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.
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.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
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:
Cupcake Scoop – Makes it super easy to scoop the mix into a jar or container.
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
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 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.
- Add mini marshmallows or peppermint whipped cream to top it off. You can also add candy canes to make it even more festive.
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.
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.
MORE FESTIVE BEVERAGE RECIPES:
- Easy Orange Sherbet Punch
- Homemade Raspberry Hot Chocolate
- Sparkling Non-Alcoholic Party Drink with a Touch of Tangerine
- Easy Slow Cooker Mulled Cider
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!
You can find my original recipe for hot chocolate mix over at Adventures of Mel!
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Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
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
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder*
- 3 cups instant dry milk powder**
- 1/2 cup French Vanilla coffee creamer
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk 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.
- Add mini marshmallows or peppermint whipped cream to top it off.
hi, the coffee creamer I could find was the original flavour ,can I use it intead of the french vanilla please? I would like to give it a try.
Give it a try, Lina! I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.
A 1/2 Cup of the mix with 8 oz. of water as stated in step 5 sounds like a lot of the mix for one cup…is that correct?
That is correct, Jackie.
Can you leave out the creamer?
Shirley, you can leave it out, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you don’t have it on hand, I would try making homemade. It just wouldn’t taste the same without it.
This stuff is sooooo good!
Thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome, Karla! Thanks for giving it a try.
Can I use non instant powdered milk
Vikki, I don’t see why not. Just substitute 1:1.
Made this tonight exactly, and it left a nasty grainy mess in the bottom of my mug. Hot steaming water, stirred and stirred. I really wanted this to work 🙁
I’m so sorry, Julia. I’m not sure why it would do that. I’ve never had this problem myself.
Can you use sugar sweeteners in stead of power sugar to make diabetic friendly ?
Deonna, you could substitute sugar-free sweeteners, but I’ve never tried it myself. From some quick research, I found that many people make a 1:1 substitute with 1 cup of Splenda mixed with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, which should work great for this recipe.
How long is the shelf life for the hot chocolate mix? Thank you in advance.
Carolyn, probably about 6 to 12 months.
Please proved a one mug size portion of this mix. I’d like to make sure I like the mix before I commit to making a batch.
Heide, when I use use this conversion calculator and size it to the portion you want, here is what I get… Original size: 24
Desired size: 1
*Original recipe divided by 24 servings
*Recipe rounded to nearest cooking fraction
1/8 cups powdered sugar
1/8 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 cups instant dry milk powder
1/8 cup French Vanilla coffee creamer
Hi. Those measurements didn’t sound right to me so I calculated the total of each ingredient divided by the 24 servings. Here is what I got for ONE serving. 4 teaspoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons dry milk powder, 1 teaspoon French Vanilla coffee creamer. I’m hoping to make this for friends this Christmas! It sounds delicious.
Can I substitute non dairy creamer for the dry milk powder such as coffee mate? And can I use unsweetened baking cocoa?
Ann, yes, as long as it’s a powdered creamer, you should be good to go. And the unsweetened baking cocoa would be the same as what I use. I wish you the best and hope you enjoy!