Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
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
Its about 9 ounces of white chocolate.
It makes 20 cups of hot chocolate give or take.
It can stay in the freezer for several months and about 2-3 weeks at room temperature in the pantry.
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
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
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook’s Country
Happen to have weight measurements for this recipe?
I don’t, but I should, darn it! I’ll weigh the next time I make it and update the post. I know for sure the powdered sugar is 8 ounces, and the cocoa powder is right around 5 ounces and the chocolate chips are 9 ounces…I just don’t know the weight of the powdered milk.
If I am partial to dark chocolate, will I like this?
If you use Dutch-process cocoa, it will have a richer, darker flavor.
How many pints does this recipe make ?
It makes about 20 cups of hot chocolate give or take.
Mel, I made this mix the last 2 winters and gave jars as gifts. Everyone who had it raves about it being the best mix they have ever had. I agree. My husband just asked me to make more as winter is setting in,. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. The addition of the white chocolate (which I hate) really makes a difference in the creaminess.
Thanks, Sally! You are going to be quite famous for giving this out as gifts!
Sorry if this has already been asked, but do you have a weight measurement for the white chocolate?
Right around 9 ounces.
I have a canister of Ghirardelli powdered white chocolate and was wondering if it would be an OK substitute for the solid bars? How much would you suggest? Thanks!
I don’t know for sure since I haven’t used it personally, but sounds like a fun thing to try. I’d probably use 1 to 1 1/2 cups??
Thanks Mel! I will try that. I will also make it as written too so I know how it should taste There’s no such thing as too much hot chocolate mix. 🙂
I have a recipe that is very similar to this, also using whole milk powder which, in my opinion, really makes the recipe. I include Ghirardelli’s white chocolate powder, and it’s terrific. I can’t remember how much I use, and can’t find the recipe at the moment, but I would guess that using the same amount that she lists for white chocolate would be fine, try adding it slowly and sampling it till you like it.
I love hot chocolate I tried to make my own mix a couple different times it always turns out very bitter and bland not very sweet. most of the recipes were equal parts of dry milk(I used nestle) and powdered sugar and then half cocoa powder(use 2/3c). I’ve never added chocolate chips wondering if u have any tips
to make it sweeter. I actually like Swiss
Miss pks but really want to make my own but trying to salvage what I’ve made but it’s bitter!
So in your notes it says you use both unsweetened cocoa powder AND Dutch chocolate or dark chocolate cocoa powder too?
Yes, I use a combo of both of those, but you can use all of one or the other.
Judees whole milk is no longer available on amazon any other suggestions?
I’ve used this brand, too: https://www.amazon.com/American-Whole-Powder-Hormone-Gluten/dp/B01D4VO58E/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1513182965&sr=8-3&keywords=whole+milk+powder
Nido by Nestle’s is the international brand found in third world countries, and is readily available on Amazon, but I see that the Hoosier Farm brand is just as cheap. Non-fat milk powder is a rarity in the third world, where calories are harder to come by, but here in the US we are used to non-fat milk powder. The full cream milk powder really makes it taste rich!
When making this home made hot chocolate, it was for a diabetic friend. I had tried many and they were just awful. I tweaked the recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and it was absolutely perfect. I substituted the two cups of sugar for two cups of no name sweetener (from Superstore in the yellow bag), I used half powdered milk and half non dairy creamer, and instead of using white chocolate, I grated dark chocolate very fine and added it. I also put a few drops of vanilla into the powder, mixed everything together and then put it through a blender until it was very fine with no lumps. I added mini marshmallows to each of the jars I made and shook them good before sealing them. This was the most amazing hot chocolate mix ever!!!
Non-dairy creamer has quite a bit of sugar in it, so I don’t know that it’s the best choice for a diabetic diet. You’re better off using the full cream milk powder, as that has more fat, which is low-carb, rather than the sugar that is used to replace the fat, flavor-wise, in the non-dairy creamer. I’m pre-diabetic myself, so I’m finding the pitfalls of learning to eat low-carb!
