Home » Holidays » Christmas » Holiday Gift Giving » Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Jump to Recipe
4.57 stars (658 ratings)Dec 21, 2011345
Ditch the storebought hot chocolate mix! This super easy homemade hot chocolate mix is rich, creamy, and makes some of the best hot chocolate ever!
I can honestly say that this homemade mix is easily as good or better than the kind I buy at the store for my own personal enjoyment.
I think the secret is the addition of white chocolate, of which I’m not a huge fan on it’s own, if I’m being honest.
The Reason White Chocolate Works
But white chocolate works in this homemade hot chocolate mix, because when finely ground with the other ingredients, it adds a fantastic creaminess to the hot chocolate.
The Dry Mix is Easy to Make
Making this homemade hot chocolate mix is as easy as throwing everything into a food processor and letting it blend until well combined (and the chocolate is finely chopped).
The key is to get the white chocolate processed as finely as possible. It’s hard to do this by hand, so a food processor or high-powered blender will really help speed up the simple process.
How to Make a Cup of Hot Chocolate
Here’s how to use the mix:
Add 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix to a mug and pour in 1 cup of hot milk or almond milk. Whisk until well-combined and the hot chocolate mix is thoroughly dissolved. Top with whipped cream and/or marshmallows.
This mix works best with milk (dairy or non-dairy milk). Water can work in a pinch, but the hot chocolate isn’t nearly as creamy, and it lacks depth and flavor.
This homemade hot chocolate mix, packaged in a jar or cellophane bag, continues to be one of our favorite holiday gifts to give to teachers, neighbors, and friends.
I’ve heard from so many people over the years that it makes the best hot chocolate they’ve ever had!
FAQs for Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
How many ounces of white chocolate should I use?
Its about 9 ounces of white chocolate.
How much hot chocolate does this make?
It makes 20 cups of hot chocolate give or take.
How long does this mix last?
It can stay in the freezer for several months and about 2-3 weeks at room temperature in the pantry.
What if I don’t have a food processor?
The food processor is really to grind up the white chocolate into powder, so if you have a blender to grind up the white chocolate, you can just use that.
The Best Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
Yield: 20 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
4.57 stars (658 ratings)
Print Pin Rate Save
Ingredients
- 3 cups (405 g) dry nonfat or whole milk powder (see note)
- 2 cups (228 g) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups (128 g) cocoa powder, dutch-process or natural unsweetened (see note)
- 1 ½ cups (255 g) finely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Working in two (or more) batches, depending on the size of your food processor, pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the chocolate is finely ground. Store the dry mix in an airtight container for up to 3 months. (If your food processor is large enough, ditch using an extra bowl and throw all the ingredients in the food processor at once.)
To make hot cocoa, put 1/3 cup of the cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup of hot milk or almond milk (water works ok but the hot chocolate isn’t as creamy or flavorful). Top with whipped cream or miniature marshmallows, if desired.
Notes
Milk Powder: my favorite dry milk powder is a whole milk kind I get on Amazon here, but I also use nonfat dry milk powder when I’m out of whole milk powder (favorite brands are Bob’s Red Mill or Carnation). After years of making this stuff, it’s important to note that quality/taste matters with all of the ingredients.
Brands: if you are using a milk powder with a fake/strange after taste, that’s going to come through in the hot chocolate. Same with cocoa powder and white chocolate. Use a brand that you love – my favorite batches of this mix are made with part natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey’s brand, usually) and part Dutch-process cocoa (Ghirardelli dark cocoa powder, Droste brand, Trader Joe’s brand, etc).
White Chocolate: I do often use white chocolate chips when I don’t have white chocolate bars on hand, but they never mix quite as well in the food processor, so I recommend using the white chocolate bars, if possible (NOT almond bark or candy coating). The grocery stores in my area all carry the Ghirardelli white chocolate (here’s a visual for reference), and it blends up nicely in this mix.
Author: Mel
Course: Drink
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 111mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook’s Country
Other Recipes Like This:
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Chocolate Drinks Egg-Free Gluten-Free Holiday Gift Giving Neighbor Gifts The Best Drinks
posted on December 21, 2011 (last updated November 5, 2022)
« Previous PostCookie Dough Tins – A Simple How-To
Next Post »Giant Cinnamon Rolls {with step-by-step photos}
Leave a Reply
345 comments on “Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix”
-
Laurie smith — Reply
This is my fav hot chocolate mix. I divide the chocolate amount between white and milk chocolate. Soooooo much better than store bought. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love all your recipes Mel. From New Brunswick, Canada.
