Thick and creamy dairy free healthy hot chocolate is simple to make, and with the addition of several sneaky ingredients, you can have a nutritious beverage the whole family will love!
Rich and chocolaty, no one will ever miss the dairy is this rich and satisfying cup of hot cocoa!
Here is a recipe born of a mama’s desire to fulfill her kiddos chocolatey dreams.
Come winter, my kids lust after the stuff, so creating a hot chocolate that was more of a nutritious boost rather than a straight cup of sugar was my job.
On a recent December day, we decided to brave our outdoor family pictures (Thank you Haley Graham!) that had already been rescheduled THREE times.
Sure, it was cold, and YES it was rainy, and it was quite windy to boot: but I was so sick and tired of rescheduling, I decided we would brave it come hell or high water.
“Come on kids…lets find our winter coats, hats, and gloves!”
Meanwhile, in the back of my head I am not really accepting that our pictures will in be our bundled up attire…..oh no…we have loads of cute clothes on ready for those Kodak moments.
Well…let’s just say there is ONE thing I did right on this outing: I planned for hot chocolate.
And here you see a little window into our family’s outing…with this very recipe that I now share with you.
Healthy hot chocolate variations
I prefer my hot chocolate rich, creamy, thick, and with lots of dark chocolate flavor. SO that is the recipe you see below. But here are some ways to adapt the recipe:
- You can easily adjust the cocoa powder and sweetener in this recipe to meet your tastes and dietary needs.
- GAPS Diet: All honey would work for GAPS
- Cane sugar works instead of palm sugar.
- If candida is an issue…look to erythritol as the sweetener.
- Add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne for a Mexican hot chocolate variation
Nutritious additions
The collagen and pumpkin puree add thickness and body to this cup of chocolate without providing any strong flavor…and they sneak in a serving of vegetables, as well as some gut healing protein for good measure.
Did you know collagen has 10 grams of protein per scoop? I promise…no one will taste it…it is simply sneaky goodness.
Something about that thickness on your tongue makes it seem more decadent!!
You can keep increasing the pumpkin puree until you reach your taste threshold…I never use a measuring cup. More pumpkin = thicker texture.
Vegan hot chocolate option?
If you are vegan, using 2 tablespoons of coconut flour is a great alternate way to add thickness! Omit the collagen.
Additional hot and healthy drinks to keep you warm
- my bulletproof pumpkin latte is one of my favorites!
- I have had this keto matcha white hot cocoa more times than I can count!
- this golden milk is anti-inflammatory and utterly yum!!!
If you are interested in a special warm weather treat, try this iced almond milk matcha latte! And if you love marshmallows, be sure to to refer to this thorough post all about allergy friendly marshmallow brands!
Healthy Hot Chocolate Recipe:
If you try this dairy free hot chocolate, be sure to come back and leave a comment below!
Dairy Free Healthy Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 3 cups non-dairy milk I prefer at least half to be full-fat coconut milk or homemade creamy nut milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree optional. Fresh is best, hands down!! Use less if using canned...much stronger flavor.
- 1/3 cup palm sugar or erythritol for low carb. Or organic cane sugar.
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder many cheap ones TASTE cheap....keep this in mind! I love Dagoba
- 3 scoops collagen use "tessa10" to get 10% off any order. Omit for vegan and add 1T coconut flour instead
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or mint
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Optional Add In's
- Vitamin D Emulsion get your D in, no taste!
- 1 tablespoon MCT Oil use code "tessa10" for an additional 10% off any order
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together all ingredients. (you could also blend everything in a blender, then proceed, zero lumps this way).
- Bring the mixture to a slow simmer over medium low heat, whisking occasionally.
- Heat to desired temperature and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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A favorite for kids and adults too. I made it with regular milk too, since everybody tolerates it. And I usually leave out the stevia, and use maple syrup.
Thanks for your feedback Zsofia!
Such sweet pictures, Tessa! Love. And what a great, creative drink. You know I love the chocolate and pumpkin combo. And the gelatin is just genius. I’ll be giving this one a try for sure.
I came back to say I tried this just now. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin so I was a bit leary, but this was delicious! I didn’t have gelatin, so I skipped that, but it seemed to turn out fine without it. I guess it maybe wasn’t as thick, but still very good and actually quite filling!
Thank you letting me know Peggy…it is crazy how you don;t taste it! The gelatin is totally optional…just makes for thicker mouth feel and adds protein! And yes, it is filling!
This sounds great! Do you think it would make a huge different if we left the gelatin out? We don’t eat that. This sounds fantastic! Thanks for linking up at Gluten Free Fridays!
I just love this idea of using pumpkin purée in a hot chocolat drink. This sounds yummy! Thanks so much for sharing at Wednesday’s Seasonal Celebration! Rebecca@ Natural Mothers Network x
I would never have thought of putting pumpkin in hot chocolate! What a great idea.
Ohh, I make my thick and creamy dairy-free hot chocolate the very same way by adding pumpkin puree to it! The method makes amazing lattes too 🙂
The one thing I do different than yours though is that I add a bit of very fine milled flax seeds, and that helps to make it even thicker. I am guessing it provides similar results to your addition of gelatin.
Ana
Great idea Ana, I met chi meal would be great too!! Great minds think alike!!
This hot chocolate sounds delicious! And the photos are so cute, especially the last one.
Visiting from Healthy Vegan Friday 🙂
I am intrigued! I bet it is nice and thick. I’m always trying to sneak more veggies into our diet, so I will be trying this ASAP! The kids will love having a ‘special treat’ of hot chocolate and I will feel good about it! Visiting from Miz Helen’s!
Never would have thought to add gelatin and pumpkin puree to hot chocolate. This seems incredibly healthy and yummy! Love all the pictures.
This looks awesome! Never would have thought to add gelatin, but what a genius way to thicken it! I will definitely be trying it out!
Ok those pictures are totally adorable! WHat a fabulous idea to have brought hot chocolate, since your kids are especially cute with those mugs!
Brilliant Tessa! I make hot chocolate almost every day (it’s -11 today!) and have never thought to thicken it more. Thank you. Love the pictures! Your family is beautiful.
Wow! What an interesting and creative recipe! I have to try it! Thanks for sharing, Lori
Of course katie…it is worth it, trust me!