This Big Batch Hot Cocoa Mix is a powdery mix made with sugar, cocoa powder, and powdered milk that will be your go-to when it comes to mixing with hot water or milk. It’s worth having on hand for the cold months ahead. Be sure to check out my stovetop Hot Chocolate, too!
Hot Cocoa Mix {Big Batch}
Nothing warms a body up like a mug of rich hot cocoa, especially in the winter. And, it’s a beverage that can be enjoyed by all ages. When you can make your own mix like this one inspired by Food Network’s Alton Brown, it even tastes better! Plus, you know exactly what is going into the powdery mix with no added preservatives. Try adding this to Peppermint Hot Cocoa Bombs. I also have a big batch of White Hot Chocolate Mix, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Sugar: Use confectioners’ sugar (also known as icing sugar or powdered sugar) in the mix. It will dissolve much easier than coarser kinds of sugar.
Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a slightly darker color and smoother chocolate flavor. However, you could use regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
Powdered Milk: Powdered milk is evaporated milk with a longer shelf life when compared to liquid milk. It is also called milk powder or dry (dried) milk.
Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the cocoa powder will give the hot cocoa a creamier consistency.
Salt: Yes, salt is an important ingredient that should not be left out. Salt actually enhances the sweetness of the mix while bringing out more chocolate flavor.
How Much Does the Mix Make?
The dry mix makes about 4 1/2 cups of powder. The amount of servings you will have is dependent on the size of the mug you are using and how much chocolate flavor you are craving. I would recommend starting with 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup powder. If you add about 1/4 cup of hot cocoa mix to a cup of hot water or hot milk, you will have enough mix to make about 18 cups of hot cocoa.
Can I Add Milk to Hot Cocoa Mix?
Sure! In fact, we had a couple of taste testers that preferred to add hot milk to the mix. But, both hot water and hot milk are delicious when added. Try adding hot coffee or even chocolate milk as additional options.
What is the Difference Between Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate?
Although both hot cocoa and hot chocolate are popular cold-weather drinks, there is a slight difference between the two. Hot cocoa is usually made from a powdery mix, blended with hot water or milk. On the other hand, hot chocolate is generally chocolate that has been melted in hot liquid. So, most of the mix you buy from the store is hot cocoa. Of course, marshmallows can be added to both.
How to Store Hot Cocoa Mix
This is a big batch of hot cocoa mix, so be sure to keep it handy for when you are craving a mug of hot cocoa. The mix can be stored in a cool dry place for up to a year when properly stored. It may lose some of the flavors the longer it is stored, so it’s best if you can enjoy it within that time.
Want More Hot Chocolate Options?
Hot Cocoa Mix {Big Batch}
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl I like using these glass bowls!
- Airtight container For long-term storage
- Serving glasses These glass coffee mugs look great!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) confectioners' sugar*
- 1 cup (118 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) powdered milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Serving
- mini marshmallows, optional
- hot water (or milk)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, powdered milk, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Store the mixture in an airtight container for up to a year. This will make 4½ cups of hot cocoa mix, or enough for about 18 cups of hot cocoa.
Making a Cup of Hot Cocoa
- When making a cup of hot cocoa, use about ¼ of a cup of powder per cup of hot water or milk, or adjust to taste preference.
- Top the powder with ¼ cup of mini marshmallows if adding.
- Pour hot liquid over the cocoa powder, stirring until the powder has dissolved. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
This was really good ! I gave it as gifts, big hit ! I also used your recipe for homemade marshmallows. Also a big hit.
Excellent
I’ve been using this recipe for 2 years
This was fantastic! I made the full batch and it’s in a nice large container. The cocoa I got is very rich so I found I only needed about an 1/8 cup mix per mug of milk. I also didn’t add marshmallows because I didn’t feel it needed it but I did top with whipped cream- takes hot cocoa to another level! Thank you for the awesome recipe- I was so excited to try it and it being homemade- it’s the only way to have hot cocoa now!
If I substitute 2 tsp stevia (that’s just pure stevia powder) for the 1 cup of sugar and using liquid plant milk instead of the dried milk, do you have any idea how this changes the amount I should use when making a cup of hot cocoa?
My apologies if this is an obvious question. I haven’t done much cooking or math for the past forty years, and I am really not up to grappling with the question.
Thank you!
Hope this helps:
Adjusting for Stevia
The original recipe uses 1 cup of sugar for sweetness, which is about 200g or 48 teaspoons.
2 teaspoons of pure stevia powder is an equivalent substitute for 1 cup of sugar (stevia is much sweeter). This substitution significantly reduces the bulk of the mix.
Since stevia doesn’t provide the same volume as sugar, the overall mix will be less dense. You’ll still use the same 2-3 tablespoons of mix per cup, but you’ll need to stir thoroughly to ensure even sweetness.
Adjusting for Liquid Plant Milk
The original recipe uses dried milk powder to create a creamy base. By using liquid plant milk instead, you’re removing that component from the dry mix entirely.
When making the cocoa:
Use 2-3 tablespoons of your adjusted dry mix.
Add it to 1 cup of warmed liquid plant milk instead of water. This provides the creamy texture the dried milk would have offered.
Final Instructions for Your Adjusted Recipe
For each cup of hot cocoa:
Use 2-3 tablespoons of your stevia-sweetened dry mix.
Stir it into 1 cup of heated plant milk (like almond, oat, or soy milk).
Taste and adjust sweetness by adding a pinch more stevia or mix, if desired.
