Name: Dairy-free and Vegan Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top 8 free)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 cups sugar; 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped out; 1 cup baking cocoa powder; Safe milk for serving, we like Vanilla Rice Milk, Vanilla Flax Milk or Coconut Milk

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Only three simple ingredients and your blender are all you need to make this homemade hot cocoa mix. This rich cocoa can be added to your favorite safe milk to make a warm and comforting drink all winter long. This is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanuts and tree nuts and is vegan and top-8-free too!

Are you sick of looking for a dairy-free hot cocoa mixes at the store and not finding one? Me too. My son is five and the thought of him going another winter without hot cocoa was killing me. I’ve been meaning for the last two winters to figure this out. And figure it out I did!

Previously, the only way I knew how to make “hot cocoa” for my son was to squeeze some Hershey’s syrup into his milk and warm it up. But, I didn’t feel too great about that because of all the corn syrup and other questionable ingredients in it. But, having hot cocoa is a right of passage, so I would let him here and there. And hello, we live in the mountains of Utah! It gets super cold, and after playing out in the snow the first thing you want is some hot cocoa to warm you up from the inside out.

I was a little nervous to try this recipe since it seemed “too simple”. Usually if something seems too good to be true, it is. But, I crossed my fingers and plunged in anyways. And, we were all pleasantly surprised with the results. My son couldn’t wait for me to finish taking photos so he could try it. It’s probably hard to tell in the photos, but the mug I photographed it in is actually a soup mug so it had a TON of hot cocoa in it. When I let my son have it, I literally turned around and then when I looked back he had almost downed the ENTIRE thing. I couldn’t believe he fit that much into his little belly. With a smile and a cocoa mustache I knew I had hit the jackpot! It’s that smile of gratitude that keeps me going back to the kitchen to figure things out.

This is quite rich, so I like it with a good handful of marshmallows to help sweeten it out. I also love to stir it with a peppermint candy cane to give it an extra kick.

For cocoa, I don’t use anything fancy–just Nestle’s cocoa powder!

My son has had this with soy, rice and flax milk and it’s worked great for all of them, so feel free to use it with whatever safe milk you’re used to getting.

We’ve only had one big snow storm, and we’re certainly hoping for another so we can go sledding. I know that this will be the perfect treat afterwards. It filled a half gallon Kerr jar, which I’m keeping it in. Since it only takes 1 Tablespoon per cup of milk, I think this will last us for many more snow falls to come. I’m so glad I can make it once, and enjoy it all season.

And, it’s not like it was even hard work! Simply dump the ingredients in a good quality blender (I was given my Blendtec and love it with every bit of my heart–seriously put it on your Christmas wish list!) and then pulse it until everything is combined. SO SIMPLE!

As you saw in the opening picture, this also makes for an ADORABLE Christmas gift. Get the smaller, 8 oz Kerr glass jars (or your favorite glass or plastic jar) and simply fill it and place a bow on top. OK–or you could give it out in bigger sizes, I’m just stingy! 🙂 I don’t know any dairy-free or vegan friend that wouldn’t love this. Hot cocoa is just about as classic as it gets!

May your winter be filled with lots of hot cocoa with plentiful marshmallows and great friends to share it with. And, if you need a keto hot chocolate mix by Cassidy’s Craveable Creations.

DO I HAVE ANY OTHER CHRISTMAS PARTY RECIPES?

Yes I do! I love delicious, yet SAFE and INCLUSIVE food at holiday parties. All of my recipes are dairy free, egg free and nut free. They are also all gluten-free too. If you don’t not need them to be gluten-free, they turn out great swapping back in regular flour 1:1 and omitting the xanthan gum (if called for.) Check out my list for other more delicious recipes:

If you’d like to watch a video of how it’s made, view the fun how-to video below, or click to watch it on my YouTube channel.

Dairy-free and Vegan Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top 8 free)

Yield: 1 Half Gallon Jar of Mix

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

Pour the sugar into the blender.
Cut the vanilla bean pod in half. Using a sharp knife, scrap the entire contents out and place them on top of the sugar in the blender.
Add the cocoa to the blender. Pulse or blend until everything is combined and there are no clumps or lumps.
Stir into warmed safe milk. We do 1 Tablespoon for every 8 oz. of milk. Feel free to do more or less depending on your tastes. It's also great with a candy cane to stir it with, or Coco Whip on top.
If you'd like to try another version, I have a slow cooker hot vegan chocolate that is decadent and creamy.

Notes

*For Vegans--be sure you do vegan safe marshmallows if topping with marshmallows.

Don’t forget to pin it, so you don’t lose it. Also, check out my other allergy-friendly Pinterest boards.

Megan Lavin

Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly–it’s an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!

Comments

Dawn

December 14, 2024 at 5:38 PM

This is SO good. We all loved it and especially our little guy who is allergic to peanuts, dairy and eggs.

- Megan Lavin
  
  December 15, 2024 at 1:07 PM
  
  I really appreciate you taking the time to comment, Dawn. Thanks so much! Have an extra cup for me!
  
Mindi

January 1, 2017 at 2:12 PM

My 6 year old also has EOE and things like hot chocolate are the small things she misses. Thank you for this recipe, I halved the recipe and added powdered coconut milk (twice as much as the sugar). That way she can stir it into water like good old hot chocolate packets:) I also put it in a mason jar in the pantry.

- [email protected]
  
  January 2, 2017 at 12:00 PM
  
  It really is the simple things that make a difference! I’m so glad that my recipe could help another EOE child–I have nothing but love for other EOE children. Great ideas to modify–I’ll have to try that. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by 🙂
  
Sara Strandquist

December 8, 2016 at 1:52 PM

My little guy is allergic to dairy, egg, peanut and treenuts but when you live in snowy North Dakota you got to have hot cocoa! What brand cocoa do you buy?

- [email protected]
  
  December 8, 2016 at 5:17 PM
  
  Hey Sara! I feel you 100%! Thanks for stopping by. I am cheap, so I just buy the Nestle Cocoa: https://amzn.to/2h8Zc9Z (aff) But, get whatever one you feel comfortable with buying for your own family’s allergies.
  
  - Laura Olevsky
    
    October 28, 2024 at 7:39 PM
    
    Hi, have you tried adding dairy free milk powder into the mix? And then reconstitute with water? Or recommendation for how much dairy free milk powder to add to the dry mix?
    
    - Megan Lavin
      
      October 28, 2024 at 11:14 PM
      
      Hi. I have never been able to find a dairy-free milk powder, as I find it extremely difficult to find, that’s why I didn’t format this recipe with it, as I don’t feel it’s readily available to most people and want to make my recipe accessible. As I’ve never used it, I really can’t say how much to add. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you try it. I’m always up for learning!

Dairy-free and Vegan Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix + VIDEO

DO I HAVE ANY OTHER CHRISTMAS PARTY RECIPES?