Forget the whiskey, hot chocolate has always been the best kind of night cap.
Like many of you, I’ve adored a cozy cup of hot chocolate ever since I was a little. And I should share that I’m more of a whipped cream girl rather than a marshmallow lover. How about you?
Today I’m sharing a homemade vegan hot chocolate that’s healthier than the packets you used to have as a kid. It’s made with a mix of almond milk and coconut milk, dairy free dark chocolate, cocoa powder and just a few other ingredients.
Most of you all know that I basically can’t make a regular version of anything. I have to spice it up, add something creative and call it a fancy name. Makes my world a little brighter. And same goes with this. I decided to add hints of cinnamon and a little spice from cayenne pepper to make it a little fancy, sweet, spicy and everything nice.
Let me make a note to myself right now that I should stop trying to rhyme in recipes.
My friends over at McCormick asked me to create some recipes for their Flavor Forecast campaign – where they’ve identified food trends for 2018, I jumped at the chance to stir up some goodness for the “Drink to your wellness” trend.
My delicious recipes for sippin’ started with this 24k Gold Vanilla Turmeric Latte (a must-try) and now includes this Healthy Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate!
This hot chocolate is unlike any I’ve made before. It’s creamy and decadent while being dairy-free, and has a real, rich chocolate flavor that you won’t get from that basic Swiss Miss shiz.
I used McCormick Ground Cinnamon and a pinch of McCormick Ground Cayenne Red Pepper for a flavor combo that will make you sink into a coma as you binge watch old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
This recipe can be easily adapted to your sweetness preference, too. Just add a little coconut sugar to sweeten it up, or feel free to leave it out if you like it as is.
Oh and it’s obviously perfect for Valentine’s Day evening drink. Cheers!
I hope you love this hot chocolate as much as we did. xo!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate it! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ½ cup light coconut milk (from the can)
- 1.5 oz dairy free dark chocolate bar, broken into pieces
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, depending on your preference
- 1 teaspoon McCormick ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon McCormick ground red cayenne pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
Instructions
- In a small pot, add coconut milk, almond milk, chocolate bar pieces, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and coconut sugar. Whisk together and bring ingredients to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce the mixture a bit; stirring occasionally.
- Pour into 2 small mugs, then sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon on top, or add a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This recipe is sponsored by McCormick Spices, a spice brand I use in my kitchen. Thanks for supporting AK and the brands that help make this site possible!
Really good
Not sweet at all! The recipe needs some adjustments to make this sweeter, maybe ”1-3 tablespoons sugar, to taste”. It is creamy though, so it has potential
Totally fine to add more sugar if you’d like!
Monique, I have a question about your directions. You instruct us in this recipe to bring the chocolate mixture to a boil, but your Healthy Hot Chocolate recipe says to NOT bring the chocolate mixture with almond milk in it to a boil. Please advise which way we should go. Thanks!
Thanks for the catch, Connie! You can bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low (I’ve updated the instructions). 🙂
Yes, a cup of chocolate always makes me more relaxed than whiskey. Thanks for the idea of Mexican Hot Chocolate, I really like it …
Hot chocolate is the best! I hope you enjoy this one 🙂
This looks so sweet and creamy! The almond and coconut milk combination is genius! The perfect warm drink for Valentine’s day, for sure.
I’ve been experimenting more with that milk combo and it’s absolutely delicious. You’ll have to give this one a try and let me know how you like it!