolate or chocolate milk will be determined by the type of liquid you use to make it. (Find detailed notes about that in the recipe below.) This drink is not a sipper and is meant to be enjoyed with a meal or as a snack. (It does contain protein of its own due to the collagen.)
This hot chocolate mix makes a great gift! Give jars of it away for Christmas with cute labels and a ribbon tied around the top if you’re feeling fancy.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup collagen
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Whisk the ingredients together and store in a sealed container at room temperature. Make a test cup of hot chocolate and adjust the mix to your taste.
I like to use 3 tablespoons of mix per 1 ½ cups (12 ounces) of liquid when making hot chocolate, but adjust according to the strength you prefer. I don’t necessarily make my daughter’s chocolate milk as strong as my own. And I don’t know that I would make chocolate milk as strong as I would hot chocolate. Add to taste.
MY FAVE: For the liquid, I like to use 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup half and half, and a dash of vanilla. This would be a light S, Trim Healthy Mamas. Use all almond milk instead of almond milk and water for an even creamier result. I don’t recommend using just water to make this hot chocolate mix. Not gonna lie – I do like the addition of a bit of dairy (like half and half) for optimal creaminess.
FUEL PULL/DEEP S/DAIRY FREE: For a Fuel Pull hot chocolate, use 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and ½ cup water. This would be Deep S compliant as well, although it doesn’t contain any of its own fat. This is a good option for dairy free folks. (Don’t use all almond milk in this case because 1 cup is the limit in a Fuel Pull setting.)
FOR CHILDREN: For my daughter’s chocolate milk I just use regular dairy milk, but this isn’t advised for adults who would like to lose weight.
This mix makes great hot chocolate or chocolate milk! It does dissolve best in liquids that aren’t cold. For hot chocolate I heat the liquid first, then whisk in the mix. For making chocolate milk with cold liquid, blending will give you the best result without clumps. For my daughter’s chocolate milk I usually heat the milk just a bit to take the cold edge off of it, then add the chocolate powder and shake to mix. It dissolves better this way than in milk cold right out of the fridge.
Notes
Collagen: This adds bulk, creaminess, and protein; I don’t recommend omitting it. (Doing so would drastically change how much mix you would use.) You can try using whey protein powder or plant protein powder in its place, but the taste is on you. I prefer the lack of flavor of collagen – and it’s dairy free for those of you who need that. That being said, whey protein powder would probably make for a creamier hot chocolate mix (similar to a dry milk powder in a standard hot chocolate mix).
Sweetener: I recommend making a test cup and then adding more sweetener to the mix if desired. Use THM Gentle Sweet instead of THM Super Sweet Blend if you want a more true sugar taste. (THM’s sweetener conversion chart recommends using 3x the amount of Gentle Sweet as Sweet Blend, but that sounds high to me so I’d start with less, then taste and adjust.) Keep in mind that if you change the volume of sweetener in the recipe, you may need to add more or less chocolate mix to your cup to compensate for strength.
This is a great family hot chocolate! Heat up the desired amount of liquid in a pot on the stove, then whisk in the chocolate mix to your desired strength. You’ll get the best flavor adding the mix after heating the liquid. Cocoa powder gets more bitter when heated, and sweetness dissipates with cooking.
Allergy info (for mix only): gluten free, egg free, dairy free, nut free – use liquids that fit your particular allergies. Carton coconut milk may be a good option if you’re nut free but can have coconut products. Some full fat canned coconut milk may be a good addition for a more decadent hot chocolate if you can’t add a splash of dairy like half and half or cream.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Category: Hot Drinks
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: THM Fuel Pull, low carb, low fat, sugar free
Keywords: trim healthy mama, thm, low carb hot chocolate, sugar free hot chocolate, hot chocolate mix, dairy free hot chocolate mix
Wondering about making a large batch with powdered milk to give as gifts where they only need to add hot water. Do you recommend a certain amount of powder milk to the bulk recipe you shared ?
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No, I’m sorry – I haven’t experimented with that at all.
Hi. I’m a little confused over the amt of liquid. It says 3 tbls per 1/2 cup (12 oz) of liquid. 4 oz is half of a cup unless your meaning 3 tbls per 1/2 cup and the serving size is 12 ozs. Maybe my brain isn’t seeing something! Thank you so much for all your recipes!
It actually says “1 1/2 cups.” 🙂
This mix is the best stuff ever!!! I have made countless batches of it! I actually use 3/4 cup of gentle sweet to make it because the super sweet was just a little strong for me! Here are a few of the ways I like to use it:
An ice cream topping. I can’t eat ice cream without it!
In lattes. I have an espresso machine and it’s kinda hard finding good ways to sweeten my drinks on plan so I just stir in some mix!
Overnight oatmeal. I use this mix in place of the sweetener, collagen, and cocoa powder and it makes an easy recipe even easier!
Hot chocolate and chocolate milk (obviously😂) I like to use a 1/4 of mix and my favorite combination of liquids is 3/4 cup oat milk, 1/2 cup almond milk, + 1/4 cup half and half. Using oat milk ups the carb count, but it makes it so creamy and has such a delicious flavor.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for sharing those details, Kate! I will definitely have to try this on ice cream.
I added this to my coffee this morning, along with a few drops of cherry burst., to make a chocolate covered cherry mocha. So good! We love it as written too. Thank you!
This was delicious!! I have been so missing hot cocoa since giving up sugar!
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Has anyone made this with Chocolate Collagen? I would probably still add cocoa.
This is, hands down, my favorite hot chocolate mix! Tastes amazing, and even my picky husband loved it! Super easy, and super good 😁
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I love this mix! It’s really delicious and definitely my new favorite winter beverage! I make it the same as Brianna’s favorite way. Thanks so much for the great recipe😋!
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I made this last night to take along hunting this morning and it was so amazing😋 I used 3 tablespoons of mix and all almond milk to make it and it was perfect for me. I also added a couple of cinnamon sticks to make it even better. Happy thanksgiving!!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing how you made it!
Hi Briana!
This is a lovely recipe…creamy and yummy. I added half and half and some coconut oil, and it
was a splendid evening treat 🙂
Usually when I have (healthy) chocolate/cocoa too close to my bedtime it will take awhile to get to sleep.
But this recipe doesn’t do that which was lovely! I enjoyed a nice mug of this after supper a couple evenings in a row,
and went to sleep just fine 😊.
May the Lord bless and encourage you today!
Aw, thanks, Tess! So glad you’re enjoying the hot chocolate!
Thank you! I’m dairy free and have been making something similar with powdered almond or oat milk so I could just add water when we camp. The collagen was not something I add thought to add and should solve my lack of creaminess in my mix:-)
You bet! I’ve really been enjoying it!
Can I ask where you got that lovely cup and saucer? There’s a lady at my church who collects lovely china like that.
The thrift store! That’s where I get most of my dishes. It’s my new favorite. I think it was actually made for Avon, according to the inscription on the bottom. Perhaps you could find one like it on Ebay.