Learn how to make homemade hot cocoa mix with powdered milk and cocoa powder with this easy recipe! This is a versatile mix. You can easily tweak it to make it your own. And once you've got it stored in a jar, you can make a cup of hot cocoa with just boiling water at a moment's notice! This mix makes a great edible Christmas gift or Valentine's Day gift for the holidays.
Hot cocoa is the beverage that gets many of us through the cold months of winter. It might be essential, especially for those who enjoy outdoor activities, whether a leisurely winter stroll through the snow or downhill skiing. The reward is usually a hot cup of cocoa. It's quick and easy, and the longest/hardest part is waiting for the water to boil.
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Hot Cocoa Versus Hot Chocolate
Hot cocoa is not to be confused with hot chocolate. To avoid any confusion, here's what the two beverages are made of:
- Hot chocolate is made with dark chocolate and whole milk (sometimes cream). It's kind of like ganache but with more liquid.
- Hot cocoa is a sweetened beverage made from an instant powder mix found in the coffee/tea aisle of most grocery stores. It's often garnished with small, crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows. All you do is add boiling water to make a cup of hot cocoa with the mix.
Ingredients
You only need shelf-stable pantry staples to make this recipe; you may already have most of these! To make hot cocoa mix, you will need:
- dry milk powder (also called powdered milk) is the main ingredient in this recipe. It adds body to the mix and also allows you to make a cup of hot cocoa with just boiling water (without adding milk or cream)!
- icing sugar (also called powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar) because it has a fine texture that will dissolve quickly. It also adds a little body to the beverage because icing sugar contains a small amount of starch (usually cornstarch or tapioca starch), which will help thicken the beverage a little
- cocoa powder—please use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a richer, more pronounced flavour and a darker colour. Otherwise, your hot cocoa may end up watery and not as flavourful
- salt—preferably fine kosher salt, which is less salty than table salt
- vanilla sugar is optional, but I find it helps round out the flavour and also gives a nice aroma to the mix
- dehydrated marshmallows (also called marshmallow bits) are also optional, but they are super cute and bring this beverage up a notch, transforming it into the quintessential hot cocoa mix.
Please see the recipe card for exact quantities and ingredients.
Substitutions and Variations
Though I insist you use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for this recipe and will accept no substitute, there are other changes you can make to this base recipe:
- Lactose-free—if you can't have lactose, there is lactose-free milk powder made from dehydrated lactose-free milk, or you can try soy milk powder, or even coconut milk powder. I haven't tried these alternatives. Note that some of these non-dairy milks may have more fat. These products can be more expensive too.
- Hot cocoa without milk powder—If you'd rather not use powdered milk and instead make the hot cocoa with hot milk, you can! Skip the milk powder in the recipe, and when portioning it out the mix into mugs, add half the amount of hot cocoa mix. Add hot milk to make the beverage.
- Sugar—instead of icing sugar, you can use granulated or superfine sugar. Note that these are to dissolve. I recommend this change with reservations.
- Vanilla sugar—you can use ground vanilla bean instead of vanilla sugar, but this will be much more expensive.
- Spices:
- Warm flavours—Add ground cinnamon, which will add a very comforting flavour
- Floral flavour—add ground green cardamom to the mix
- Spicy flavour—add ground cayenne pepper to the dry mix, but remember, a little goes a long way! You will have to experiment to find the right balance of flavours.
How to Make Hot Cocoa Mix
Making hot cocoa mix from scratch is so easy. All you have to do is combine the ingredients and store them for later. Here's how:
Step 1: Cocoa powder, icing sugar, and powdered milk can absorb moisture and clump when stored. To make a finer hot cocoa mix without any lumps or clumps, I recommend sifting the milk powder, cocoa powder, and icing sugar through a fine-mesh sieve (image 1). Use a whisk to help press the ingredients through the sifter into a large bowl (image 2). After sifting, add the salt (image 3) and then whisk everything together to ensure the ingredients are evenly dispersed in the mix (image 4).
Step 2: Transfer the hot cocoa mix to airtight jars (image 5) to store it in a cool dry place for later. Once you've whisked together all the ingredients, transfer the mixture to jars to store them. You can decorate the jars with pretty labels and ribbons. It makes a great edible gift for Christmas or Valentine's Day!
