Easy Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe – Just Add Water
This homemade hot cocoa mix recipe is quick to make and uses only four simple pantry ingredients for a rich, chocolatey drink anytime. Just add water for a cozy cup that’s wonderful for cold days, gifting in jars, or keeping on hand for your family. It’s an easy, real food recipe that you’ll love for holidays, camping, after sledding, or for sipping around an outdoor fire.
✩ What readers are saying…
“Love this recipe just made it my whole family loved it. Not too chocolaty not too sweet just right but so easy to adjust to your own taste, I added a dash of cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla after adding water. Sooo yummy.” -Tracy D.
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This is another wonderful Pantry Basic – recipes of foods we typically think of as only store bought, but that are actually better tasting, and of course better for you when you make them yourself.
I’m pretty sure many of us have some hot cocoa mix in a corner of our pantries. Even if we don’t drink it ourselves, it’s nice to have on hand for fun winter moments (how can you not have hot chocolate after playing in the snow?), holidays, or camping. And I like to be able to offer it for any family or friends who enjoy hot chocolate instead of coffee or tea.
I never even thought about it much when I bought it until I started reading ingredient labels (of course). Have you ever looked to see what’s in hot chocolate mixes? I was surprised at the length of the list, which is what drove me to search for a recipe for a homemade hot cocoa mix.
For reference, here’s the ingredients from the Swiss Miss brand just-add-water hot cocoa:
sugar, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated coconut oil, nonfat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of: salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglyderides, artificial flavor, carrageenan.
Hmmm, doesn’t sound too yummy, does it?
(By the way, calcium carbonate is ground up shells added for calcium, dipotassium phosphate is water soluble salt “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA, and the others are all emulsifiers and thickeners we can do without.)
The recipe I based what has become our favorite homemade hot cocoa on came from Brian’s Kansas grandmother’s old Farm Journal Cookbook that’s so well-used the binding is coming apart in places. It was first published in 1959 and we inherited the revised edition from 1972. It’s become a treasure trove for me of good cooking from scratch recipes that I can adapt.
The base recipe is just four simple ingredients most of us have in our cupboards. I slightly adapted it for our tastes (decreasing the sugar and upping the cocoa a bit) and it was a hit with my kids!
What type of cocoa mix is this recipe?
There are actually two types of hot cocoa mixes you can make:
- One that includes powdered milk, so that you only have to add boiling water to it.
- The other consists of just the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt and you’d add this to warmed milk.
The most popular seems to be the mix that includes the milk, so that you can take it anywhere and make it with just water. This was the type of mix I wanted so that it would be convenient for camping and super easy to make for anyone wanting hot chocolate.
TIP: Don’t need the convenience of a mix? Then you’ll want to make a super simple hot chocolate by adding another favorite pantry basic, homemade chocolate syrup, to hot milk and stirring it together – it’s so easy! Add about 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to a cup of milk (8 ounces), stir and heat. Adjust the amount of syrup to your preferences.
But when you need a mix for hot chocolate on the go, this easy hot cocoa mix recipe makes a great cup of cocoa.
Recipe Ingredients
I love picturing the ingredients for super easy recipes like this – it makes it so clear how simple even convenience food can be, right? You’ll need:
- Dried Milk Powder: Use whatever you can find. Typically in stores it’s nonfat dry milk, but whole milk powder or even a low-fat milk powder will make an even richer cocoa. (The milk powder is key to this just-add-water mix, if you don’t want to use it, go with the chocolate syrup-hot milk option from above.) NEED DAIRY FREE? Try Dry Goat Milk Powder (if only avoiding cows milk), Soy Powder, or Coconut Milk Powder, though I’d make a small test batch first to see if you like it.
BIG Reader Tip! Jennifer said she “learned the hard way” when measuring powdered milk to always fluff it up and spoon it into your measuring cup as some brands tend to compress during transport and you’ll end up with a rancid taste rather than creamy.
- Cocoa Powder: You can use 1/2 cup regular cocoa powder (I no longer recommend 1/3 cup as I previously did, 1/2 cup gives more chocolate flavor consistently). Want a darker cocoa powder with more chocolaty flavor? Try a quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder that has a darker color and a smoother, milder flavor.
- Sugar: Both regular or powdered work, but be aware that powdered sugar has anti-caking ingredients which may give an “off” taste. I only use regular sugar and simply blend it up longer.
- Salt: Just a little bit for depth of flavor, which is included in store-bought, too.
So the next time you are at the store and are tempted by those cocoa mixes on the shelf, remember the FOUR ingredients in this picture. That’s all you need – so buy them instead if you don’t have them already and make yourself a stash of cocoa mix!
Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe Video
How to Make Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
Step 1: Dump the four ingredients in a blender. Technically you can just mix it all together with a spoon, but we’ve found that the dried milk won’t fully mix in with the water when you’re making it. It’s weird because the milk is supposed to just dissolve in water, but if you blend the mixture as fine as possible, it dissolves better.
Step 2: Whir it up until the consistency is as fine as possible. With some blenders you may have to shake it a bit and use a spatula (with the machine off, of course!) to push the ingredients to the center to get it fully blended. You’ll want to see all the ingredients blended into a fine mix like pictured above.
TIP: Using a blender is the key to getting a smooth mix like the commercial mixes. This is the blender I have and it works great (and didn’t cost $400-500 dollars, lol).
3. Store in an airtight glass jar. I like to store it with a 1/4 cup (or 1/3 or 1/2 cup if you prefer) scoop so that it’s ready to make when we are.
Storage
This mix will last indefinitely on the shelf, but I suggest using within a year for the best results.
How to make hot chocolate with the mix
1/4 to 1/2 cup = 1 packet of commercial mix. You can, of course, use more or less according to your tastes! We like 1/4 to 1/3 and a number of commenters prefer 1/2 cup of mix.
- In a regular size mug, add 1/4 (or 1/3 or 1/2) cup cocoa mix and pour boiling water over.
- Stir for a few minutes before drinking.
- Add marshmallows or whipped cream to make it even better!
Reader Variations
Over the years many people have written with their additions and substitutions – here are some of the best:
- Add 3/4 cup of Ghirardelli premium white chips and a mix of powdered sugar/reg sugar.
- Used vanilla or others extracts along with cinnamon nutmeg or clove (for the health benefits) gives a variety of flavors.
- Added powdered French vanilla creamer (regular or no sugar).
- If you make it with whey powder and artificial sweetener, it’s very low carb!
- You use powdered soy milk if you are lactose intolerant.
Reader Raves
“I tried your hot cocoa mix, I followed your recipe. It was awesome!” -Janita
“My husband asked for more sugar but I put some tiny marshmallows in and he was fine. To me it tasted perfect… he has a crazy sweet tooth!” -Carla
“I am thankful to have found your recipe! It’s a treat for me after dinner. I’m trying not to eat dessert and this is low in sugar so it works and tastes great to me. I add a couple of dashes of cayenne seasoning and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon before I blend it all together. Yummy recipe!” -Tina
I hope you love this homemade hot cocoa mix – if you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating and any variations you made to let me know!
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Easy Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe – Just Add Water
Equipment
- Blender (key to getting a fine, smooth mix)
- Airtight storage jar
Ingredients
- 2½ cups dry powdered milk* nonfat, low fat (2%), or whole – your choice (NEW Updated measurement after comments of "milk powder taste" with previous 3 cups)
- 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (taste and adjust to your preference more or less- we use 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup cocoa Use larger amount for more chocolate flavor or use a dark, Dutch-process cocoa powder (I no longer recommend 1/3 cup option)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed thoroughly with no visible milk powder left.
- Store in an airtight container with a 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 cup scoop for up to a year.**
To Make Cocoa:
- Put your choice of 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, or 1/2 cup** in an 8-ounce mug, pour in boiling water, stir well and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To Make Dairy Free: substitute the dry milk powder with a dry powder of soy, coconut, or goat milk.
- If you are unused to powdered milk, use a good quality WHOLE milk version as they are creamier with less “powdered milk” taste.
- Also a reader tip on measuring the powdered milk: “When measuring powdered milk, fluff it up and spoon it into your measuring cup as some brands tend to compress during transport and you’ll end up with a rancid taste rather than creamy.”
Nutrition
More Pantry Basic Recipes You May Like:
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- Make Chicken Broth From Bones + bone broth 101
- Baked Chewy Granola Bars
- Fast & Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings
- See all the Pantry Basic Recipes here!
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in February 2009 and updated in 2019.
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Made this. You need to double the cocoa and waaay more salt.
Here’s my ratios for a single 8oz cup right now.
2.5 tbsp whole milk powder
.75 tbsp sugar__ good maybe more
1 tbsp cocoa Ghirardelli
1/8tsp salt__ didnt actually measure start low and crank up
8oz boiling water
Stirred with a milk frother to prevent clumping
Thanks for your variation, Joe.
Easy to follow recipe..
Love the end results
Really glad you liked this, Jennifer!
