Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (Dairy-Free + Vegan)

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Did you know it takes just 3 ingredients and less than 5-minutes to make a delicious dairy-free and vegan homemade hot chocolate mix?

This easy recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix in a jar is so creamy and delicious, you won’t believe it’s also refined sugar-free. It’s the perfect guilt-free treat for chocolate cravings.

DIY Hot Cocoa Mix

Hot cocoa doesn’t have to be complicated with ingredients you can’t pronounce, like the ones found in store-bought cocoa packets! And if you avoid things like dairy or you follow a vegan lifestyle, it can be difficult or expensive to find hot chocolate you can enjoy.

Because yes, there is dairy in traditional hot cocoa mixes. They use some sort of milk powder.

But cocoa powder by itself IS dairy-free and vegan.

My kids enjoy this homemade hot chocolate mix too and you will as well because it’s better for them the high fructose corn syrup ingredients from the store bought kind.

I came up with this dairy-free homemade hot cocoa mix recipe a few years ago when two of my kids needed to go dairy-free.

We already have a delicious healthy hot cocoa recipe for kids that everyone loves, but I knew it wouldn’t be practical for my son when he went to an overnight snow camp.

Because you can’t go to a snow camp and not have hot cocoa, I started looking for a recipe for homemade hot cocoa mix. But I ran into a problem; all the recipes had some form of dairy.

I quickly realized I’d have to come up with my own dairy-free hot cocoa mix recipe.

My son loves cooking and baking with me, so we tested out 8 different versions before settling on this delicious simple version of homemade hot chocolate mix without the dairy.

I discovered the secret to making creamy hot cocoa mix: coconut milk powder. It adds the creamy goodness you would normally get from powdered milk in cocoa mixes, but without dairy.

This homemade hot cocoa mix is deliciously creamy and chocolately with simply using water.

You don’t need to use any coconut milk or almond milk; simply add hot water to this cocoa mix and you’re good to go.

This vegan hot chocolate mix is just like the store hot cocoa packets, except without the junk.

Tips for Making Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix

To make this keto-friendly, try a natural sweetener like this Monkfruit sweetener.

If you have almond milk or coconut milk, you can heat it up and mix it into your cocoa mix for a richer mug of hot chocolate. But this hot cocoa is absolutely delicious without it.

All four of my kids gave this hot cocoa mix a two thumbs up. And even though I originally created this recipe for my children, my husband (who is not dairy-free or into healthy foods) said this hot cocoa was so good, he wouldn’t have guessed it was homemade! (Which sounds weird, but is a compliment.)

For at-home use, you can mix up a batch and store it in a glass sealed container, like a mason jar.

For on-the-go purposes, add one or two tablespoons to plastic snack bags, seal and you’re good to go!

Free Hot Cocoa Mix Label

Grab this printable label for your homemade hot chocolate here for FREE.

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How to Make Hot Cocoa Mix from Scratch: