7 Different Homemade Hot Chocolate Mixes
Well, we are supposed to get about a foot of snow today, so what could be more perfect to go with that, than a recipe for a homemade hot chocolate mix?! And I have not one, but Seven recipes to share with you today! Well, there is the basic recipe, and seven more different variations.
Ingredients for Hot Chocolate Mixes
I had an idea this year to make homemade hot chocolate mix for gifts. When I started looking for recipes, I found so many different flavors that I knew I would need to try them! And it was a long process, because I needed to sample allll those flavors to make sure the recipes tasted good…. well, you get the idea!
Do you need a last minute gift idea? This is it! It is so easy to do. And I also have DIY Coffee Creamers!!
Below I will answer a variety of questions you might have about Hot Chocolate Mixes, like:
- Should I use nonfat dry milk powder or Whole Milk Powder?
- What is Vanilla Powder?
- Does it matter what kind of cocoa powder I use?
- Should I use granulated sugar or Powdered Sugar?
- Should I use chocolate chips or melting wafers?
- Do I need to refrigerate my hot chocolate mix?
- Do I need to sift my ingredients?
I will also share a list of supplies with you at the very end of this post, so that you can easily find what you need.
For my mixes, I did not want the recipients to have to use any milk. I wanted them to just be able to add water. So all of these hot chocolate mixes do not require any liquid milk, just powdered. And in my research I found out about Whole Milk Powder! Did you know there is such a thing?! I didn’t. I found that a good ratio was 1/3 whole milk powder to 2/3 nonfat dry milk powder.
What about vanilla powder? Before this food project I didn’t know it existed either. I used it in these recipes, but I’m not sure how much flavor it added. I don’t think you will miss it if you leave it out.
I saw some recipes indicating that you should use Dutch processed cocoa powder. I found that it is a much stronger flavor, like dark chocolate versus milk chocolate. I preferred to use just regular Hershey’s cocoa powder. (That could be because I live near Hershey, Pennsylvania….) It could also be because it is less expensive….
For those who don’t care for brown milk chocolate, 3 of these recipes use white chocolate. One of them is the Strawberry Hot Drink Mix. I have to confess that, that one is my least favorite. Maybe it is because the strawberry flavor from the freeze dried strawberries tastes more like it should be in a smoothie than in a hot chocolate mix. Or maybe it is because I would rather my strawberry milk be cold instead of hot. Or, it could be because Nestle’s Strawberry Quik doesn’t even actually use strawberries– they use beets!
As for which one is my favorite flavored mix? Oh, now that is a hard choice. I really like the Eggnog one, and the Pumpkin Spice one, and the Mexican Mocha one. Those THREE are my favorite!
Now for some more info about the Eggnog Hot Chocolate Mix recipe. I thought I would try mixing a glass of it in cold water, for cold eggnog. But the sugar was grainy and didn’t melt. Then I thought, well, I will use my NutriBullet and grind the powder finer so that the sugar will melt. So I tried that, but then the powdered mixture did not want to absorb into the cold water— it just wanted to float! My advice is that if you want to drink the Eggnog Drink Mix cold, then first heat the water and mix it up. Then put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before you drink it.
That brings me to the question of whether to use powdered sugar or regular granulated sugar in a hot chocolate mix. If the water is hot, the melting part will not be a problem. 1 cup of powdered sugar is equal to about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in sweetness. I preferred just to use regular sugar in all of these recipes. If you need to substitute powdered sugar instead, then double or triple how much sugar you use.
Years ago someone gifted me a Peppermint Hot Chocolate Drink Mix. It had tiny peppermint flavored chocolate chips in the mix that melted, or nearly melted. It made the hot cocoa taste extra special. So for that reason I have added in mini chocolate chips or chopped melting wafers to my mixes. I think the melting wafers melt more easily, but the chocolate chips are also good– it just depends what you prefer.
Most of these recipes do not need refrigerated. The only one that will need refrigeration is the Eggnog version, because it uses powdered buttermilk. (It says on the powdered buttermilk container to refrigerate after opening, and so we do it.)
Lastly, most of the recipes I reviewed advised you to sift the ingredients to get out all the lumps. I need to tell you— you probably don’t want to do that. First of all, once you stir it up there aren’t really any lumps (other than the baking chips if you stir them in versus layer them on top). Secondly, when we sifted a batch, all it did was put cocoa and sugar dust all over the kitchen! And I’m not really a fan of inhaling cocoa powder….. : ).
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have. Oh– one more tip. To make it easy to gift my hot chocolate mixes, I printed the instructions for mixing it with hot water on little return address labels. Then I attached a label to the back of each container.
Watch the video for creative packaging ideas!
I used a ratio of 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder to 1/3 whole milk powder.
I bought mini marshmallows from my local Amish bulk food store.
I topped the mixes with 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
I printed instructions on small label/ return address sticker paper.
I used old peanut butter jars in addition to Mason jars.
I cut circles from old Christmas cards.
And used more old cards to label which kinds of
Get creative with your containers … Reuse the cocoa package!
Tie a ribbon on it and label it.
I made an extra large batch for a family with lots of kids.
I put the mix in a clean milk jug.
And made a label for it.
For the Snickerdoodle, Strawberry, and Eggnog flavors, I chopped up white melting wafers. I think they melt better than white chocolate chips.
Add the chopped wafers to the dry mix.
