Rich Keto Hot Chocolate
Deeply chocolatey and velvety, made with cocoa, a little unsweetened chocolate, cream and almond milk. It's sweetened without sugar and ready in under 10 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
1 cup- Net carbs
- 5.8g
- Calories
- 294kcal
- Protein
- 4.5g
- Fat
- 28g
- Total carbs
- 21 g
- Fiber
- 3.6 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Dairy-free & nut-free: Carton coconut milk and canned coconut milk replace the almond milk and cream. It is still thick and velvety, and free of dairy and nuts.
- Make the cocoa paste with a little of the carton coconut milk and continue as directed. Check that your baking chocolate is dairy-free; most 100% bars are.
- Top with whipped coconut cream instead of dairy cream.
White hot chocolate: Cocoa butter, the fat that gives white chocolate its flavor, replaces the cocoa and dark chocolate. The result is a sweet, creamy, vanilla-heavy mug with almost no carbs.
- Skip the cocoa paste. Whisk the sweetener and salt into the almond milk and cream, add the cocoa butter and heat gently, whisking, until it melts completely, 4–5 minutes.
- Blend or froth well before pouring. Cocoa butter separates as it sits, so give leftovers a quick blitz when you reheat them.
- Nice to have (optional)
- Nice to have (optional)
-
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powderleave out - Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $3.25 for 2 servings ($1.63 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
In a small saucepan, whisk the cocoa, sweetener, salt and about ¼ cup of the almond milk into a smooth paste. Starting with a paste keeps the cocoa from clumping.
-
Whisk in the remaining almond milk and the cream, add the chopped chocolate and set over medium-low heat.
-
Heat, whisking often, 4–5 minutes, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is steaming with small bubbles at the edges. Don't let it boil.
-
Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla. For a café-style froth, blend for 10 seconds or whip with a handheld frother.
-
Pour into mugs and top with softly whipped cream, if you like.
Tips for success
-
Allulose dissolves completely and gives the smoothest result. Erythritol works too but can leave a slight cooling aftertaste. - Make it Mexican-style with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne, or make a mocha by swapping ½ cup of the almond milk for strong coffee.
- Taste before adding more sweetener. Unsweetened chocolate brands vary in bitterness, so adjust a teaspoon at a time.
Nice to have, not needed
- A handheld frother gives it a café-style foam — a quick whisk is fine.
- Softly whipped cream on top makes it feel special — it is rich enough without.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Rewarm gently over low heat, whisking, until steaming.
Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days. Rewarm gently over low heat, whisking.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosDairy-free & nut-free
DietCarton coconut milk and canned coconut milk replace the almond milk and cream. It is still thick and velvety, and free of dairy and nuts.
- unsweetened almond milk → unsweetened coconut milk (carton)
- heavy cream → full-fat canned coconut milk
4.5 g net · 215 kcal · 3.3 g protein · 21 g fat · ≈$1.43 per serving (−1.3 g net carbs vs the original)
White hot chocolate
FlavorCocoa butter, the fat that gives white chocolate its flavor, replaces the cocoa and dark chocolate. The result is a sweet, creamy, vanilla-heavy mug with almost no carbs.
- unsweetened baking chocolate → food-grade cocoa butter
- + ½ tsp extra vanilla extract
- no unsweetened cocoa powder
3.9 g net · 363 kcal · 2.4 g protein · 37 g fat · ≈$2.04 per serving (−1.9 g net carbs vs the original)
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Pin this recipe to your keto board so it’s there when you plan next week.
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