Healthy Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

 
Throughout my childhood, my parents loaded duffle bags, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, pillows, ice chests, and a tent into our minivan, checked to make sure my brother and I seatbelted ourselves in, and drove up to the mountains for summer weekend getaways. We switched off between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe as our final destinations, but we loved both equally for their beautiful scenery and numerous hiking trails.  

As soon as we eased to a stop in the campground, we unloaded the tent from the car first. After helping our parents hammer in the stakes and snap all of the poles into place, we started carrying the duffles and sleeping bags over to the tent, making sure we took off our shoes before slipping inside to minimize the amount of dirt that crept in.

We had that whole routine down to a science!
 

 
As little kids, my brother and I often woke up really early, right around 6 am and well before most of the other visitors in the campground even stirred. But our incredibly smart mom knew how to keep us quiet…

She invited us to sit at the wooden picnic table in our campsite, and she opened up the small gas-powered stove. After lighting it, she put a pot of water on the burner to bring it to a boil, and she handed each of us two coffee mugs.
 

 
While waiting for the water to boil, we each ripped open two paper packets: one of instant hot chocolate mix (complete with mini marshmallows!), and one of flavored oatmeal (I loved the apple cinnamon the most!). We dumped those into our two coffee mugs, and once the water was hot enough, Mom poured in just enough for us.

We each grabbed two spoons, stirred our mugs to mix their contents with the water, and waited for a few minutes for the instant hot chocolate and oatmeal to work their magic. (And because we hated burning our tongues too!)
 

 
While at the grocery store last week picking up more coffee, I spotted a box of those same instant hot chocolate packages from my childhood. I smiled, but I left them on the shelves… And I made this healthy pumpkin spice hot chocolate back at home instead!

It’s smooth, rich, and chocolaty — and I think it tastes better than those hot chocolate packets! I love the way those cozy pumpkin pie spices pair with the decadent chocolate flavor. This hot chocolate is so simple to make too!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN SPICE HOT CHOCOLATE

Let’s quickly go over how to make this healthy homemade pumpkin spice hot chocolate!

To start, you’ll need milk. I actually prefer unsweetened cashew milk for my healthy homemade hot chocolate! It’s much thicker than almond milk or nonfat milk, and it has a similar thickness to whole milk or light cream. That texture makes this healthy pumpkin spice hot chocolate seem much more indulgent than it actually is!

Next, you’ll need pumpkin purée. Remember to buy the regular kind, not pumpkin pie mix! The latter contains added spices and refined sugar, which can change the way it behaves in recipes. (Especially baked goods!)
 

 
Instead, you’ll add your own sweetener and spices to your healthy homemade pumpkin spice hot chocolate. For the spices, you’ll need cinnamon, along with a teensy pinch of both nutmeg and ginger. I actually prefer a stronger spice flavor in my hot chocolate, so I usually add a little bit extra!

For the sweetener, I used liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also really concentrated! This is the kind I use because I don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products, and I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Hint: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so if you opt for something besides the one I used, you may need to adjust the amount. (But that’s really easy to do with hot chocolate!)

Tip: I included other sweetener alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to use something else to make this healthy pumpkin spice hot chocolate. Many other options will work!
 

 
Of course, we can’t forget the unsweetened cocoa powder! We definitely need a chocolate component to make this healthy homemade pumpkin spice hot chocolate. 😉 I prefer using the regular kind, instead of Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. The latter two end up tasting more muted and not as rich as regular unsweetened cocoa powder!

However, one quick note… The cocoa powder can easily overpower the pumpkin flavor. I don’t mind that at all — I love the flavor combination of rich chocolate and the cozy pumpkin spices! — but if you want a stronger pumpkin flavor, then just reduce the amount of cocoa powder that you use.

Now all that’s left to do is whisk those ingredients together in a pot, cook them over medium-low heat until warmed all the way through, and…
 

 
Enjoy your festive fall drink! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy pumpkin spice hot chocolate!

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 2 servings

This fun flavor twist on classic hot chocolate is perfect for cool autumn mornings! It’s full of rich chocolate flavor and cozy spices. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to serve more, too!

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients 

• 2 cups (480mL) unsweetened cashew milk
• 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• 2 tbsp (30g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• tiny pinch ground nutmeg
• tiny pinch ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients to a small pot, and whisk until the cocoa powder is fully dissolved. Place the pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the milk is thoroughly warmed through (about 2-3 minutes). Pour into two mugs and serve immediately.

Notes

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, this hot chocolate has a prominent chocolate flavor, and it’s very hard to detect the pumpkin. If you prefer a stronger pumpkin flavor, reduce the cocoa powder to 2-3 teaspoons instead.

 

I actually prefer a stronger spice flavor, so I typically use almost double the amount of each of the three spices!

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk will work in place of the unsweetened cashew milk. (I prefer it because it has a much thicker texture than almond milk or nonfat milk, closer to that of light cream or whole milk.)

 

COCOA POWDER NOTE: I actually recommend against using Dutched or special dark cocoa powder in this recipe. Both of those have a more muted flavor that isn’t nearly as rich as regular unsweetened cocoa powder.

 

SPICES ALTERNATIVE: If you prefer using store-bought pumpkin pie spice, substitute a generous ⅛ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

 

SWEETENER NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found.

 

Any sweetener may be substituted for the liquid stevia (ie pure maple syrup, honey, agave, coconut sugar, granulated sucralose, etc). I recommend starting with your preferred sweetener's equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of sugar — but adjust the amount of your preferred sweetener to suit your tastes!

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, paleo, sugar-free, low carb}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Hot Chocolate
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
♡  Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte
♡  Healthy Peppermint Mocha
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy drink recipes!