Put the mix in a jar and top with mini marshmallows.
Snickerdoodle with marshmallows… it smells so good. I really enjoyed sampling all the flavors I was making.
I topped Dark Chocolate Peppermint with Hershey Candy Cane kisses, and marshmallows.
I topped the Strawberry mix with “Lucky Charm” marshmallows.
It looks so pretty!
My taste testers didn’t care so much for this Peanut Butter Chocolate version. But I liked it!
Every jar is different. Mexican Mocha is one of my favorites.
Put the jars into paper or fabric gift bags. Now you have easy gifts for your children’s teachers or anyone.
The recipes will make around 4 cups each recipe, more or less, depending if it calls for marshmallows or chocolate chips, etc. It all depends how much you want to give to each person– whether it’s a single person or a family…. I would use smaller 16 oz mason jars (like jelly jars) for smaller gifts, and 32 oz jars (those are the regular big ones like mayo jars) for larger gifts. You would get maybe 3 or 4 smaller ones out of one recipe, and just 2 of the large ones out of one recipe.
DIY Basic Milk Chocolate Mix
Homemade Hot Milk Chocolate Coffee Creamer
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 cup whole milk powder
- 2/3-1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups Hershey cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. vanilla powder optional
- 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Put into gifting or storage container.
- Layer chocolate chips and marshmallows on top.
- To make a cup of hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water, and stir well.
Notes
DIY Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Mix
Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 c. whole milk powder
- 2 TBLSP cocoa powder
- 2/3 c. sugar
- pinch salt
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch ground ginger
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 TBLSP pumpkin pie spice
- 1 c. mini semisweet chocolate baking chips
- 1 c. mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except baking chips and marshmallows.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer baking chips and marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water.
Notes
Mexican Mocha Hot Chocolate Mix
Mexican Mocha Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 c. whole milk powder
- 1 c. cocoa powder
- 1 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. instant espresso powder
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 TBLSP cinnamon
- 1 c. mini semisweet chocolate baking chips
- 1 c. mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except marshmallows.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Mexican Mocha hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water.
Notes
Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Mix
And if you’d rather buy it than make it? Here’s one to try!
Candy Cane Chocolate Powdered Coffee Creamer Mix
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. whole milk powder
- 2/3 c. nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/3 c. sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/2 c. Hershey cocoa powder
- 1/2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder optional
- One 4 oz box about 2/3 c. dark chocolate peppermint pudding mix
- Hershey Candy Cane kisses for the top
- 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except marshmallows and kisses.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer kisses and marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Peppermint Chocolate flavored coffee, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into prepared cup of coffee and stir well.
Notes
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Mix
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2/3 c. nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/3 c. whole milk powder
- pinch salt
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 -1 c. peanut butter baking chips
- 1/2-1 c. chopped resee cups
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients.
Put into gifting or storage container.
To make a cup of Peanut Butter hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. very hot water, stirring well.
Notes
Eggnog Hot Chocolate Mix
Eggnog Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 c. whole milk powder
- One 3.4 oz box instant french vanilla pudding mix
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. buttermilk powder
- 1 c. chopped White Ghirardelli melting wafers or white chocolate baking chips
- 1 TBLSP nutmeg
- 1 c. mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except marshmallows.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Eggnog hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water. If you wish to drink it cold, mix it into hot water and then refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Keep powdered mix in refrigerator because of the buttermilk powder.
Notes
Snickerdoodle (Cinnamon) Hot Chocolate Mix
Snickerdoodle (Cinnamon) Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 c. whole milk powder
- 4 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
- 2 c. chopped White Ghirardelli melting wafers or white chocolate baking chips
- 1 c. mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except marshmallows.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Snickerdoodle/ Cinnamon hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water.
Notes
Strawberry Hot Chocolate Mix
Strawberry Hot Chocolate Drink Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 c. whole milk powder
- 1/2 c. strawberry powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. chopped white chocolate Ghirardelli melting wafers or chopped white chocolate chips
- “Lucky Charm” colored marshmallows for garnish
Instructions
- Stir all dry ingredients except marshmallows.
Put into gifting or storage container.
Layer marshmallows on top.
To make a cup of Strawberry hot chocolate, mix 2-3 Tablespoons of mix into 8 oz. hot water.
Notes
Here is the List of Ingredients:
Hot Cocoa Drink Mix Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make a variety of hot chocolate drink mixes for gifting or for eating yourself!
Whole Milk Powder
Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers
Dark Chocolate Ghirardelli Melting Wafers
miniature "Lucky Charm" marshmallows
mini marshmallows
Nonfat dry milk powder
mini semisweet baking chips
These all sound delicious, and will definitely give them a try in taste testing for the perfect one for hot cocoa bombs. My question is why do you prefer to use regular granulated sugar over powdered sugar? I’m just curious because most recipes use powdered sugar. Thank you.
Hi Tanya,
If you use powdered sugar you have to double or triple the amount in order to equal the sweetness of regular sugar. So regular sugar is sweeter, and I just prefer to use a smaller amount of regular sugar. And regular sugar is less “dusty” with all that mixing, so it makes less of a mess.
There are a lot of these I never heard of! They sound so good, I will have to try a couple! Thanks for sharing with us!
Snickerdoodle is delicious!
Debbie, I am so glad you enjoyed it! It’s nice to see you here! : )