-
SHERE'E RAMOS — Reply
My brother in law is a FOODIE. I made this recipe for my sister and my brother in law family as a family gift. My brother told everyone how good it was. Thank You for making this homemade gift a hit. It’s very rich, creamy, and very delicious. This is what I will bring this over (when appropriate) to a future party for the host/hostess as a gift
-
Courtenay W Lancaster — Reply
In her fa*gs she states 2-3 weeks at room temperature.
-
Marti — Reply
I’m planning on making this and putting into hot chocolate bombs. I understand that the white chocolate leads to creaminess; what if half the hot chocolate bomb was made of white chocolate and then omitted from mix? Any thoughts?
-
Mel — Reply
Really hard to know if that will help it be as creamy – but sounds like a fun idea and definitely worth a try!
-
-
Laurie — Reply
This worked out perfectly for me and is delicious. I did cut the sugar in half and it was sweet enough for me. Thank you for a great recipe. I will never buy hot chocolate again!
-
Heather Smith — Reply
My husband loves this recipe! So happy to not have to buy commercial hot chocolate mix.
-
Claire Jauregui — Reply
What if I want to make individual Mason jars. I am using 24 32oz jars, how much should I put in each
-
Mel — Reply
Hi Claire, I don’t think I understand your question? If you have 32-ounce jars, you can put 3 to 4 cups of hot chocolate mix in each.
-
-
Emily Perdue — Reply
Made this and oh man it’s so rich and creamy and the best my 94 year old father and i have had. So glad I found the recipe because it will be the only version we drink from now on except for changing out the chocolate bar types. Thank you for sharing.
-
Carrie Aiken — Reply
Have you ever used Carnation Malted Milk powder in this recipe? Wondering if I could use that instead.
-
Mel — Reply
I haven’t – definitely worth a try
-
-
Brit M — Reply
I want to use this hot chocolate mix recipe to put inside of cotton candy.
Does the ground up white chocolate add moisture to the mix?
Any clue on how I can modify the powdered sugar amount in the recipe to account for the cotton candy (sugar) that will envelope the actual mix?-
Mel — Reply
I’m not familiar with adding this mix to cotton candy? And I don’t know how it would work to decrease the powdered sugar in the mix – it might make it less dissolvable in liquid.
-
-
Chris — Reply
What is the best way to store the mix and what is the self life?
-
Mel — Reply
I store it in a covered, tightly sealed tupperware-type container. If kept in a cool, dry spot, it should keep for several weeks (and maybe months).
-
-
Linda — Reply
This is the best coca I’ve ever had!
-
Marilyn kay Moritz — Reply
I go to make it next week
-
Joyce S. — Reply
I make most of our hot chocolate mix and tried this one because I had a couple bars of white chocolate left in my pantry. The only substitution i made was one cup of powdered coffee creamer (finishing out a container since we never use it except in hot chocolate mixes) for a cup of the powdered milk. It is perfect and won’t last long!
-
Janet — Reply
This recipe looks great and I’m really anxious to try it. I’d like to use 1/2 white chocolate and 1/2 semi sweet chocolate to give the mix a richer chocolate flavor. Do you think this would work well or would I end up with a loss of the creamy-ness you mention in the comments?
-
Mel — Reply
The white chocolate is really important for the creaminess – if you sub out any of it, the finished mix (and resulting hot chocolate) may not be as creamy.
-
-
Richard Halbert — Reply
I used dry whole milk (Nestle’s KLIM), Droste Dutch Processed, XXX sugar, Ghirardelli white cc, pinch salt. Then 1/3 cup mix to 8 oz hot whole milk. Very nice! Was more work than I expected, took longer than I planned, made a ton of mix but . . . worth the effort. I’ll have this all winter (I don’t drink coffee). Thanks, Mel
-
Beth — Reply
Hello! I’m so excited to try this for Christmas! Quick question – why do you use white chocolate bars instead of milk chocolate? Would it make a big difference? Thank you!
-
Mel — Reply
The white chocolate makes it creamier than if using milk chocolate.
-
-
Rachel — Reply
I just wanted to add… I live on a boat in Hawai’i. When we sailed here from Calif, we REALLY enjoyed a cup hot chocolate during the cold nights on the ocean. I put the mix in a Zip Lock bag then in an old Foldger plastic container. It is still delicious, perfectly ground & not clumpy… 1-yr 3mos later… on the shelf. ☆☆When you grind the white chips, toss in some of the dry ingredients so the chips don’t clump…
-
Rachel — Reply
I mix this with 1-oz Chai Tea mix and 1-oz hot chocolate milk mix. My husband and I LOVE this combo. The white chocolate makes this mix so decadent. I tried with store bought chocolate mix… just not the same.
