Best Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe

Make rich, chocolatey homemade hot chocolate mix with cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and optional vanilla bean powder. Made In A Pinch bulk recipe for gifts.

Picture this: it’s cold outside and you’re sitting by the fire in your cozy pajamas enjoying a cup of delicious hot chocolate.

Ahhh, just the thought of it makes me want to schedule a staycation right now 🙂

No joke…if you say “chocolate” around me, I start to drool. It’s slightly embarrassing.

In the winter, there is nothing better than a mug of piping hot (or at least lukewarm) hot chocolate.

It creates the feeling of instant coziness and makes even the coldest, dreariest days a little nicer.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix vs. Store-Bought Mix

So I did what I usually do and decided that it was time to create my own hot chocolate mix.  How hard could it be, right?

I started making my own hot cocoa mix because:

1. It tastes amazing
2. Anything made at home is healthier than a comparable store-bought, mass-produced version
3. It’s cheaper!

I wanted my hot chocolate mix to have a slight vanilla undertone in it.

First, I had to figure out how to tackle the vanilla undertone issue.  I couldn’t put liquid vanilla extract into a powder base.

Amazon became my research spot to see if there was such a thing as Vanilla Bean Powder…there is!

Then I began playing around with ratios to get the chocolate to sugar to vanilla ratio just right.

Thankfully, my 3 kids and a couple of family friends were more than willing to be my taste-testers!

Why You’ll Love This Bulk Hot Chocolate Mix

Made In A Pinch homemade hot cocoa mix is rich and chocolatey because it combines cocoa powder with finely processed semi-sweet chocolate chips. Dutch-processed cocoa has more flavor, optional ground vanilla bean powder adds a slight vanilla undertone, and the bulk batch stays ready for quick cups whenever hot chocolate is wanted.

Another benefit to this mix?

It’s a perfect DIY gift idea!  Simply find a cute jar that you love, add a bit of colorful or festive fabric over the lid and tie it on with either a rubber band or some twine.

Grab our recipe below and try making your own gourmet hot chocolate mix!

I’ve tried several versions of this hot cocoa mix, and my family loves this version! It gives a great chocolate flavor without being too sweet.

If you happen to like your hot cocoa a little sweeter, simply add more sugar to the recipe or put a few marshmallows into your cup while it’s still hot. Yum!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Ingredients

• Cocoa Powder – Dutch-processed has more flavor
• Sugar
• Ground vanilla bean powder – optional
• Salt – acts as a flavor enhancer
• Cornstarch
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Make a Cup of Hot Cocoa From This Mix

For one cup of Made In A Pinch homemade hot chocolate, stir 1–3 Tbsp of hot cocoa mix into about 8–10 oz of hot milk or water. Start with 1–2 Tbsp for a standard mug, use milk for a creamier drink, and add more mix for a richer chocolate flavor. For a larger 10–12 oz cup, adjust the amount of mix to taste.

The beautiful thing is that this recipe is a guide – adjust it any way you like it!

The hot cocoa labels (if you want to make this as a gift) give those basic instructions on them!

Creating the Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix in Bulk

Made In A Pinch homemade hot chocolate mix is made in bulk so you can blend one batch, store the powder in an air-tight container, and make individual mugs as needed. The finished mix can also be divided into small jars and paired with the printable labels for a simple homemade gift.

This hot chocolate is rich, creamy,  and delicious. It has a rich chocolatey flavor. Make some today and enjoy it all winter long!

Bulk Hot Cocoa Mix FAQs

Check Out These Popular Posts:

• Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe
• Homemade Creamy Grinch White Hot Chocolate
• Creamy Flavorful Homemade Eggnog Hot Chocolate
• 10 Affordable and Meaningful Christmas Gift Ideas
• 10 Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas That Kids Love

The Best Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I make this mix in bulk so that all I have to do when the kids want hot chocolate is spoon some into their cups! The rich, chocolatey flavor of this gourmet hot chocolate mix is sure to please the kid in all of us!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups cocoa powder dutch processed has more flavor
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp ground vanilla bean powder optional
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

 

1. Put sugar (and vanilla bean powder, if using) into a food processor and turn on the food processor to make the sugar more fine and powder-like. 
2. Let the food processor run for about 2-3 minutes.  Remove and put in a large bowl.
3. Put the chocolate chips into your food processor and turn it on. Continue blending until the chips become finely chopped pieces of chocolate (about 1-2 minutes), almost powder-like. Warning! This will be loud!
4. Working in batches, combine all the ingredients into the food processor and turn on to blend together, about 2 minutes.
5. As you finish each batch, dump your mix into a single bowl. Once all batches are completed, stir the powder mix in your bowl, and it’s done!
6. Put your hot cocoa powder into small jars to give away and add our free printable label for that final colorful touch, or store in an air-tight container.

Notes

Making Hot Chocolate:

Heat up a mug (about 8-10 oz) of milk (water can be used but won’t taste as “creamy”) until it’s hot.

Stir in 1-2 Tbsp of hot chocolate mix into your mug. (adjust to taste)

Drink up! Enjoy!

Topping options: whipped cream, ground cinnamon, chocolate flakes, cocoa powder, cinnamon stick, or mini marshmallows!!

* Put your hot cocoa powder into small jars to give away and add our free printable label for that final colorful touch, or store in an air-tight container.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Pin For Later!