No need to apologize—this is a great question, and it’s all about finding the perfect balance for your substitutions! Enjoy your cozy cup of hot cocoa! 😊
I wanted to love it so bad. I made it. But when I mixed it up it did not taste like hot chocolate it was chalky. I followed the directions and got quality ingredients. Maybe I did something wrong but it tasted like chalk.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for taking the time to share your experience—I truly appreciate your feedback! I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as you hoped. Let’s see if we can troubleshoot together, because the chalky texture definitely isn’t typical for this recipe.
A few things come to mind that might have caused the chalky taste:
Type of Cocoa Powder: If a natural cocoa powder was used instead of Dutch-processed, it can sometimes have a more bitter or powdery taste. Dutch-processed cocoa is smoother and less acidic, which might give you the creamy flavor you’re looking for.
Mixing Issue: Did the mix fully dissolve when you added it to the hot liquid? If it wasn’t stirred thoroughly or the liquid wasn’t hot enough, the dry ingredients might not have blended properly, leaving a chalky residue.
Milk Powder Quality: Sometimes, milk powder can vary in quality. If it’s not fresh or a lower-quality brand, it might contribute to an off texture or taste.
If you’re willing to give it another shot, I’d love to help troubleshoot further or suggest adjustments to make it perfect for you. I truly want you to enjoy it!
Thank you again for your honesty—it means a lot to me!
I appreciate your comment and trying to troubleshoot this. I did use Dutch processed cocoa powder. And I bought all new ingredients even new confectioners sugar which I always have on hand. It has a smooth texture. It’s actually the taste. Like I accidentally licked my hand after cleaning the chalk board. It is just odd to me. Food science wise it should work. I should be tasting chocolate. I tried adding a small dash of vanilla extract once it was mixed up. I tried adding a bit more sugar.
Thank you so much for your detailed follow-up—I appreciate you taking the time to explain what you tried. It’s clear you’ve gone above and beyond to make this work, and I’m sorry to hear it still isn’t hitting the mark for you.
If you’re up for it, try adding a bit of high-quality dark chocolate (grated or finely chopped) to round out the flavor.
You could also try adding a tablespoon of powdered cream (or even a small splash of heavy cream after mixing) to enhance the flavor and smoothness.
I love that you tried adding vanilla! Another idea is to add a small pinch of salt or even a tiny dash of instant espresso powder to bring out the chocolate flavor. (This is one of my favorite tricks) These can help balance and deepen the overall taste.
I truly want this to work for you, Brook! Your persistence is amazing, and I hope one of these ideas brings you closer to a hot cocoa you love. Please let me know if you decide to experiment further—I’d love to hear what works for you!
I have been experimenting with hot cocoa recipes for months (which my kids don’t mind at all!) This is it, it’s the one! I added an extra cup of powdered sugar, it was much better with that little extra. And I used arrowroot powder instead of corn starch. I’m wondering if you used whole or non fat milk? I used whole this time, but I think I’ll try half and half next time. Thanks!
Why do you use corn starch, what does it do for the hot chocolate mix?
Keeps it from getting hard
I add powdered vanilla coffee creamer when I make hot chocolate mix. It gives it a hint of vanilla which hot chocolate is usually made with.
I am on my fourth batch. I use a large scoop in my coffee every morning. Was using Swiss Miss, but it became next to impossible to find the sugar free kind and it was so expensive. I use Swerve or monk fruit powdered sugar with a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon. It’s so good in coffee.
Smart! Love it!
I’m laughing at myself here and you totally should laugh along with me. I’m absolutely going to be one those “I substituted this and that and it wasn’t awesome”. So this is more of a precautionary tale to anyone who is thinking of doing what I did!
First off, I made a (metric) half batch in case it didn’t work out. No problem there of course. I used powdered soy milk because my kiddo gets an upset stomach from cows milk (User Error #1). I left out the corn starch because I thought it would taste weird or have a hard to mix texture (User Error #2). I also left out the salt, because when I was calculating the half metric amounts I forgot about the salt altogether (User Error #3). I didn’t pay attention to the Dutch Processed cocoa and used whatever baking cocoa I had on hand (User Error #4). When I mixed a cup together I misjudged the amount of water to mix and used 1/4c of mix to about 1.5c of water (User Error #5).
I’m pretty sure my inflated sense of “Know it All” is due in part to the fact that I was watching and old detective show called “Monk” and he’s a heck of a lot smarter than me but I was really ‘feeling’ smart. HA!
The first thing my daughter said was, “It tastes like matcha.” That would likely be the hot soy milk flavor she’s used to with the matcha lattes I make for her. Not exactly a bad thing. But the chocolate flavor was not really ‘there’, it had a thin texture, and a bit of a chalky taste. We did use a milk foaming wand (electric) to really mix it well. We added a bit of salt, more mix to help with the diluted flavor, some vanilla, a bit more cocoa powder, and powdered sugar, some chocolate chips, and finally a small shmear of Nutella. It started to resemble something a bit more like the Aldi Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa K-Cups she’s become used to, but it still wasn’t something she was going to want to really drink instead of the Aldi K-Cups.
My daughter has really loved learning to bake and she’s really developed her flavor sense and how to adjust things, so this was a fun midnight project at the end of winter break. We talked about the ingredients in the K-Cups (not great!) and how the substitutions I did affected the end result.
We finally decided that this was simply going to become something that we add to our matcha lattes and my morning coffees.
So thank you, for the this lovely recipe, funny memory, and hopefully a future update to correct all of my User Errors!
Thank you for sharing your adventures with this recipe!! (Oh, and I love Monk!!!)
While you so humbly describe your adjustments as user errors, I really love that you made adaptations that are more consistent with your needs. I really hope you and your daughter are able to try again (next time, when this batch of matcha latte supplement is gone 😂) and find the PERFECT blend for you!