Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
A dairy free hot chocolate recipe made with almond milk and topped with coconut whipped cream. Tastes just as delicious as regular hot cocoa, and is ready in the microwave in less than 5 minutes! Paleo, vegan and gluten free.
Shawn and I had a *super* fancy date on Saturday night.
Well, as fancy a date as new parents to a 3 week old can have. We cuddled on the couch with our Christmas tree all lit up, a Christmas tree scented candle burning, and watched Love Actually while Josh slept like a little angel on Shawn’s chest. It was absolute heaven.
Half way thru the movie, I got a hankering for something sweet and Christmasy. Hot cocoa!
Only problem is, I’m pretty sure Josh has a dairy sensitivity. When we got home from the hospital, I started enjoying a yogurt with my breakfast, cheese on my sandwich at lunch, and a good 3 scoops of ice cream for dessert. Plus, Shawn and I polished off a whole batch of these Gooey Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars in like 5 days. I’m serious.
Within a couple days, Josh started spitting up a ton, having gas, and was waking up fussy. I did some research, and these are all symptoms of a dairy sensitivity. Little babies can have a hard time digesting cows milk until they’re about 6 months old. I gave up all dairy right away, and am already noticing a HUGE difference just 1 week later. My happy baby is back!
So no dairy for me for at least 6 months.
I decided to experiment around in the kitchen to see if I could make a dairy free version of my usual go-to hot chocolate recipe. Rather than using whole milk, I used unsweetened almond milk. Luckily I had dairy free semi sweet chocolate chips on hand (Trader Joe’s are the BEST! They melt wonderfully too.) Add in some cocoa powder and sugar, and a splash of vanilla extract (and peppermint extract if you want to make it extra Christmasy). To make it over the top good, I topped it with coconut whipped cream.
It tasted delicious! I couldn’t even tell it was a dairy free hot chocolate. Without the coconut whipped cream it tasted exactly like regular hot chocolate. With the coconut whipped cream, it did get more of a coconut flavor. I happen to love coconut, so I love the flavor. But if you’re not a fan of coconut, you’ll want to skip it.
The real test was giving it to Shawn. I didn’t tell him it was dairy free to see if he would notice. He gulped it down and couldn’t tell! So you know it’s good.
Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons dairy free semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- coconut whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- In a microwave safe measuring cup, microwave the almond milk for 3 minutes.
- Once the almond milk is warm, add the chocolate chips, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract (and optional peppermint extract). Whisk to combine.
- Microwave for another 1 minute, or until desired temperature is reached.
- Pour into a mug, and top with coconut whipped cream.
- See the Recipe Notes below for more tips, FAQ's and ingredient substitutions.
Notes
More Dairy Free Sweet Treats
Healthy Chocolate Tart (made with avocados!)
24 Comments on “Dairy Free Hot Chocolate”
Awesome recipe! I added an extra tablespoon of allergy friendly chocolate chips and coconut sugar. So delicious!
My 9.5 month old daughter has a dairy intolerance but trying dairy next month!
Adding a little extra chocolate chips and coconut sugar is always a good idea Laurie! :)
3 minutes is way too long to microwave I cup of almond milk! I should have know better than to follow those directions! When I took the almond milk out Of the microwave and added the next ingredient the milk exploded all over the place and burned my hand.
Gosh I apologize that you burned your hand on your hot cocoa Deanna. Shoot! Microwave times can vary depending on the wattage of your microwave. Maybe next time microwave it for a much shorter amount of time. Three minutes is the perfect amount of time in my microwave that I recipe test on and I really apologize that it wasn’t the correct amount of time in your microwave.
Add a pinch of salt–salt enhances the flavor of chocolate. (Literally just a light pinch.)
Aw, that’s too bad that dairy bothers him! At least you could figure out what it was though so you can avoid it! This hot chocolate looks fantastic!
All of my babies had a dairy sensitivity when they were little, too. Lucky for me, cheese and yogurt didn’t bother them so much as milk and ice cream. :) I’m glad you figured out what was bothering your little guy!
This hot chocolate looks so rich and creamy! I’m glad you found a way to still enjoy hot cocoa this season!
Awww, that does sound perfect!! Love Actually is one of my favorite and we watch it every year! I’ve been craving hot chocolate lately but haven’t gotten my hands on any yet. This dairy free version looks delicious!
Wow this hot chocolate looks amazing, Nat! I am also not having any dairy. It is about 6 months that I don’t drink milk and I am happy that now at Starbucks you can order your hot chocolate with coconut milk instead soy milk (I don’t like soy milk). I love your dairy free version and I’ll try to make it. It looks easy!
So glad to here you and your baby our doing very well. Please, post more pictures when you can or maybe your can email me. Your little boy is so so so cute ;-)
Hah! We are recipe twins! Great minds think alike :) Your saturday night sounds perfect! And dairy free aint so bad is it? Good thing you figured it out!
It’s such a relief getting to the bottom of a dietary issue, especially for little Josh. SO glad to hear he’s okay. And this delicious hot cocoa FTW! One of my favorite holiday movies is love actually and then it’s a wonderful life! Looking forward to curling up on the couch with those two and some hot cocoa! xo
I am so glad that you figured out he was sensitive to dairy so early on! And that he is a happy boy again!
6 months will go by so fast pretty mama!
This cocoa looks great! Oh man, it’s so rough when they are sensitive to dairy! And it’s alarming too, that spitting up can be shocking! Glad you figured it out. And I know where you can find a lot of good dairy free recipes. ;)
I’m glad your little one is feeling better, Natalie! This hot cocoa looks like a perfect drink to enjoy, love that it’s dairy free too!
So glad that you figured out what was causing the problem! Poor little guy! I think I would totally be able to live without dairy too if I had this gorgeous hot chocolate on hand 24/7! It looks even better than the usual dairy hot chocolate!
That date night in sounds like perfection! That reminds me I need to get my annual Love Actually fix in soon. Glad to hear you figured out the issue with dairy quickly. I love experimenting with a dairy-free alternative and finding it works beautifully. And fooling people. :) Gorgeous photos — happy weekend you three!
Aaw yay! I’m so glad Josh is feeling better and back to his happy self. I cut out gluten and dairy when I had my little ones too. This hot chocolate looks and sounds perfect for cuddling up on the couch on date night near the Christmas tree:)
I’m so glad you figured out what was causing Josh discomfort! Glad he’s back to his happy little self :) I bet the three of you cuddled upon the couch is just adorable! SO glad you shared this hot chocolate and I can’t wait to try it!
Why yes, I will have a mug… Or three! Thanks for asking ? LOL!
I’m so glad to hear Josh is feeling better! This hot chocolate looks just as good as any dairy version, and I love that almond milk has less calories so I don’t feel quite as guilty! Lol. Enjoy your first Christmas as a family of 3!
Wow this hot chocolate looks SO good, Natalie! I’ve never thought to create a dairy free version, so I’m loving this! And ready in 5 minutes? Sign me up! Sounds perfect for cozying up with a Christmas movie!
This looks so amazing, Natalie! I love that you created a yummy dairy free version. Pinned! I’m glad Josh is feeling better and you figured out what was wrong! You’re a good mom :).