All it takes is three pantry staples and five minutes to make this easy homemade hot cocoa mix, and it's perfect for gifting. Made without preservatives and additives, you'll get thick, rich hot cocoa goodness by just adding hot water!
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Why this recipe works
- This hot cocoa mix stores well for months, so you can have rich, creamy hot cocoa anytime
- You only need to use hot water, not fresh milk, to achieve a smooth and chocolatey result
- Use regular or dark cocoa powder to tailor the intensity of the chocolate taste to suit your personal preferences
- Perfect for gifting to family and friends
As the weather cools, I look for warm comfort foods. Of course, soups are supreme for warming, like French Onion soup and Cock-a-Leekie soup.
For sitting by the fire, there's nothing like a mug of something warm. Eggnog is traditional in the winter months, and Hot Butterbeer is quite fun. But you can't beat the chocolatey goodness of a mug of rich steaming hot cocoa.
You can put your keys away. Instead of buying a box of mix that contains preservatives and additives, you can whip up your own hot cocoa mix using just three pantry staples in about five minutes! And the hot cocoa it makes just needs hot water (not fresh milk) to make a smooth and creamy cup.
The mix will keep for months in your pantry, and it makes a great gift, too. You can also use it in recipes as well, like with my Hot Chocolate Lava Cookies.
Easy to make, preservative free, thick and creamy hot cocoa is yours for the making!
Recipe ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this hot cocoa mix recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Cocoa powder: You can use either natural or Dutch processed cocoa powder for the mix. For a richer, more intense chocolate experience, use dark chocolate cocoa powder.
Dry Milk Powder: The dry milk powder builds in richness so you only need hot water to mix up a cup of delicious hot cocoa. You can use whole milk powder, or choose a nonfat version if you prefer. You can even use your favorite non-dairy dry milk powder.
Powdered Sugar: Since it contains cornstarch, powdered sugar not only sweetens the mix, but also makes the resulting hot cocoa thick and rich.
When you make the hot cocoa, you can adjust its thickness by altering the amount of hot water you mix it with.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make hot cocoa mix
Step 1: Mix the ingredients
Combine the powdered sugar, dry milk powder, and cocoa powder in a large bowl (photo 1). Thoroughly whisk all the ingredients together.
Make sure the mix is well combined
Using a glass bowl to whisk the ingredients helps - you can see if all the powders are thoroughly mixed.
Step 2: Store the mix
Transfer the mixture to a storage container with a tight fitting lid (photo 2).
I use both pint- and quart-sized wide-mouth canning jars, and a wide-mouth funnel to easily pour the mixture into the jars.
DIY cocoa mix gifts
Because this cocoa mix is shelf stable, it's easy to make a homemade hot cocoa mix gift jar:
- Layer the ingredients in a quart-sized wide-mouth canning jar. I recommend starting with the powdered milk, then add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Layering this way highlights the cocoa powder in the middle, giving the jar a pretty look.
- Top the mix with mini marshmallows. You can even use homemade marshmallows if you'd like!
- Tie a ribbon around the top with a tag printed with the instructions for making the hot cocoa.
Easy peasy!
Storage instructions
Storage instructions: When stored in a sealed container, hot cocoa mix with powdered milk will keep indefinitely at room temperature.
Yield Notes
This recipe makes 5 cups (540 grams) of hot cocoa mix and about 10 servings of hot cocoa. It can easily be doubled.
How to make hot cocoa
I use this hot cocoa mix with a 1 : 2 ratio of mix to hot water. For thicker hot cocoa, just decrease the amount of hot water you use:
- Pour ½ cup (67 grams) of the mix to a heat-proof mug.
- Add in 1 cup (230 grams) of hot water and whisk until smooth.
- Top with whipped cream and mini marshmallows, if desired.
Flavor variations
You can flavor your hot cocoa with extracts, spices and/or spirits for variety. Use a light hand to flavor your hot cocoa to taste:
- Use a couple of drops of vanilla extract, peppermint extract, or Fiori di Sicilia (a vanilla-orange extract)
- Stir in a pinch of ground cinnamon or cayenne pepper
- Add a dash of your favorite spirit (like bourbon or rum), or a flavored liqueur (like Kahlua or Amaretto) for a boozy kick
Have fun with it!
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
While the terms might be used interchangeably, there is a difference based on the ingredients used to make the mix. To be specific, hot cocoa mix is made with cocoa powder, while hot chocolate contains actual chocolate.
Sure! Just substitute your favorite non-dairy dry milk powder in place of the dry milk powder to make the cocoa mix dairy-free.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes featuring chocolate to try
Recipe
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (Just 3 Ingredients!)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cocoa mix
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups dry milk powder, see Recipe Notes
- 1 cup cocoa powder, or dark chocolate cocoa powder, see Recipe Notes
For hot cocoa
- hot water
- whipped cream, optional
- mini marshmallows, optional
- flavorings, optional, like extracts, spices, or spirits
Instructions
- In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 cups dry milk powder, and 1 cup cocoa powder together.
- Transfer the mixture to a storage container with a tight fitting lid. I use wide-mouth canning jars, and a wide-mouth funnel to easily pour the mixture into the jars.
- To make hot cocoa: Pour ½ cup (67 grams) of the mix into a heat-proof mug. Add in 1 cup (230 grams) of hot water and whisk until smooth. Top with whipped cream and mini marshmallows, if desired.
- You can flavor your hot cocoa with extracts, spices, and/or spirits for variety. Use a light hand to flavor your hot cocoa to taste. See the post for some flavoring ideas.
- Yield Notes: Makes 5 cups (540 grams) of hot cocoa mix and about 10 servings of hot cocoa.
Notes
- Layer the ingredients in a quart-sized wide-mouth canning jar. I recommend starting with the powdered milk, then add in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
- Top the mix with mini marshmallows. You can even use homemade marshmallows if you'd like!
- Tie a ribbon around the top with a tag printed with instructions for making the hot cocoa.
Dawn says
if I wanted to add French vanilla coffee creamer how much should I add
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Dawn, I haven’t tested the recipe using a powdered creamer to replace some of the powdered milk, so I can’t say definitively. It would depend on how strongly you’d want that flavor to be. If I were to guess, I’d say to start by replacing 10 to 20% of the milk with your creamer and see if you like it. If you do try it, please share you results with us! 😉
Leanne says
I made this recipe for a gift for my grandchildren. The only thing I did differently was to add a teaspoon of vanilla powder - yummmm!!
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Leanne, that sounds delish! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tammy Spencer says
I enjoyed creating this recipe for you, and I hope you like it as much as I do. Please leave your questions or comments with a star rating so that other readers can benefit from your experience. Thanks!