Few things are as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day. Actually, anytime really is a good time for some hot cocoa (Swiss Miss packets at the office, anyone?). But that’s beside the point. You came here for a hot chocolate and you need it to be keto hot chocolate. ( CHECK OUT OUR RECIPE BELOW!)

Challenge accepted.

 

keto friendly hot chocolate

 

The first thing we must consider is that the majority of the carbohydrates in hot chocolate come from the sweetener, which is usually sugar (or one of its bazillion names).

That’s actually great news! That’s because if we can just find some unsweetened cocoa, we can make our own low carb hot chocolate with keto-friendly sweeteners.

 

 

The next issue is the milk in milk chocolate. Yes, your favorite hot cocoa almost certainly has a milk component to it. You can always make hot cocoa without milk, but on keto, we embrace that fat, so enjoy it here!

Pro-Tip: You can make a vegan keto hot chocolate by substituting with one of our favorite milk alternatives. Vanilla Macadamia Milk from Milkadamia is rich and works perfectly here.

The best way to top your keto hot chocolate: heavy whipping cream + Swerve sweetener (erythritol). We like Swerve sweetener because its high level of sweetness complements heavy whipping cream very well.

Of course, you’ll have to make your own, meaning you have to whip it up, but it’s worth it! If you’re not in the mood for that, the Land O Lakes Sugar Free Whipped Heavy Cream in a can has 0g net carbs, if you cant find it at a local grocer!

Or, grab yourself an electric milk frother and add some silky foaminess to the top. Just mix in a couple scoops of keto-friendly sweetener, a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and about 1/4 cup water to your frother and you’ve got yourself a delightful topping to your low carb hot chocolate.

Lastly, if the cocoa mixes are not sweet enough for you, you can always add sweetener in general. Our favorite sweetener for drinks and liquids is Better Stevia powder. It mixes easily and works well with only small amounts of sweetener.


 

low carb hot chocolate

 

Keto Hot Chocolate: Powders

Alright, on to the good stuff. We’ll start with keto hot chocolate powder mixes! And I’m happy to report that you have a ton of great options!

 

#1 NuNaturals Organic Dutch Chocolate Cocoa

This stuff tops our list of keto hot chocolate powder mix because it simply tastes really good. They use organic Dutch process cocoa, which means the cocoa turns out more alkaline, resulting in a much milder, less bitter taste.

It’s the real deal and is rich and flavorful without any discernible bitterness. The powder is pure cocoa and is therefore unsweetened. So be sure sweeten to taste with a low glycemic sweetener and you are golden.

Better yet, it’s only 1g net carb per tablespoon!

 

 

#2 BariWise Hot Cocoa

Another solid option for keto friendly hot chocolate is the BariWise Hot Cocoa. It is sweetened with sucralose, which doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels. A whole packet of mix is only 2g net carbs!

This also has 15g protein per serving, so be sure to take that into account.

This stuff has  smooth taste and is conveniently portioned out for you. That means it’s great to keep at the office in place of those aforementioned Swiss Miss packets.

Side note: Speaking of Swiss Miss, they do sell a No Sugar Added version of their hot chocolate packets, but it is NOT low carb.

 

#3 NOMU Low Carb Hot Chocolate Powder

NOMU is yet another solid option. Their Skinny variety of hot chocolate uses low GI sweeteners and 60% cocoa. There’s just a small amount of protein via added whey concentrate. So, if you are watching your protein intake, this is a great!

Plus, of course, it tastes great and you don’t have to add any additional sweetener. And it’s only 1g net carb per serving!

 

 

#4 Lakanto Drinking Chocolate

Lakanto is known for their erythritol / monk fruit sweetener blend and they use it here for some really great, natural low carb hot cocoa. This is absolutely sugar free without any catch.

This mix is a bit rich and darker in flavor if you prefer that. Otherwise, add a little more milk product to make it creamier. The drinking chocolate comes in at 1g net carb per serving.

 

#5 Kiss My Keto Cocoa 

With keto in the name, you know Kiss My Keto Cocoa is going to be very keto friendly. That’s because Keto Cocoa is made up mostly of MCT powder (7g MCT out of ~12g serving size).

You can think of Keto Cocoa as a MCT supplement that has cocoa in it. It does taste great and is sweetened with keto friendly sweeteners inulin and stevia. It’s also low protein. This is an all-around great choice for a truly keto hot chocolate at 0g net carbs per serving!

 

#6 Giant Keto Protein Cocoa

This stuff adds a bit of protein to the mix. And it’s even more keto because Giant Supplements adds MCT. We’ve done a whole write-up about why MCT oil is so great, and in this case, it really adds to the creaminess of the drink. And it’s not just for marketing purposes either– there are a full 6g MCT per serving!

So, you can really use this as a supplement, maybe as a replacement or in addition to your morning coffee! And it’s only 0.5g net carbs per serving with 3g of protein. Overall, a really good choice if you’re trying to fit in tons of nutrition in a convenient, tasty package.

 


 

 

keto hot chocolate recipe

 

Keto Hot Chocolate: Syrups

Now that you’ve seen the best keto hot chocolate powder mixes, we are also going to mix it up with some chocolate syrup. The more options the merrier!

You can take any of your keto favorite chocolate syrups and just add water or keto milk alternatives to make a perfect keto hot chocolate! Or use our recipe below!

keto hot chocolate easy

 

These are our favorite keto chocolate syrups.

 

#1 NuNaturals Chocolate Syrup

NuNaturals makes a ton a stevia-based products, which we love because it is natural and also does not spike your blood glucose levels.

Each serving is <1g net carb and you can pop some of this into your favorite milk alternative and you have a really rich, creamy and non-bitter drink. It’s really satisfying.

Plus, the ingredients are super simple as well:

Glycerin, Water, Organic Fair Trade Certified Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Stevia Extract

It’s no surprise that this stuff is so good as they are the same company that makes the taste Dutch Cocoa powder, from above.

 

 

#2 Hersey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup

Hershey’s keeps it classic with their chocolate syrup. Yes, that means absolutely sugar free hot chocolate.

But, wait, are there carbs in sugar free hot chocolate? Just because something is sugar free, doesn’t mean that it is low glycemic or even low carb.

However, in this case, we’re okay. There’s only 1g net carb per serving and erythritol is the main sweetener  (which shouldn’t affect your blood sugar levels). Hershey’s also adds some sucralose, which also has a zero glycemic impact.

Note that erythritol and sucralose are sweeter than sugar and fructose syrup, which does change the taste profile compared to regular Hershey’s syrup. It’s a bit tough to describe, but you get less of a rich sweetness and more of a sharp sweetness.

 


 

 

starbucks hot chocolate

 

Lastly, as a bonus, here is our low carb hot chocolate Starbucks order. For those times you need a quick and easy keto hot chocolate Starbucks has you covered.

  • Tall Skinny hot chocolate with no milk
  • Half steamed heavy whipping cream half hot water.

 

Note: Don’t forget the “skinny” part so that they use their sucralose-based skinny mocha syrup instead of the normal stuff. Also, tall is a good size because it less likely they will overdo the heavy whipping cream (we’ve gotten almost an entire 16 oz cup of steamed heavy whipping cream before :D).

 

That’s it! Have fun and go out there and get your keto hot chocolate on!