What does the white chocolate add to the flavor? I hate white chocolate. Will it be very different if I leave it out?
I’m not a white chocolate fan, either, Jamie – but it adds a delicious creaminess to this mix.
Thanks Mel! I am someone that really only eats sweets if it involves chocolate. And white chocolate doesn’t count lol. I think I’ll give it a try.
I need to make this in bulk for a school fundraiser to serve. Any suggestions? If I add more dry milk Can I get away with not using milk and just add water?
That’s a great question, but the times I’ve made it with water, it hasn’t been as rich and creamy. I’m not sure adding more dry milk is the answer (I’m afraid it would overpower the taste of the chocolate). You might be better off searching for a homemade mix recipe that tastes great when mixed into water! Good luck!
I ordered heavy cream powder and added a 1/2 cup to the mix. No need to heat milk now. It’s amazing.
If I don’t have a food processor, can I just use white mini chocolate chips in the mix? Or would they blend up in a blender?
I’d probably try a blender rather than leaving them whole.
Thank you!
As always, a great recipe!
It is similar to one I make – the whole milk powder is a must! I use Droste or Valrhona, and Ghiradelli White cocoa powder. That is me being lazy!
When using as a gift, I put in a bunch of the mini marshmallows (they come in a plastic container)., and real chocolate jimmies.
Yummy!
Happy cooking!
My husband is on a work trip and we were just doing our nightly catch up call when he said “can we just take a minute to read mel’s hot cocoa recipe?” So he read it aloud to me and we bonded over our equal appreciation for you and love for your delicous recipes! Keep cookin’ Mel! Thank you for all your time and efforts, hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Haha, you make me laugh Rachel!!
How long do you think this stays good for after you make it?
It can stay in the freezer for several months; probably about 2-3 weeks at room temperature in the pantry.
Okay, don’t judge me, but we have had ours sitting in our pantry for about 6 Months and we just had a cup last night! It was still delicious!
Haha, no judging!!
How much of a difference in flavor is there between whole milk and nonfat milk versions of this recipe?
It really depends on the brand of milk powder you use; but I far prefer the whole milk version (creamier and better flavor).
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve tried many recipes. This is definitely a keeper!
So good…we have a hard time using the store bought stuff now, this is so much more creamy & rich & has much better chocolate flavor
This is soo good & very easy to make, my son loves sweets but he always asks for his hot chocolate now (we had a taste test of 3 home made hot chocolates & this was his). It keeps a long time in an airtight contrainer. I love that it is in bulk so its easy to make it whatever strength you like.
We made these for teacher gifts this year and you’re absolutely right: we will never buy packaged mix again! We wound up only using 1 cup of powdered sugar and found it plenty sweet for all of us, including my kids. So it makes less in the end, but less sugar is always a good thing!
Last year I wasted a lot of $ on dry milk and coco trying to make homemade hot cocoa. This year I made yours. I am extremely picky about my hot cocoa, extremely. This was DELICIOUS!!!! I even like it mixed with hot water. A little messy to make with all the powders, but so worth it! Thank you Mel!
When you say dry milk, are you talking about the fine powder non-instant type or the granulated instant kind? Seems like it would make a big difference. Thanks.
I use the powdered dry milk.
Oh my this was gorgeous! My 10-yr old just made a batch cuz we ran out of the store bought stuff – which I’ll never be buying again! Even though it was +43 here yesterday and pretty darn hot today, she’s been bugging me for hot chocolate! Thank you for this!
Haha, I’m glad I’m not the only one who drinks hot chocolate year round! 🙂
I’m sitting here drinking my green smoothie, drooling over these photos and this homemade hot chocolate mix. I will definitely try this very, very soon. Looks so yummy!
