Healthy Hot Chocolate No Added Sugar Dairy Free Hot Chocolate

Sound the alarm. This hot chocolate is so divine it’s actually bamboozling my brain right now. Like all of my cacao powder recipes! Dairy free. No added sugar. Sweetened 100% naturally with dates. SO THICCKKK! I can’t. But I just did! Just like my Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate, this bev it’s seriously life changing. I’ve been making it every other day! Say goodby to old school packets and hello to winter weather sipping essentials. Important: dipping Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies is quite highly recommended.

Ingredients

Medjool dates: Instead of sugar, we’re using delicious dates! These add amazing natural sweetness and caramel notes. Be sure to remove the pits! Milk: Any milk you love is great here! Unsweetened vanilla almond is my go to but you could do lite coconut oat, or regular milk. Cocoa powder: Any unsweetened baking cocoa is great. I like to use Guittard for extra delish hot cocoa. Raw cacao is great here too. Don’t miss my favorite cacao recipes! Vanilla: Lastly, we stir in pure vanilla extract to intensify the chocolate flavors. The heat can burn off the flavor, so we stir it in last. Salt: A pinch of salt is a must for balancing the flavors here and bringing out the sweetness.

How to make healthy hot chocolate

I bet you have all the goodies in your pantry already to whip this luxurious healthy hot chocolate! And can I just say that’s you’d never guess it has no added sugar? It tastes like the real deal. The cool part is that the dates not only make it 100% naturally sweetened, but they also act as a natural thickener to make the creamiest and perfectly thick hot cocoa ever.

Tips and tricks

Soak your medjool dates for 5 or more minutes in super hot water so they’re nice and soft and can be easily blended. PS–did you know dates are technically a fresh fruit?! Use a milk you love. I like unsweetened vanilla almond, but oat, soy, or coconut work too! You could also do 2% or whole milk if you do dairy. Just make sure you like the flavor on its own. It’s ok if its thin since the dates thicken the mixture. Use a high speed blender. I used my Nutribullet. Blending the dates is key to sweetness! Don’t skip the salt. It really balances the flavor. I use about ⅛ teaspoon.

Make it your own!

Add a pinch of cinnamon and the smallest bit of cayenne for Mexican hot chocolate. You could also garnish with a cinnamon stick! Add a tablespoon of chocolate chips for an extra yummy melty surprise at the bottom Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream or mini marshmallows! Add a shot of espresso for an easy mocha! Make it boozy: stir in a splash of bourbon or red wine if you fancy.