Classic Hot Chocolate (stevia sweetened, vegan, & lectin-free)

This is a simple recipe with only 6 ingredients and 3 photos, so I’ll try to keep it short on my end as well. This formula has been our go-to hot chocolate recipe for the past 6 months, because it takes no more than 10 minutes to put together, it’s sugar-free, creamy, silky, chocolate-y, and has that soulful umph that any good hot chocolate must have.

The ingredients it contains are:

• Cocoa Powder
• Light Coconut Milk
• Liquid Stevia Extract
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Coconut Oil

Now, all of these are relatively common hot chocolate fare, except for maybe the stevia and coconut oil. I know I’ve been a relatively big promoter of sugar alcohols, like erythritol & xylitol, because they replace cane sugar quite phenomenally, but in this case, the balance between stevia & salt creates a sweet sensation desirable enough on its own for me to forget about sugar alcohols. Without salt, stevia lays flat on the tastebuds; it doesn’t arouse senses with the same fullness that sugar does. But a curious thing happens when salt is added – the sweetness of stevia is brought to life.

So, pro tip: always use a touch of salt when using stevia.

Another ingredient important to address here is coconut oil. No, I didn’t just add it because I’m an evil promoter of fats and see it fit to put oil in everything!

Here, the coconut oil lends the beverage a silky mouth feel, which creates a similar feeling to having a piece of chocolate melt in your mouth. But, if you’re looking for an especially light hot chocolate, leave it out – it will still be dank-a-licious. On the other hand, you can use 1 cup of full-fat coconut milk and cut it with 2 cups of water to get the same effect, only without needing the coconut oil.

So, second pro hot chocolate tip: add a little bit of coconut oil to your hot chocolate for a silky mouth feel.

I don’t suppose I can conclude this post without talking about chocolate, at least just a little bit, right? Mainly the question of what type of cocoa powder should be used? It’s a good question to ask, because when you’re at the grocery store, you may notice that there seems to be 20 different types of cocoa powder. The good news is, most of that supposed “variety” can be reduced to mere marketing.

For culinary purposes, however, there’s only three forms of cocoa powder: Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, Natural Cocoa Powder, and Cacao Powder. Each of these powders come from the same plant, theobroma cacao, but the differences between them arrives in how they’re processed.

Cacao Powder is made from raw cacao seeds, which still have a large portion of their antioxidants in tact. It’s also lighter in flavor and more acidic than the two cocoa powders. Natural cocoa powder is made from roasted cacao seeds, which lends the powder a smoother and more robust flavor. Dutch processed cocoa powder is also made from roasted cacao seeds, however, once they’re refined into a powder, they’re processed with alkali to bring the acid level of the cocoa to a PH of 7, which creates an even smoother, mellow, and darker cocoa powder than natural cocoa powder.

Honestly, I suggest that you don’t stress too much over what type of cocoa or cacao powder you have, as they will all make a darn tasty hot chocolate. When it comes to baking, that may be a different story, but that’s another post.

We hope that you’re prepared to take on Winter, hot chocolate in hand, to go for a stroll around town gazing at pretty Christmas lights… or just sitting inside your house watching anime. Either way, this velvety hot chocolate is an easy fix for your hot cocoa cravings.

If you like what your taste buds are tellin’ ya, leave behind a nice rating, share your thoughts with us in the comments, or show us your creations by tagging @noeggsorham on Instagram.

Cheers!
Ryan & Kim