Mel, I just whipped up … 5 Batches of this this morning!!! I love this stuff so much and literally feel a little crazy every time I run out…. I pretty much drink it every single day … Nearly year round !! Just one of the many things you have introduced me to that help me get thru my crazy days. Just knowing I’m all stocked up on it again for awhile lowers my stress level. As, always, THANKS
This was a huge hit with my kids! Thanks for the idea…also giving some away in a White Elephant gift exchange this week 🙂
Okay…..I have tried many hot cocoa mixes on Pinterest and have been disappointed but this one? SO GOOD!!! I didn’t even bother to put the white chocolate chips in the food processor and they still melted in my hot cocoa.
I had purchased a lot of powder milk, organic cocoa and organic powdered sugar for another recipe but I didn’t like it so I thought I would try this recipe and was pleasantly surprised! I now have my recipe for gifts this year.
Try this one folks and you will NOT be sorry!
I’m making 10- 64 oz canning jars of this and wonder how much each recipe makes. It will be 640 oz total.
I’m not sure, Brenda – I’ve never measured the full amount but you could add up all the dry ingredients in the recipe to get an approximation.
I doubled this recipe and got about 4 qt jars full.
Made this today- and I think it is probably because I used dutch process cocoa powder- but I had to add another cup of sugar to the mix because it was just a little bitter still. I ground up my own sugar for that 1 cup because I was out of powdered sugar after using it all in the mix. I love rich chocolate, and even 1/3 cup of mix was a bit much for me on top of powdered milk AND milk base. Other than those changes, this is the best homemade hot chocolate mix I’ve ever had. When I do big batches for parties I just go for part Milk/Cream and a mix of straight up millk and semi-sweet chocolate. That’s really all it takes if you don’t want an instant cup.
Will it make much of a difference if I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder or do I need to use dutch process?
Ps. I loooove your blog! Every recipe I’ve ever tried has been terrific!
Thanks, Laura! I’ve made it both ways – you can use unsweetened cocoa but the flavor is a bit richer/deeper with Dutch-process (delicious either way though).
This sounds great! Lame question but what is your top recommendation for a store bought mix if I am in a pinch.
Is it bad that I don’t really have one? I use Stephens sometimes if it’s on sale (but don’t love the long list of unpronounceable ingredients). I’ve also used the mix from Thrive (thrivelife.com) and it’s pretty tasty.
I was just wondering if I wanted to make a large container of the Coco and Stevia what would be the ratio? Don’t know if you would know or not.
I’m not sure since I’ve never made it with stevia. Sorry!
Please can you tell me roughly how long this would last if I made it and stored it in a jar with the lid on? Going to make some for Christmas gifts and want to make them sooner rather than later but don’t want it to be done too early and not taste good!!
Thanks
I made a HUGE batch last year and it’s almost gone now and still tastes fine!
Hi Mel,
Do you use unsweetened or sweetened cocoa powder?
Natural unsweetened.
I saw your recipe. It sounds yummy. However, I have a question. Since Powder milk is used, could you not make with hot water for hot chocolate? And wondered has anyone tried it this way and how was the flavor
Some people use this in water but I find it’s much creamier/richer when used with milk.
I make mine with hot water and it is so good!
Does this have a strong dark chocolate taste? I love, love love hot chocolate too, but I’m more of a milk chocolate gal. Just wondering!
No, I think this is more on the milk chocolate/semisweet spectrum rather than super dark chocolate.
i really dont like white chcolate .can i use chcolate chips ?
You’ll have to experiment, the white chocolate chips don’t give a white chocolate flavor, they just add creaminess, so I’d recommend using them.
Hey! Im a hot chocolate lover and i usually make the recipe on the back of my hersheys dark chocolate cocoa box, could i use hersheys dark cocoa instead of Dutch process, i do have both tho just in case.. and how ground up do i want the white chocolate chips? Like fine.. or just chopped, like small chunks? Lol and could i use non dairy creamer instead of powdered milk? Ive never used powdered milk before.. and creamer would keep longer i think.
Thanks!
Hi Jenny, someone else used non dairy creamer and said it worked great; I haven’t tried it myself. You could definitely play around with the type of cocoa. As long as it is a kind you like, you should be ok. I far prefer this when the white chocolate is finely ground, but that’s just me.
