The winter season has arrived in full force, and we’re making the most of seasonal products and hot meals to stay warm, healthy, and fuelled as the weather gets colder. But among all these different winter recipes, one such drink which has our heart set on it has to be the delicious hot chocolate!
Hot chocolate is the ultimate winter drink, but many miss out on it because of all the calories! If you’re one of them then this low-cal spiced hot chocolate recipe is here to rescue you. This drink tastes heavenly and feels comforting. Additionally, it is packed full of superfood goodness!
By making wise ingredient selections (like swapping in almond milk for saturated-fat-filled milk). If you want to make your healthy hot chocolate vegan, low calorie, and dairy-free, use almond milk. However, the richer the milk, the richer the hot chocolate.
Our recipe contains fewer than 200 calories per serving. All without sacrificing the hot chocolate flavours you’ve grown to love. That means you can have your cake and eat it as well!
If you are a chocolate lover, this was made for you!
Ingredients for Spiced Hot Chocolate
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 6-8 oz unsweetened almond or skimmed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg, or freshly grated
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (if you want a kick)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (if you want to thicken)
• A dribble of honey
Method for Spiced Hot Chocolate
• Put all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute.
• Transfer to a pan on the stovetop and place over medium-low heat. Whisk vigorously to combine until the desired temperature is reached.
FAQs
CAN YOU STORE LEFTOVER HOT CHOCOLATE?
Absolutely! Just let it cool first to room temperature, and store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. To reheat, just stir and warm in the microwave.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COCOA POWDER AND CACAO POWDER?
Cacao powder is considered “raw” because the beans are fermented, and then processed at low temperatures and then milled into a powder. It’s got a much more bitter flavour than cocoa powder, but it does have a higher amount of minerals and nutrients due to it being less processed.
Cocoa powder is created when the beans are fermented and then processed at a much higher temperature / roasted. This gives the cocoa powder a milder, sweeter flavour (and less acidic in taste). The tradeoff is that it may have less of the natural nutrients of the cacao bean due to the additional heating. But it’s still much much healthier than using whole chocolate to make hot chocolate!
WHAT TO MIX-INS WITH THIS HEALTHY SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE?
There are so many options for mix-ins for hot chocolate and this recipe is no exception! You could go the traditional route and add homemade whipped cream, dark chocolate chips, or mini marshmallows as toppings. Other fun mix-ins include:
• Peanut Butter or Caramel. If you’re going this route, I’d remove the other spices from the recipe and keep the cinnamon and vanilla only!
• Jaggery Powder or stevia sugar instead of Honey
• 2-3 drops of peppermint oil and a pinch of salt (if you go this route, omit the other spices from the recipe except for the vanilla)
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE OTHER HEALTHY SWEET RECIPES!
If you have tried this Spiced Hot Chocolate recipe or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
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Detoxpri 
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