To make this Mexican Hot Chocolate for One, you can use any type of milk and chocolate you’d like, from full-fat to fat-free and any level of sugar. Along with some delicious quality chocolate and a few spices, you’ll just need access to a stove top or a microwave!
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About this recipe
Trick to Mexican Hot Cocoa: use real chocolate! Unlike a typical powdered hot cocoa mix from a packet, or even a homemade version using with cocoa powder, this recipe calls for (ideally) cacao paste or baking chocolate or any other high-percentage chocolate you have around.
Delicious DIY: not only can you adjust the sweetness of your hot cocoa depending on the type of chocolate you use, but you can also adjust the flavor & intensity. Since this recipe only calls for two tablespoons of chocolate per person, to make it more chocolatey, just add more cocoa. It’s easy to add in a couple of hot chocolate add-ins to dress up your cup even more.
Quick & Thick: with just five minutes and a trusty stovetop, you can make this simple Mexican hot chocolate for one or for many. Plus, it’s easily made vegan-friendly!
Ingredients
Milk of Choice: whatever your chosen milk, make sure it’s got a bit of fat in it. If you don’t eat dairy, then I’d recommend macadamia or coconut milk, though oat milk is another good pick.
Mexican Chocolate: ideally you’d use a block of cacao paste, which is 100% ground cacao nibs. But realistically, most Mexican hot chocolate disks are made with sugar and corn starch already inside, so you don’t need any additional sweeteners.
If you don’t have access to Mexican chocolate, however, you can also use any chocolate you’d like, but to increase the nutrition of your Mexican drinking chocolate, I recommend using a craft chocolate with at least 70% cacao.
Corn Starch: this is optional, just for thickening if your cacao disk doesn’t already contain it, but it helps give the Mexican-style hot chocolate it’s characteristic heft (the same amount of arrowroot or tapioca starch is a good grain-free alternative).
Vanilla: this is a spice native to the Americas, traditionally added to ceremonial cacao beverages. In this case it helps add a sweetness and pleasing complexity to your cocoa.
Cinnamon: while not actually native to the Americas, cinnamon is a modern addition that’s become expected in most homemade Mexican hot chocolates, and here it helps add to that comforting flavor.
Cayenne: another spice native to the Americas, hot pepper and achiote (annatto) are two red coloring agents used in ancient ceremonial cacao beverages, from which the modern Mexican hot chocolate has evolved. Here it adds a nice kick to your drink!
How to make Mexican hot chocolate: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Take your water or milk of choice and heat it in a saucepan over the stove on medium-low (or nuke it in the microwave in 20-second increments at 40% power), warming it with either method until it’s just a bit too hot to touch (this will take a couple minutes). Do not let it boil, as it can ruin the milk (fine with water).
Step 2. This is the real trick to the best Mexican hot chocolate (even if you’ve got the premade disks, like I do): chop your chocolate very small, and heat the milk by itself. So while your liquid is heating, shave or chop up your chosen chocolate, whether it comes in bar, disk, or chip form, until it’s in little slivers.
Step 3. Once just starting to bubble, add in all of your chocolate, corn starch, and spices, and stir until well-combined (about 30 seconds). Then turn off the heat and move the pan to a different surface, letting the pan or mug sit alone for a minute. Don’t touch it.
This rest allows the cacao paste or chocolate to fully melt naturally, and if you over-heated your liquid, it could burn the chocolate or even separate the cacao solids from the cocoa butter, so stick to a low heat. Do this even if you used cocoa powder, as it will help the cornstarch thicken properly.
Step 4. After a minute, slowly stir or whisk your drink together, combining the milk and chocolate from the bottom of the container up. If the fat and solids in the chocolate do separate, never fear.
Just use a high-powered whisk or an immersion blender to re-combine everything; this will also make for a frothier drink (more traditional, in fact). This is when I usually add a pinch of salt to contrast the sweetness, but serve your Mexican hot cocoa however you’d like and enjoy!
Recipe notes & tips
Which Chocolate to Use: Remember to use a high-percentage craft chocolate in your hot cocoa! Otherwise your chocolate will end up flatter-tasting rather than complex.
Picking a Milk: When you’re using a non-dairy milk in hot cocoa, I’d recommend using a creamier option, like macadamia or coconut milk, rather than the more common finds like oat or almond milk. If regular dairy is your preference, then that’s even easier.
Making Whipped Cream: for a simple homemade whipped cream, just add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, a teaspoon of powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla to a bowl and whip until thick.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe Card
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a 5 star review or comment!
Mexican Hot Chocolate For One (Batchable)
This Mexican hot cocoa for one is easy, flavorful, and comes together in just 5 minutes— plus, you can double it for friends or make it in a big batch for parties!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons drinking chocolate or cacao paste, shaved (alt. dark chocolate or cocoa powder)
- 1 cup milk of choice (or water)
- 1/4 teaspoon corn starch, for thickening (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne
- optional: liquid sweetener of choice, to taste
- optional: homemade whipped cream (as pictured)
Instructions
- Take your water or milk of choice and heat it in a saucepan over the stove on medium-low (or nuke it in the microwave in 20-second increments at 40% power), warming it with either method until it’s just a bit too hot to touch (this will take a couple minutes). Do not let it boil, as it can ruin the milk (fine with water).
- This is the real trick to the best Mexican hot chocolate (even if you’ve got the premade disks, like I do): chop your chocolate very small, and heat the milk by itself. So while your liquid is heating, shave or chop up your chosen chocolate, whether it comes in bar, disk, or chip form, until it’s in little slivers.
- Once just starting to bubble, add in all of your chocolate, corn starch, and spices, and stir until well-combined (about 30 seconds). Then turn off the heat and move the pan to a different surface, letting the pan or mug sit alone for a minute. Don’t touch it. This rest allows the cacao paste or chocolate to fully melt naturally, and if you over-heated your liquid, it could burn the chocolate or even separate the cacao solids from the cocoa butter, so stick to a low heat. Do this even if you used cocoa powder, as it will help the cornstarch thicken properly.
- After a minute, slowly stir or whisk your drink together, combining the milk and chocolate from the bottom of the container up. If the fat and solids in the chocolate do separate, never fear. Just use a high-powered whisk or an immersion blender to re-combine everything; this will also make for a frothier drink (more traditional, in fact). This is when I usually add a pinch of salt to contrast the sweetness, but serve your Mexican hot cocoa however you’d like and enjoy!
Notes
Which Chocolate to Use: Remember to use a high-percentage craft chocolate in your hot cocoa! Otherwise your chocolate will end up flatter-tasting rather than complex.
Picking a Milk: When you're using a non-dairy milk in hot cocoa, I'd recommend using a creamier option, like macadamia or coconut milk, rather than the more common finds like oat or almond milk. If regular dairy is your preference, then that's even easier.
Making Whipped Cream: for a simple homemade whipped cream, just add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, a teaspoon of powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla to a bowl and whip until thick.