This creamy Protein Hot Chocolate comes together in just 5 minutes. It's such an easy protein hot chocolate without cocoa powder that you can customize it to use milk, white, or ruby chocolate!
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About this recipe
Protein Hot Cocoa: Did you know that most Mesoamerican cultures had and still have some sort of foaming ritual surrounding the preparation of drinking chocolate? Those charged with preparing the sacred cacao beverages would pour the mixture from one vessel to another in order to produce a thick foam on top.
This protein hot chocolate will allow you to do the same thing from the comfort of your home, and likely with even more skin-protecting benefits than those ancient botanicals offered.
Batching-Friendly: this is a very easy vegan protein hot chocolate recipe to make the night before or up to a week ahead in a large batch. You can even make chocolate chips hot chocolate, that is, hot chocolate made from chocolate chips (with a scoop or two of protein, of course!).
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate of Choice: you can use any chocolate you'd like, but to increase the nutrition of your protein chocolate milk, I recommend using a craft chocolate with at least 70% cacao.
Full-Fat Milk: whatever your chosen milk, make sure it's got a bit of fat in it. I'd recommend coconut milk or macadamia milk, if you don't tolerate dairy, though oat milk is another good pick.
Heavy Cream or Coconut Cream: this is optional, but a couple tablespoons of dairy or coconut cream is the secret to a rich hot chocolate, especially if you're batching the recipe.
Maple Syrup: you can also use maple cream, but this dash of maple adds some sweetness to balance out whichever protein you use. There are a number of alternative sweeteners you could use instead, however.
Vanilla: while optional, this does add a lot more flavor and complexity to your final cup.
Chocolate Protein or Collagen: these are what give that added boost to your hot chocolate collagen latte. I like Vital Proteins collagen powder for its added vitamin c and hyaluronic acid, and the general quality of the product & reputation of the brand.
How to make protein hot cocoa: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Put the chocolate, cream, salt, vanilla, and maple syrup in a heat-proof bowl, and then microwave for 2 minutes on 30% power. While the chocolate heats, measure your milk and collagen powder into separate bowls.
Step 2. If your chocolate comes out not hot enough after a couple minutes, you can microwave it for 20-second increments on 30% power, then take it out once hot to the touch but not steaming, and mix it well with a fork, until it forms a ganache.
Step 3. Pour your milk into the bowl, on top of the chocolate ganache, letting the liquid melt with your chocolate for a minute, and then blend everything together.
Pro-Tip: If you don't let the chocolate and the milk sit and even out the temperatures, your chocolate may get chunky again, so take the time to wait, if you can.
Step 4. Finally, add in your scoop-and-a-half of collagen or protein powder, and quickly blend it into the hot chocolate and voila! All done. Adding mint oil or ginger puree or even lemon zest would be a beautiful mix-up if you plan to make this a regular part of your routine.
Recipe notes & tips
Use Dark Chocolate: Remember to use a high-percentage craft chocolate in your protein hot cocoa! Otherwise your drink will end up lower in protein and flatter-tasting rather than complex.
Whip It... Whip It Good: Whip up your drink with an extra 30 seconds on the frother; it really makes a difference, if you like a good foam!
Non-Dairy Tip: If you're going to use a non-dairy milk in your protein cocoa, I'd recommend using a creamier option, like macadamia or coconut milk, rather than the more common finds like oat or almond milk.
Protein Hot Chocolate FAQ
Yes it is, if you use sugar-free chocolate and a keto-approved mylk, like almond milk.
If you use dark chocolate & a vegan protein powder rather than collagen, then yes, you can make vegan protein hot chocolate.
Yes! Assuming your protein powder is dense, you can add about 15g of protein per serving of protein hot chocolate without starting to negatively affect the flavor or texture.
This recipe derives its richness from cacao in its whole form, so I really encourage you to use dark chocolate. That said, vital proteins hot cocoa mix is good quality, as are a lot of different cocoa powders, so you can swap them for the chocolate + an extra tablespoon of milk.
Homemade Protein Hot Chocolate Recipe Card
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a 5-star review or comment!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Protein Hot Chocolate (Without Cocoa Powder)
Ingredients
- 2 oz high quality dark chocolate 70%+ is best, and the source of the cacao is important, as some companies use beans that make a very bitter chocolate
- 5 oz milk of choice
- 1 oz. heavy cream can swap for more milk
- 15 g collagen powder or chocolate protein powder 1.5 scoops; I like and have been using Vital Proteins brand
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or maple cream
- pinch of salt
- dash of vanilla
Instructions
- Put the chocolate, cream, salt, vanilla, and maple syrup in a heat-proof bowl, and then microwave for 2 minutes on 30% power. While the chocolate heats, measure your milk and collagen powder into separate bowls.
- If your chocolate comes out not hot enough after a couple minutes, you can microwave it for 20-second increments on 30% power, then take it out once hot to the touch but not steaming, and mix it well with a fork, until it forms a ganache.
- Pour your milk into the bowl, on top of the chocolate ganache, letting the liquid melt with your chocolate for a minute, and then blend everything together. If you don't let it sit and even out the temperatures, your chocolate may get chunky again, so take the time to wait, if you can.
- Finally, add in your scoop-and-a-half of collagen or protein powder, and quickly blend it into the hot chocolate and voila! All done. Adding mint oil or ginger puree or even lemon zest would be a beautiful mix-up if you plan to make this a regular part of your routine.
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