This easy, healthy hot cocoa recipe is perfect for winter days. It only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes to make!

My kids are huge fans of hot cocoa, especially after an afternoon of playing in the snow. Even though hot cocoa packets are super convenient, they also come with some ingredients that I’d rather avoid. All you really need for delicious homemade hot chocolate is cocoa, milk (or non-dairy milk), vanilla, and a sweetener.

For another cozy winter drink, try this homemade cooked eggnog!

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Supplies Needed

This recipe only has five ingredients, and it’s sweetened with maple syrup. I purchased almost all of the ingredients with the exception of my homemade vanilla extract) at our local Aldi, which is my favorite place to shop.

Whenever we can, we buy fresh raw milk from a local farmer. Since we don’t currently have a farmer to purchase milk from, I’ve been mostly relying on organic milk from Aldi.

I’m hoping to find a source for milk soon, as I miss having all the cream to use in recipes. My dream is to have our own dairy goats, but that’s still a way off in the future.

Ingredients for homemade healthy hot cocoa.

This easy hot chocolate recipe is so simple, with just 5 basic ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:

milk (we use organic whole milk)
cocoa powder
maple syrup
vanilla extract (find out how simple it is to make your own vanilla extract here!)
salt (we like this kind)

How to Make Easy Healthy Hot Cocoa

This healthy hot chocolate recipe is so easy and quick to make that it only takes a few minutes to mix and heat the ingredients on the stove top.

Just pour the milk in a saucepan:

Add all the other ingredients, and heat over medium heat, whisking often with a wire whisk to keep the milk from scalding.

Whisking cocoa powder into milk in the saucepan.

After the mixture has heated, ladle it into cups and serve! This recipe makes about four 1-cup servings, so we always at least double it for our large family.

You can also easily adapt this recipe if needed, by adding more or less sweetener or other flavors like cinnamon. It’s delicious with homemade marshmallows or a bit of whipped cream!

More Winter Recipes