Quick and Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

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How to make the best homemade hot chocolate mix. Easy recipe, perfect for gifts in a jar. Makes a rich and creamy hot cocoa that'll warm you right up.

Homemade hot chocolate mix makes the creamiest cup of hot chocolate, the perfect warm beverage to cozy up with on a cold winter day. Made with only 4 ingredients, it's also simple and easy to make.

homemade hot chocolate mix in a jar with a spoon

My middle child, Jaden, and I share a love for homemade hot cocoa. I think it started when he was around preschool age, and I’d mix him up some hot chocolate in his festive little snowman cup.

Ever since, we’ve loved coming in together out of the cold to a teapot full of hot water, a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate, and a handful of mini marshmallows.

Don’t get me wrong… We enjoy our store bought mix. One of our favorites has always been Swiss Miss. Another favorite is hot chocolate with chocolate chips; it's so rich and creamy.

But I really wanted to try making our own hot cocoa mix, so I did a little research and came up with my own recipe for a homemade hot cocoa mix.

hot chocolate mix recipe in cracker jar and made into homemade hot chocolate with mini marshmallows in Disney Bambi mug

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:

Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.

KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED:

Large Mixing Bowl

Whisk

Cupcake Scoop – Makes it super easy to scoop the mix into a jar or container.

Airtight Container or Jar

Cute Coffee Mugs

Homemade hot chocolate mix also makes great Mason jar gifts. Grab a pretty Mason jar, fill it with your mix, and maybe add a few mini marshmallow bits for even more yumminess.

Add a pretty gift tag (with mixing instructions) or a holiday recipe card, and a ribbon or bow, and you’ve got a meaningful homemade gift in a jar your recipient will really enjoy.

HOW TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX FROM SCRATCH

  1. In a large mixing bowlwhisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to help remove any lumps. 
  2. Add in the dry milk powder.
  3. Then add the coffee creamer, and whisk everything together ’til mixed well.
  4. Add your homemade hot chocolate mix to an airtight container or jar for storage.
steps for how to make hot chocolate mix from scratch in Pioneer Woman jadeite mixing bowl
  1. To mix up a cup of homemade hot chocolate, add 1/2 cup hot chocolate mix to your favorite mug.
  2. Add 8 ounces hot water to the mix in the mug.
  3. Stir everything together well.
  4. Add mini marshmallows or peppermint whipped cream to top it off. You can also add candy canes to make it even more festive.
adding homemade hot cocoa mix with water and mini marshmallows to Disney Bambi mug

Serve with your favorite holiday candy, like this amazing buckeye recipe, for an especially festive treat.

CAN I USE A CHOCOLATE DRINK MIX INSTEAD OF COCOA POWDER?

No, I wouldn’t recommend doing this, because if you do, you’ll be adding extra sugar and other ingredients to your hot chocolate mix. It will not turn out the way it should and will probably be way too sweet.

adding homemade hot cocoa mix with water and mini marshmallows to Disney Bambi mug

IS HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX GLUTEN-FREE?

It really depends on the ingredients you use.

Dry milk can have wheat or the possibility of contamination with wheat. So, you really need to look for a specifically gluten-free instant dry milk powder if you need gluten-free.

Also, watch your cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and coffee creamer to be sure they don’t have any cross-contamination.

adding homemade hot cocoa mix with water and mini marshmallows to Disney Bambi mug

MORE FESTIVE BEVERAGE RECIPES:

GET THE PRINTABLE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX RECIPE

If you love this homemade hot cocoa mix as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!

quick and easy hot chocolate mix recipe

You can find my original recipe for hot chocolate mix over at Adventures of Mel!

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

How to make the best homemade hot chocolate mix. Easy recipe, perfect for gifts in a jar. Makes a rich and creamy hot cocoa that'll warm you right up.
4.61 from 56 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Beverages
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Equipment

  • The Pioneer Woman Timeless Beauty Ribbed Glass Bowl
  • Wilton Scoop-It Batter Spoons, Set of 3
  • Anchor Hocking 1-Gallon Cracker Jar with Brushed Aluminum Lid, Set of 4, Clear Glass

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowlwhisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to help remove any lumps. 
  • Add in the dry milk powder.
  • Then add the coffee creamer, and whisk everything together 'til mixed well.
  • Add your homemade hot chocolate mix to an airtight container or jar for storage.
  • To mix up a cup of homemade hot chocolate, add 1/2 cup hot chocolate mix to your favorite mug.
  • Add 8 ounces hot water to the mix in the mug.*
  • Stir everything together well.

Notes

*Do not substitute a chocolate drink mix for unsweetened cocoa powder. If you do, you’ll be adding extra sugar and other ingredients to your hot chocolate mix. It will not turn out the way it should and will probably be way too sweet.
**Dry milk can have wheat or the possibility of contamination with wheat. So, if you need a gluten-free option, you really need to look for a specifically gluten-free instant dry milk powder. Also, watch your cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and coffee creamer to be sure they don’t have any cross-contamination.
6. You can add warm milk instead of hot water. With the milk powder, I find that it's creamy enough, so I simply add hot water to my mix and stir it up.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g
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40 thoughts on “Quick and Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix”

  1. Wasn’t quite sweet enough for the kids. I added another cup of powdered sugar and half cup more French vanilla creamer. Major hit! Thanks for the recipe! ❤️

    Reply
  2. 1 star
    This recipe is terrible and I was so disappointed. If you like the taste of dark chocolate you might like it. It has such a bad bitter taste and is nothing like Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix.

    Reply
    • Hey Jennifer, I personally wouldn’t advise leaving out the sugar. This recipe really just wouldn’t be the same without it. However, you may search on google, “sugar free powdered sugar substitutes.” When I searched this up, there are quite a few recipes showing how to mix both cornstarch and Splenda (or other sugar-free sugar substitute) sweetener together in order to make a sugar-free 1:1 powdered sugar substitute. I hope this helps! Best of luck!

      Reply
    • You’re right, Zee. I have some sort of miscalculating/misprint there. Thank You for pointing that out! I’ll have it fixed in no time at all…This recipe should make about 14 servings.

      Reply

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