Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe

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“I made this last night and packaged up two jars to gift. Then I made a couple of mugs so we could try it, and it was delicious! Thank you so much for this quick and easy Christmas gift!”
– KRISTEN –
This homemade hot chocolate mix is my new favorite food gift this holiday season! It is stupendously easy to make—you can make dozens of gift jars in just a few minutes—and who doesn’t love a cozy mug of hot cocoa on a winter’s day?
The resulting hot cocoa is dreamy, creamy and packed with rich chocolate flavor—this isn’t your run-of-the-mill grocery store packets!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Give the gift of a mug of cozy with this stupendously easy DIY hot cocoa mix!
I first made this hot cocoa mix for a PTA event at my daughter’s school. I setup a hot chocolate bar for 60 teachers with a giant container of this mix so they could make hot cocoa on demand. The number of emails I got the next day begging for the hot cocoa mix recipe was wild—tons of teachers told me it was the best hot chocolate they’d ever had!

Here’s why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s super easy to pull together. Have a bowl and a whisk? Then you can make this mix. We’re talking just a few minutes here!
- There is a secret ingredient that makes this hot chocolate extra luscious and rich. Shhhh, it’s mini chocolate chips!
- Gift it or keep it on hand for easy-peasy hot cocoa. This makes an easy and affordable holiday gift, but it also makes a great pantry staple for easy hot chocolate in your own home.
- It’s kitchen-tested and family-approved. I’ve personally made this exact hot chocolate recipes for dozens of folks (including all those teachers!) to rave reviews. You can trust this recipe.

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Step-by-Step how to MAKE HOT COCOA MIX
1
Your only actual job: whisking.
In a large bowl whisk together powdered sugar (it’s way better than granulated sugar in this recipe because it dissolves super fast), dried milk, cocoa powder, salt, and mini chocolate chips. This is also the time to add any flavorings you want—vanilla powder, espresso powder, mint chips, and ground cinnamon are all fun options!
2
Store the mix in an airtight container.
I like to spoon it into a pretty canning jar. Each batch of mix will make enough to fill three pint jars.
3
Add a tag and ribbon, if you’d like.
If you’re gifting the mix (or if you just want it to look fancy in your pantry), add on the free printable tag I made and some nice ribbon.
4
Make up a mug of hot chocolate.
To make a mug of hot chocolate: combine 1/2 cup mix with 3/4 cup of hot water or milk in a mug, stir well until frothy and well-combined. I highly recommend using whole milk for the ultimate creamy experience! An immersion blender or frother can also help make a really frothy mug of hot chocolate!
WATCH Me MAKE HOT COCOA MIX
HOT COCOA MIX protips

Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups dried milk whole is preferred, but nonfat works
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed preferred
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to 6 months.
- To make a mug of hot chocolate: combine ½ cup mix with ¾ cup of hot water or milk in a mug, stir well until frothy and well-combined.
Video
Notes
- To package for gifting, pour the mix into Ball® Canning’s 16 ounce Jar. Print out our gifting tags, and tie onto the jar with ribbon, string, or raffia. This recipe makes enough for 3 pint-size jars.
- Water works fine for this, but to make an even creamier mug of hot cocoa, use hot milk.
- An immersion blender or frother can help make a really frothy mug of hot chocolate!
- To make this vegan, swap out the dried milk for dried coconut milk, and make sure to grab chocolate chips that are dairy-free.
- Regular cocoa powder works here, but in our tests, we preferred the flavor of making the mix with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It had a richer flavor, darker color, and less of the acidic bite that can sometimes come from cocoa powder.
- Optional (but delicious!) add-ins: vanilla powder, espresso powder, mint chips, or cinnamon.
Looking for more gift ideas?
Check out our new cookbook:
Gifts in Jars
This full-color cookbook has 80 quick and easy handmade food gift ideas for every budget!
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