Keto Hot Chocolate

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Hot chocolate is a cold-weather staple. It’s sweet, creamy, and comforting for kids and adults, and it’s super easy to make from scratch at home. Plus, when you make hot chocolate at home, you can customize the ingredients to fit your diet and food restrictions. This hot chocolate is a perfect example.

We still end up with a rich, warm mug of chocolatey goodness. By using a sugar alternative and heavy cream, this recipe becomes a sugar-free hot chocolate with fewer carbs that fits a keto lifestyle. Keep reading to find out how to make this keto hot chocolate at home!

Ingredients

Ingredients for Keto Hot Chocolate: See text below

Here’s everything you need to make this sugar-free hot chocolate recipe from scratch.

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar-free sweetener, like monk fruit
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup heavy cream for whipped topping, optional

What Kind of Sweetener is Best for Keto Hot Chocolate?

The trick to making a delicious keto hot chocolate is finding a great sugar substitute. The most popular options include monk fruit sweeteners, erythritol, and stevia. Both monk fruit and erythritol come in granulated form and stevia can be made into liquid drops. Any of these sweeteners will work for this recipe.

I like using monk fruit because it is a no-calorie sweetener that tastes quite a bit sweeter than sugar and you can use much less of it in recipes. Since you can find it in granulated form, it makes for an easy substitution. While this alternative is not as easy to find as granulated sugar, I can find certain brands at my local store and also order online pretty easily.

Instructions

Here are all the steps you need to make this sugar-free hot chocolate recipe. 

Step 1 – Warm the Cream

Almond milk and cream in a pan

Pour the cream and almond milk into a medium saucepan. Heat on low to medium heat until the milk is not quite simmering. Stir it to ensure there are no hot spots on your pan where the cream could burn at the bottom. 

Step 2 – Add the Cocoa

Cocoa powder added in pan of cream and almond milk

Once the cream is warm, add in the cocoa powder, sweetener, and vanilla. Use a whisk to combine. Turn the heat down to low and let it come together for one minute. 

Step 3 – Optional: Make Whipped Cream

Whipped cream in a pan

If you’d like to top your sugar-free hot chocolate with some whipped cream, it’s a pretty easy addition! Just take an additional cup of cold heavy cream and beat it in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or use the whisk attachment on your hand mixer. You’ll whisk it on high speed for about two minutes until you have stiff peaks. 

To keep it keto, I rarely add any sweeteners to this whipped cream, but you could add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar-free sweetener to this whipped cream for a sweeter taste.

Step 4 – Pour and Serve

Keto Hot Chocolate with whipped cream on top

Pour the hot chocolate into two mugs. This recipe makes two 8-ounce servings.

Cookware Used

Here’s everything you need to make this hot chocolate. All you really need is a saucepan, but I’ve listed a couple of extras if you decide to top the hot chocolate and give it a special presentation before serving. 

Medium saucepan: Any saucepan will do! Just be sure you have enough room to thoroughly whisk your cream and cocoa powder without any spillover. 

Stand mixer or hand mixer: If you want to top your hot chocolate with whipped cream, you’ll need a mixer with a whisk attachment to whip the cream to stiff peaks. 

Small mesh strainer: To add a little something extra to your hot chocolate, use a small mesh strainer to dust the whipped cream with a little cocoa powder before serving. 

Can You Make Keto Hot Chocolate in the Microwave? 

Yes! You absolutely can. This recipe is easy to prepare using the microwave instead of the stovetop. Just pour your cream and almond milk into two mugs. I use 10-ounce mugs to leave room for stirring. 

Heat the milk mixture in the microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes until completely warmed through. Add half of the cocoa powder and sweetener to each mug and stir until combined. You can still top these with whipped cream if you’d like.

More Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate Recipes

This recipe can be used as the base for lots of flavor combinations. I love to use different flavor extracts in this hot chocolate recipe because extracts are sugar-free and add a lot of flavor in little doses. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Peppermint Keto Hot Chocolate

To make a sugar-free peppermint hot chocolate, use the same base ingredients and follow the same steps as above, but add a drop of peppermint extract (no more than â…› teaspoon) to your cream before adding your cocoa powder. 

Spiced Mexican Keto Hot Chocolate

To make a Mexican sugar-free hot chocolate, use the base recipe and when you add your cocoa powder in step 2, also add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon chili powder.

Almond Keto Hot Chocolate

Follow the same directions as the peppermint hot chocolate above, but instead of peppermint, use a drop of almond extract. 

Now, It’s Your Turn!

Keto Hot Chocolate ready to serve

This keto hot chocolate recipe is super simple and so delicious. You won’t even know it’s sugar-free. Monk fruit is a safe sweetener for children and pregnant women so the whole family can enjoy a cup of this sugar-free hot chocolate!

Start out with the base recipe and get creative with some additions. There are plenty of keto-friendly flavor boosters out there and it’s fun to taste test until you find your perfect cup of hot cocoa. 

Print

Keto Hot Chocolate

Prepare your own keto hot chocolate without guilt but with the same chocolatey goodness in every sip. Check out my recipe to do it!

  • Author: Beatriz Garcia
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: Two 8 oz. mugs
  • Category: Hot Drinks
  • Cuisine: Beverage/Dessert
  • Diet: Low Calorie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar-free sweetener, like monk fruit

  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup heavy cream for whipped topping, optional

Instructions

Warm the Cream

Pour the cream and almond milk into a medium saucepan. Heat on low to medium heat until the milk is not quite simmering. Stir it to ensure there are no hot spots on your pan where the cream could burn at the bottom. 

Add the Cocoa

Once the cream is warm, add in the cocoa powder, sweetener, and vanilla. Turn the heat down to low and let it come together for one minute. 

Optional: Make Whipped Cream

You may also add some whipped cream to your sugar-free hot chocolate. Take an additional cup of cold heavy cream and beat it in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or use the whisk attachment on your hand mixer. Whisk it on high speed until you have stiff peaks. To keep it keto, rarely add any sweeteners to this whipped cream.

Pour and Serve

Pour the hot chocolate into two mugs. This recipe makes two 8-ounce servings.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 397 g
  • Calories: 1121 kcal
  • Sugar: 1.1 g
  • Sodium: 104 mg
  • Fat: 109 g
  • Saturated Fat: 72 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
  • Fiber: 2.3 g
  • Protein: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 418 mg

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