Interesting how so many don’t like the powdered milk. Always had mix with powdered milk growing up. And, always superior in my opinion.
It does seem to be what you’re used to with the wide variety of ratings, doesn’t it? 🙂
I used Great Value Whole Milk Powdered milk when making this recipe, and Hersheys Cocoa powder. I added one large box of instant chocolate pudding to add a more velvety texture. However- the taste was incredibly harsh. I don’t know if using a different milk powder would help, but it was not palatable for my kids and me as I made it. If anyone has made this successfully with a different brand milk powder it’d be good to know!
Unfortunately..this was terrible. Followed instructions exactly but unimpressed.
The hunt for healthy mix is still on.
Question:
Commercial mix is about 1 Tablespoon, but this recipe calls for 4 Tablespoons. I am thinking that the difference is the cocoa taste being lighter in the mix therefore more is needed to match that of the commercial. What would happen if the powdered milk was reduced by 1 to 1 1/2 cups? It seems to me it would intensify the cocoa taste and thus reduce the amount used. Thoughts?
Sure – give that a try!
This was terrible. Doesn’t taste like cocoa at all.
10/10. We made this today after working outside in the cold. It was delicious and warmed our bones. I’ll be making a big batch for the holidays. Thank you!
That sounds perfect, Joy, I’m so glad you liked it!
I thought this sounded good so I made a batch, enough for 15 servings for the three of us. Sifted the powdered milk, erred on the high end for the cocoa powder and sugar. Tried it with warm coconut milk and with boiling water. Did not taste good at all. The powdered milk taste comes through very strong and weak on cocoa and sweetness. I’ll go back to Alton Brown’s recipe. A bit more work, but worth it.
Thanks for the feedback. This recipe is from an old cookbook and it seems I need to revisit this as I’m getting lots of comments about the milk powder flavor recently (the recipe had been on my site for more than a decade). I’ll test again and update it.
Made this tonight using powdered goats milk and powdered sugar and the powdered cocoa. Put it all in the blender turned out wonderful
I’m so glad to know this worked with goats milk, too, Ashley!
4 year old grand helped with mixing this and it passed the taste test with flying colors.
How fun – thanks for the review!
I made it this afternoon for Christmas gifts. I had to try and was delicious. It would be much nicer with marshmallows but i didnt have any in the house. I blended it the old fashion way with a sieve and spoon instead of blender and turned out great!
Thanks
Oh, I’m glad to know that it worked for you without a blender, Janet -thanks for the review!
This mix is Heavenly! I mix it in my decaf coffee instead of the water. I use less of the cocoa, like you, so that I have a little coffee taste too. But sometimes, you can’t beat this recipe as is and add marshmallows (or the flavored marshmallows for an extra kick).
Do you have the instructions labels on this hot chocolate recipe for the gift receiver to mix in their mugs?
I’m so glad you like this, DeEtte – your mocha sounds wonderful! That’s a great idea about providing tags – I don’t have that now but will try and have some in the future.
Tip: when measuring powdered milk, fluff it up and spoon it into your measuring cup as some brands tend to compress during transport and you’ll end up with a rancid taste rather than creamy. I learned this the hard way.
Thank you so much for this tip, Jennifer! I will add it to the instructions.
This recipe is definitely not for me nor my husband. I just wasted my money on the powdered milk for this. It has an overwhelming taste and smell of the powdered milk. No amount of sugar nor cocoa can help this. It doesn’t even taste like hot chocolate. Why not call it “powdered milk drink”, because that’s the main ingredient.
I’m sorry this was your experience, Patty. I recently got a tip from another reviewer that I’m going to add to the instructions: “Tip: when measuring powdered milk, fluff it up and spoon it into your measuring cup as some brands tend to compress during transport and you’ll end up with a rancid taste rather than creamy.”
I wonder if this is what happened to you?
Can I use cacao powder instead?? 🙂
While I haven’t tried that, from what I’ve read it should work. The only thing is that the raw cacao could be more bitter, so you may want to add more sugar.
Thank you!!!
Tastes good but it leaves this weird yucky undissolved stuff at the bottom of the cup no matter how much you stir or what the water temp is. What am I doing wrong?
I do have that as well, Tina.
Absolutely delicious! I added some spices to mine like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or ginger. Thanks for sharing
Glad you liked it!
I made a half recipe of this and followed the instructions exactly. Turned out great, my kids loved it and it was perfect for our first snow day off of school!
Wonderful – so glad you like it!
had a horribly strong spoiled milk flavor and did not mix fully into the water
This is so yummy!! My young boys ask for it daily! Thank you for a tasty, easy recipe!