When it's time to make hot cocoa, scoop a few tablespoons of the mix into each mug and top with boiling water, topping the drinks with mini marshmallows or dehydrated marshmallows just before serving (image 6). I like to serve hot cocoa with shortbread cookies, like these buckwheat shortbread cookies with cocoa nibs.
Top Tips
This recipe is so easy. Still, there are a few points to be aware of before you make this.
- Sift the components of the mix together. This helps you better mix and evenly disperse the dry ingredients, and you will have a smoother cup of hot cocoa when you add boiling water. It's worth the extra time, though not essential.
- Hot cocoa is made with boiling water! Give a freshly made cup of cocoa a few minutes to cool down slightly before drinking. Otherwise, you may burn your lips or your tongue!
Hot Cocoa FAQs
Store hot cocoa mix in a closed Mason jar or any airtight container in a cool, dry place. The mix will last a year or more if stored properly. Make sure to check the expiry dates of the milk powder and cocoa powder. Use those dates as your guide for how long you can technically safely store the mix.
Sift the cocoa powder, milk powder, and icing sugar before whisking them together to ensure the finest, clump-free mixture. Avoid getting water in the jar of dry mix because it will cause it to lump together. Make sure to use a dry spoon to measure it out into mugs.
You'll notice some hot cocoa mixes are made with cornstarch. It's not necessary in homemade mixes, but it may prevent clumping, while also providing more body to the beverage so that it's less thin and fluid when you make it.
I've seen some confusion about using hot cocoa mix in baking in place of cocoa powder. Do not replace cocoa powder with hot cocoa mix in any baking recipe, whether natural or Dutch-processed cocoa is called for. As you can see from the ingredients, hot cocoa is made from a mixture of ingredients including sugar and powdered milk. You will have to make several adjustments to a baking recipe if you want to replace cocoa powder with hot cocoa mix, especially if you want to compensate for the extra sugar it brings!
Other Winter Drink Recipes
This hot cocoa mix recipe as well as these winter drinks help make the cold months a little more bearable:
If you tried this recipe for hot cocoa (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Hot Cocoa Mix
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 grams nonfat dry milk powder
- 250 grams icing sugar more or less depending on how sweet you like your hot cocoa
- 90 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder or any Dutch-processed cocoa powder you like
- 9 grams vanilla sugar
- 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
Serving
Instructions
- Place a strainer over a large bowl.
- Add the milk powder, icing sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla sugar to the strainer and use a whisk to strain it through and remove any lumps.
- Whisk the salt into the strained ingredients in the bowl.
- Transfer to a jar to store the mix until you are ready to use.
Serving
- To make a cup of hot cocoa, place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a mug and top with boiling water.
- You can garnish with dehydrated marshmallows before serving.
Notes
- Sift the components of the mix together. This helps you better mix and evenly disperse the dry ingredients, and you will have a smoother cup of hot cocoa when you add boiling water. It's worth the extra time, though not essential.
- Hot cocoa is made with boiling water! Give a freshly made cup of cocoa a few minutes to cool down slightly before drinking. Otherwise, you may burn your lips or your tongue!
- Lactose-free version—if you can't have lactose, there is lactose-free milk powder made from dehydrated lactose-free milk, or you can try soy milk powder, or even coconut milk powder. I haven't tried these alternatives. Note that some of these non-dairy milks may have more fat. These products can be more expensive too.
- Hot cocoa without milk powder—If you'd rather not use powdered milk and instead make the hot cocoa with hot milk, you can! Skip the milk powder in the recipe, and when portioning it out the mix into mugs, add half the amount of hot cocoa mix. Add hot milk to make the beverage.
- Spices:
- Warm flavours—Add ground cinnamon, which will add a very comforting flavour
- Spicy flavour—add ground cayenne pepper to the dry mix, but remember, a little goes a long way! You will have to experiment to find the right balance of flavours
- Floral flavour—add ground green cardamom to the mix
- Swapping the sugar—instead of icing sugar, you can use granulated or superfine sugar. Note that these are to dissolve. I recommend this change with reservations.
- Vanilla sugar—you can use ground vanilla bean instead of vanilla sugar, but this will be much more expensive.
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