-
Sherri — Reply
Question: Why only 20 days in container in pantry? None of these ingredients spoil fast in the pantry?
-
Mel — Reply
It is just a guideline – you can keep it longer and see how it fares if you’d like.
-
-
Pat — Reply
I just made a big batch of this hot chocolate mix, it’s so creamy and delicious. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
-
Amy — Reply
I made this mix today & used it for a mocha latte. So YUMMY!!! Thanks for the recipe.
-
Jen — Reply
Just made this and the whole family agreed it was very yummy! My kids LOVE hot cocoa, so now we know how to make our own.
-
Katrina — Reply
Hi, I also make my own hot choc mix. I have a lactose allergy so most brands have milk powder in so I can’t have them. I don’t bother with milk powder in my mix, obviously, but add my favourite spices to the mix. Nutmeg cinnamon, mixed spice etc which I vary depending on the season. But if you want to make your hot chocolate the best ever then get yourself a electric milk frother. I then make my hot chocolate mix with boiling water, remembering to leave room for the frothed milk, put my milk in the frother to froth and then put it in the top. I then add grated choc or marshmallow of course. I am due to make a new batch of hot chocolate mix soon so I will try adding white chocolate to the mix, thanks for the post. xx
-
Amanda — Reply
Why leave a review if you aren’t reviewing the actual recipe? All you did is list your recipe and then left 4 stars. You shouldn’t rate a recipe unless you actually followed the recipe.
-
-
Ruth Fox — Reply
This mix is amazing! I have tried other homemade mixes in the past and they just did not live up to the store bought version. I love that I can pronounce all the ingredients. I think it tastes great even with water, but I do cut the water to 6 oz rather that a full cup.
-
Apurva Desai — Reply
Such an easy recipe to follow and make. I am never buying store bought hot cocoa again. This is excellent! I halved the recipe but am regretting doing it-I’m going to run out of this mix in no time. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
-
Ashley Reed — Reply
Big fan of all your recipes!! So so good! We made a bunch and put it in the crock pot to sip on all day for New Years.
-
Dee — Reply
I made this today but made the substitutions. I mixed my cocoa powder half and half with Ghirardelli dark, I used 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chocolate espresso chips and I added 1 cup mini marshmallows. Yum!
Thank you. -
EF Slattery — Reply
This mix is amazing! We set up a “Make Your Own Hot Chocolate Mix” station at my daughter’s birthday party this weekend, and every child got to scoop out and mix all the ingredients (plus some holiday sprinkles) in a little 2-3-serving-size container that they could take home. The kids had a blast! And the mix makes the best hot chocolate my family has ever had. Thank you for this great recipe! 🙂
-
Bonnie Peterson — Reply
The recipe is great, The only change I made was to use white chocolate powdered mix(Amazon).
-
Kelly — Reply
It’s been a while since this comment, but…..Did you use the same amount as stated in the recipe?
-
-
Courtney — Reply
This is by far the best hot cocoa recipe I have had. I used Nestlé Nido dry whole milk powder (the only whole milk powder I could find) and Rodelle Dutch baking cocoa. I also used Guittard white chocolate chips. I followed the recipe to a T EXCEPT I added 2 teaspoons of corn starch because I read that it makes it really creamy. We used milk, not water when making a cup of it.
This was very flavorful, the perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate. It was so creamy and delicious. My whole family loved it and we made 9 jars to gift to teachers and friends for Christmas. AMAZING!! I will NEVER buy store bought cocoa mix again.
-
Chelle — Reply
Making this for Christmas gift jars for my adult children. This is super tasty. I didn’t have the white chocolate so I left it out. Added about 3/4 cup more powered sugar and it’s perfect.
-
Jamie Plotkin — Reply
Oh yes I made this about 3 times last winter. This is it! This is the best hot chocolate recipe ever! Thanks! This time I’m going to try make it with sugar free chocolate.
-
Jamie Plotkin — Reply
Okay I tried to do sugar free. But it’s really dark. I used sugar free chocolate chips. And my daughter does not like dark chocolate. So I went ahead and added the white chocolate. And it lightened it up a bit. Instead of sugar I used powdered erythritol. 1 to 1 conversion. So this is a less sugar hot chocolate mix . It’s not an exact match, but it makes me feel better about having hot chocolate everyday.
-
Leave a comment »