Hi Mel! Just wanted to know how long it keeps? And does it need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
It should keep several weeks stored well-covered in the pantry (and probably much longer depending on how fresh your ingredients are); one commenter said they kept it for a year. Any longer than a month or so and I throw it in the freezer.
I happen to have a great palate and this recipe is better than the canister of Starbucks hot chocolate I threw out so I could have a storage container for the hot chocolate mix I made from this recipe. Maybe HR did not follow the recipe properly or process the ingredients properly? Not sure but I am still giving this as gifts to accompany my baked goods during the holidays.
I find it hard to believe that so many claim this is the “best hot chocolate ever.” I find it incredibly bland and tasteless. Would not ever recommend to anyone or give to someone as a gift. Yuck. Such a waste of ingredients.
Someone wrote this recipe was tasteless…and a waste of products. Please try again or at least reread the recipe. I just made it and found it very flavorful…..one suggestion….make sure you use white chocolate chips (not vanilla chips). Also, the recipe made a quart and a half mix may two quarts…..I did not measure.
Wow, just made this tonight and it was totally delicious. Nice and creamy without being overly sweet. Thank you!
Hi I was wondering if I could do milk chocolate chips( food processor) instead of powdered cocoa? Not a fan of dark cocoa.
It would change the entire makeup of the recipe to sub in chocolate chips for the cocoa (consistency and texture)…but you could experiment!
Are you using the regular grocery store type powdered milk. I buy the more concentrated powdered milk like you would use for food storage, that comes in a #10 can. I’m wondering if the quantity needs to be adjusted for this type of powdered milk.
Thanks,
I just bought a regular box of powdered milk at Wal-Mart and it worked just fine. I have never used a concentrated powdered milk so I am not sure how to use it with this recipe. I was very impressed with this recipe.
I usually use the dry milk that comes in a #10 can.
I just made this with my Cuisinart food processor and it turned into a nice cohesive powder. I made a cup with skim milk and it was awesome. This will go very well with homemade sweets I distribute at Christmas. Thank you for posting this recipe
Can’t wait to try this. Thinking of using assorted flavors of the white chocolate chips too
When measuring the dry milk do you is it 3 cups (24oz) or is it meandered differently?
I don’t know how much it weighs but I measure it using a 1 cup measuring cup.
How long would batch of this last? How long would it be before it goes off?
Adam Clarkson – I think it could last ok at cool, room temperature (well-covered) for a couple weeks. If you want it to last longer, try freezing it.
I put some in Mason jars and it lasted over a year!
I forgot to mention that I used non-dairy creamer in place of the powdered milk and also almond bark (candy coating) in place of the white chocolate, if that makes any difference in how well it keeps. We just had some the other night out of a batch I made a year ago and it’s still wonderful. It was kept in a ziploc bag inside a canister.
Can you use hot water or powdered milk?
Katie Newfarmer – Both substitutes are worth a try – I usually make it according to the recipe so you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
Hello Mel,
Looks like a fantastic recipe. I’ve tried other cocoa mixes and often end up with clumps when I add water, have you noticed any problems in that regard?
Thanks
I haven’t noticed that, Jenifer, but I whisk like crazy when adding the mix to the liquid. 🙂
To make gourmet hot chocolate:. Instead of white chocolate chips use mint chips or cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips or raspberry chips. Its just white chocolate with flavoring. And the extra flavor source makes it gourmet flavored hot chocolate. I found this out by happy accident when I ran out of white chocolate and was desperate for this hot cocoa. Thanks Mel!
when you say “cup”, like in ” 3 cups pf powdered sugar “, how big or small is the cup you are talking about? i’m very accurate when it comes to this. sorry lol 🙂
jojo – I am using an 8 ounce dry cup measure.
Have to tell you…we just ran out of hot cocoa mix and I made this one. I added Ghiradelli white chocolate chips, finely ground to the mix. OH MY GOODNESS! Made it with water and an extra teaspoon of mix. Absolutely divine. Thanks so much for a new favorite recipe.