Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (2024)

Rich, Creamy Hot Chocolate can be made from home with this Homemade Hot Coca Mix! Create your own hot chocolate powder that tastes better than the store bought stuff! Deemed the Best Hot Cocoa Mix in our home, this version includes powdered pudding for added flavor and creaminess!1

Have you ever wondered how to make your own Hot Cocoa Mix?

It’s really quite simple and you’ll quickly find it tastes so much better than the store bought stuff!

This Homemade Hot Chocolate Powder is made from simple ingredients and is oh so tasty!

My recipe includes Powdered Milk, Powdered Sugar, Powdered Creamer, Cocoa Powder and my secret ingredients of Pudding Powder.

Have you ever heard of Hot Cocoa Mix with pudding?

You’ll have to trust me on this one.

It gives the cup of hot cocoa a boost in flavor as well as makes it a little thicker.

This Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe was created after many failed attempts at all the “top rated” versions.

I had a slew of people sip taste test multiple hot chocolate recipes and this one was our favorite!

It’s because of all these wonderful people that I’ll just deem this as the Best Hot Cocoa Mix out there.

Some call it a Hot Cocoa Mix, others call it a Hot Cocoa Powder and there are even some who just say Hot Chocolate Mix.

If you have ever wanted to learn how to make your own Hot Chocolate Mix yourself, then you’ve come to the right place!

It’s so simple anyone can whip up a batch.

Even those of you who feel like you don’t have a single ounce of culinary skill.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix is makes for a great gift, stocking stuffer or even birthday gift.

Quite frankly, Hot Chocolate Mix is a tasty treat all winter long – not just during the Holidays.

I love coming in from a day of sledding to a hot cup of hot chocolate.

And no matter how good you are trying to be, sometimes you just need a sip of your childhood!

A hot cup of hot chocolate is definitely one of my favorite things about winter.

I am not a huge fan of winter.

However I do love a cup of the Best Hot Cocoa to warm me up on a cold day.

I also find that hot chocolate is comforting.

An indulgence that not only warms my hands, heart and soul, but puts me in a calmer, relaxed mood.

It’s not uncommon to find a cup of hot chocolate sitting on a counter in my kitchen that I slowly sip on over a period of time.

I am definitely not the person who downs an entire glass in a matter of minutes.

Instead I like to savor it, sip on it and watch the whipped cream or marshmallows slowly melt.

I’m also a big fan of hot chocolate during a good card game.

I’ve found store bought hot cocoa mixes are weak and flavorless.

You need 2 packets per glass of water to get any flavor and even then it’s just average.

This year I experimented with a variety of “top rated” recipes and overall didn’t have one that really stood out to me.

Instead, each one offered something I liked about it.

I then took those features that I did like, and put them together to create this Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix.

There is something about making a cocoa powder with ingredients you have heard of and probably already have in your pantry.

I also love that it’s secret ingredient is chocolate pudding.

This may seem odd to you.

However the chocolate pudding not only adds a rich chocolate flavor but it also thickens up the cocoa so it doesn’t have the thin watery texture.

Plus the longer you let your hot chocolate cool, the thicker it will get.

This might seem crazy but I love a thicker hot chocolate.

My Thick and Creamy Coconut Hot Chocolate as well as my Crock Pot Peppermint Hot Chocolate are both a thicker Hot Cocoa.

The pudding allows me to upgrade my powder to a more luxurious hot chocolate experience!

Now here’s the real trick to this hot chocolate powder.

You can use any flavor of creamer and any flavor of pudding to create your own non-traditional flavor.

Think Mint Chocolate Hot Cocoa or Caramel Hot Cocoa.

Really whatever you can dream up, is possible with the various creamer options they offer these days as well as all the flavors of pudding!

As for me I like to make a double batch of this (as photographed).

I then pass it out to family and friends while keeping a nice sized jar for myself to use over time.

This Hot Coca Mix is my favorite version and I hope will soon become yours too!

Whip up a cup or two and have a taste for yourself to see why I deem this the Best Hot Cocoa Mix I’ve had.

What is the History of Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate is believed to have been invented 2500 – 3000 years ago by the Mayan people. Over time, it has changed forms and adapted as it has been introduced to various cultures. However it is believe that by 1400 AD a cocoa drink had become an essential part of their culture.

Introduced to Europe by Mexico, this drink has gained in popularity!

Each country has it’s own version and name for the drink.

In Latin America, they drink Spiced Chocolate called Para Mesa. In Italy they enjoy a very thick chocolate drink called Cioccolata Calada. And in Spain they serve Chocolate a la Taza. However, here in the United States, we prefer the thinnest of all chocolate drinks, Hot Chocolate.

Despite knowing it most commonly as Hot Chocolate or Hot Cocoa here in the United States, it has even more names around the world that you may have heard of.

Some refer to it as Hot Chocolate, Cocoa, Drinking Chocolate and and Chocolate Tea. I’ve also heard it referred to as Christmas Tea.

All names sound delicious and mean slightly different things. However all represent the basic idea of a drink made with chocolate.

How is Chocolate Made?

We are all taught that chocolate grows on trees in pods. However have you ever seen the process in which it is made?

The beans are fermented for days to create the beginning stages of what we know as chocolate. The concept of cocoa being a fermented item took me completely by surprise! And the entire process of making cocoa, I find to be fascinating. If you have Netflix account, I recommend watching Cooked – Episode 4 titled “Earth”. This episode is absolutely fascinating.

Unlike much of our food, you can’t just pick a cocoa pod and eat it. It’s a long scientific process to create what we all know and love today. One of which boggles my mind when you realize that it was invented 3000 years ago. How did they stumble upon this idea of taking a cocoa seed, fermenting it and discovering the end result?

Who ever was the original inventor of the process, I applaud him. Though not named, and will never be known, I am grateful for their ingenious discovery. I’m going to put the discovery of chocolate at the top of my favorite discoveries along with indoor plumbing and electricity!

It’s amazing at all the wonderful things cocoa has been transformed into over the years. I am so grateful for the modern world in which we live and the ability I have to access it daily! It is no longer a rare luxury, but a daily indulgence in our home!

This Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix is one of the many daily indulgences I enjoy. If you love hot creamy Hot Cocoa and want to learn how to make hot cocoa mix at home, then you’ve come to the right place!