Before hopping in the shower one day early last week, I flipped on the heater that corresponded to the bedroom section of the house. After finishing, I grabbed a snack and sat down at my desk to answer a few emails before dashing out to Target for pumpkin purée (for this amazing pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving!) and head to a Girls Night. Since our gas and electricity bill is already high enough because of how often I bake, I turned the heater back off before leaving the house.
After an incredibly fun evening of munching on the best crispy house-made potato chips at a cute restaurant, giggling through the recently released “Love the Coopers” movie at the theater, and chatting with both old and new friends, I finally arrived home eight hours later and switched the heater back on so I wouldn’t freeze while doing a little work before bed.
Ten minutes later, I stood up and planted my feet right under the vent in the ceiling. Looking up, I felt nothing. No hot air blowing, no cold air blowing… Just nothing.
The following evening, the repairman tinkered around with it before announcing that the heater’s motor had broken, and he would install a new one for us when the replacement part arrived the following week. He also showed us how to start the heater by hand in the meantime while we waited for him to return.
Because I didn’t want to risk numb fingers and toes, we pulled a few little space heaters out of storage that day, and I wore as many layers—shirts, sweaters, scarves, even beanies—as needed to stay warm. I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold!
But the silver lining of the broken heater debacle was that it provided the perfect excuse to drink lots of this 35-Calorie Hot Chocolate! Between both the classic plain and festive peppermint versions, we washed plenty of mugs over the past week… And I foresee many more in the near future!
This recipe is beyond easy. You just need 4 ingredients, most of which you already stash in your pantry and fridge. Even better, it’s ready in only a few minutes and costs a lot less than driving over to the coffee shop to get your holiday hot chocolate fix!
This simple hot chocolate begins with unsweetened cashew milk. It has just 25 calories per cup and a thicker consistency than regular dairy-based milk, as well as soy and almond milks, which makes it perfect for hot chocolate (and this homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer, too!). Its creaminess makes the hot chocolate taste a little more decadent, almost like it’s made with a hint of real cream!
The most important ingredients are the cocoa powder and the vanilla crème stevia. You can’t have hot chocolate without some sort of chocolate and sweetener! Cocoa powder provides the rich chocolaty taste for a fraction of the calories of melted chocolate, so you’ll use 1 full tablespoon in each serving.
As for the other ingredient, vanilla crème stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s really concentrated. A little goes a long way! It comes in a small glass bottle with an eyedropper, and you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. I love the SweetLeaf brand because of its warm vanilla flavor.
Tip: You’ll also use the same vanilla crème stevia in these recipes of mine!
♥ Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte
♥ Skinny Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
♥ Skinny Gingerbread Latte
♥ Skinny Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
♥ The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Pie
♥ Cinnamon Roll Almond Butter
♥ Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
♥ and more!
So now, all that’s left to do is whisk those ingredients together in a small saucepan—plus a few drops of peppermint extract, if you want a festive holiday version!—and warm them over medium-low heat. Try your best to incorporate as much of the cocoa powder as possible before turning on the stove, but any lingering tiny clumps will dissolve in the hot milk. Then…
Pour yourself a mug and enjoy!
| 35-Calorie Hot Chocolate | | Print |
- 2 cups (480mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- 3 drops peppermint extract (optional)
- Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan, and whisk together until the cocoa powder is mostly incorporated. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through. Pour into mugs and enjoy.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low calorie, sugar-free}
Hi, I can’t have stevia so am wondering how to make this with liquid Splenda. I have vanilla extract so could easily combine them. Thanks! I make frozen hot chocolate often and can use this mix for it.
Yes! You can definitely make this with liquid Splenda — and no need for vanilla extract! You’ll probably want the equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, but adjust the amount of liquid Splenda to suit your tastes. (We like our hot chocolate on the not-so-sweet side, so you may want more! 😉 ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe!
Hi Amy! Do you have a favorite brand for the milk and cocoa powder?
Silk for the cashew milk and Hershey’s for the cocoa powder! Two of the biggest staples in my pantry/fridge! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this hot chocolate, Molly!
I know it’s a strange season to be trying out a hot chocolate recipe, but hey, I had a surplus of almond milk. And it’s just as tasty as the cashew milk version! I did something a little wicked and put a spoonful of peanut butter in the milk as it was heating up. Oh-so good ??
That doesn’t sound wicked at all — that sounds brilliant!! Probably like drinking a Reese’s peanut butter cup, right?? I need to remember that trick Celina — thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hey Amy, I just tried this and I love it! I’m trying to lose some fat but I have a sweet tooth so your recipes are much appreciated.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this hot chocolate Sunny! Thanks for taking the time to let me know — that really means a lot to me! 🙂
Thanks for replying! I’m so excited to try one of the baked desserts next… My sweet tooth is killing me! You have so many recipes and I’ve been looking through them like a maniac, everything looks delicious. Could you perhaps recommend a few that you think might be lower calories? You have them labelled type and nutrition type but not really calories (I’m more of a calorie-counter!)
It’s my pleasure, Sunny! I’m truly honored that you’d like to try one of my baked desserts next. That means the world to me! 🙂 Basically of my recipes are actually lower in calories compared to “traditional” recipes! The best way to find a specific recipe is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located on the right side, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). I always try to include the number of calories along with the full nutrition information underneath each recipe too, so hopefully that’s useful to you!
I can’t wait to hear which recipe you decide to try making next and what you think of it!
I’m in the same boat as Susan and went looking for a sweet alternative to raiding my pantry. This completely did the trick. I used what I had already, unsweetened flax milk, cocoa powder and monk fruit zero cal sweetener. I feel completely satisfied and didn’t blow my calorie goal. THANK YOU!!
Sorry, Sunny not Susan; should wear my glasses more often..
I’m SO glad you loved this hot chocolate, Wendi!! It truly means a lot that you felt completely satisfied after drinking this. That’s the best kind of compliment! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Do you think sugar-free vanilla Starbucks sweetener would work instead?
Yes! You’ll need more of it to achieve the same sweetness level (the stevia that I use is really concentrated!), so I’d recommend using about 1 tablespoon to start and increasing as needed to achieve the sweetness level that you’d like. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this hot chocolate, Zayne!
Hello Amy, thanks for the recipe! I’m looking forward to trying it. I’m wondering if i can substitute cashew to oat milk and since I don’t have access to vanilla crème stevia would regular vanilla syrup would work?(i know higher in calories:/ ) and how much should i add?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, RayRay! I’ve actually covered the answer to both of your questions in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 Twelve drops of the vanilla stevia that I use is the equivalent of approximately 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, so I’d recommend your vanilla syrup’s equivalent of that. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this hot chocolate!