My favorite delicious healthy hot chocolate recipe that’s vegan and dairy-free! This dairy-free hot chocolate is made with almond milk, raw cacao powder, and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. The perfect cozy drink during the chilly winter months!

It’s not winter without a warm, cozy mug of hot chocolate. I make hot chocolate almost daily in the month of December. There’s something so comforting about wrapping your hands around a hot mug of chocolately goodness!

If you grew up drinking Swiss Miss (remember those packets that you mixed with milk or water?), this is going to become your new favorite hot chocolate that’s actually healthy and free of all those nasty preservatives and added sugar.

Ingredients in this healthy hot chocolate

This healthy hot chocolate recipe only requires four simple ingredients:

Almond Milk: I prefer unsweetened almond milk since theres no sugar added to it. You can also make your own almond milk from scratch.

Cacao Powder: Cocoa powder and cacao powder are very similar, the only difference being that cocoa is processed at a much higher temperature (and often packaged cocoa contains added sugar and dairy). Both start out as beans from the cacao plant, which are separated from the fatty part known as cocoa butter. At harvest, cacao beans are fermented to develop flavor and texture. Cacao powder is often packaged as vegan, as it has been minimally processed with no additives.

Cacao products are rich in disease-fighting plant compounds including flavanols, which have antioxidant, heart-protective, and anti-cancer properties. It’s also a good source of iron, fiber, and magnesium. 

Pure Maple Syrup: High quality pure maple syrup is a great natural sweetner and tastes absolutely delicious in this recipe!

Vanilla Extract: All you need is a little splash of vanilla extract to bring our the flavor in this hot chocolate.

This healthy hot chocolate is creamy, perfectly sweet, rich, and chocolately.

I suggest topping this hot chocolate with a handful of marshmallows or dairy-free whipped cream for the ultimate treat. If you’re looking for a vegan marshmallow brand, I love Dandies!

Catch me sharing this recipe with my friends at Twin Cities Live! You can watch the full clip from the segment below:

I hope you love this healthy hot chocolate and enjoy sipping it wrapped in a blanket by the fire. Enjoy!

If you try this recipe, leave a comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter for recipes sent straight to your inbox or follow along on Instagram.