The Best Homemade & Healthy Chocolate Milk Recipe

There’s nothing like a homemade and healthy milk chocolate recipe that will satisfy your taste buds as this recipe will.

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We are showing all the tips and tricks on how to make the best healthy chocolate milk recipe. This easy recipe is the only one that you ever need for you and your family.

Yes, you can go buy chocolate milk at your local grocery store…

but that will come with a cost in your pocketbook and healthwise because store-bought chocolate milk mixes can have artificial flavors, added sugar, the natural flavor made from a lab, high fructose corn syrup, and other artificial sweeteners to extend shelf life. 

Healthy Chocolate milk recipe: Table of Contents

Some of the chocolate milk in the grocery store is filled with emulsifiers that have inflammatory oils and unnecessary ingredients.

It is best to make your chocolate milk with natural ingredients like real cocoa powder, plain milk, and a natural sweetener.

My kids loves this homemade chocolate milk! I mean who doesn’t like chocolate milk, and to be healthy chocolate milk that’s a win-win.

We’re just a few simple ingredients you will be blown away by how easy it is to make this healthy chocolate milk recipe. 

By the way, do you want to know what’s the best thing to have in your pantry to have any type of homemade and healthy food? Check out how to stock your pantry for the year.

Why Make this healthy chocolate milk recipe at home? 

Let me tell you specifically why you should make this healthy chocolate milk recipe at home. To make it easy let’s make a list…

1. By making homemade chocolate milk you’re cutting out the middleman and knowing what is in the food and drinks your body is consuming.
2. We made a healthier version by using no refined sugars and raw cacao powder. Adding healthy ingredients and especially natural sweeteners is key to living a long and happy life.
3. You will save a lot of money by making this healthy chocolate milk recipe especially if you have a lot of kids like me. I can easily go through a carton of chocolate milk from store-bought chocolate milk in one or two days. 
4. It’s a fun activity to do with your kids in the kitchen. Any recipe that is kid friendly like this one brings families together to create something yummy and delicious.
5. You are not only teaching your kids but everyone in your house the importance of quality ingredients in food.

There are no fancy ingredients and you probably have them all in your pantry right now, so let’s get into how to make this healthy chocolate milk recipe.

Healthy Chocolate milk recipe Supplies 

Just like the ingredients the supplies are simple as well. I’m sure you have all the supplies already in your kitchen so let’s go through them.

High speed Blender- You can definitely use whatever blender you have at home, but I suggest not using an immersion blender and instead using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix to get the ingredients blended enough to not have any powdery taste, it’s best to blend it the best you can get.

Large size pot (optional )– Everybody should have a good size pot that they use everything to cook with and you can use this to heat your chocolate milk to make healthy hot chocolate.

Measuring tools– It’s always good to have to measure spoons and cups. You’ll get the best results when making this healthy chocolate milk recipe every time.

Ladle (optional )– Yes you can use any spoon to help you serve and stir your chocolate milk but a ladle  makes it so much easier to serve anything liquid.

Ingredient list

Now let’s get into the good stuff the ingredients! 

We will go through all the basic ingredients that you need for this recipe and why they are important.

Whole Milk

Whatever milk you usually use in your home will work, I usually use whole milk. This main ingredient needs to be the best quality milk you can get your hands on.

All grass-fed and organic dairy products can be pricey but are the best quality milk. If all fails go with whatever is in your budget.

Organic and grass-fed milk just has more vitamins and minerals and is less processed. Learn more about how this works here.

Cacao powder

This ingredient helps give your chocolate milk that chocolate taste. We are using cacao powder, not cocoa powder there’s a difference. The reason for this is that cacao powder is less processed than cacao. 

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is a great sweetener and it’s better for you than straight-up table sugar. Let’s be honest table sugar shoots your blood sugar up so high and fast that it is not good for the body in the long run.

Be sure to get 100% maple syrup as you don’t want any fluff in your maple syrup. I use so much maple syrup for all things so I get Organic 1 Gallon Dark Robust Vermont Maple Syrup every 2 months…it lasts me a while!

Sugar-free chocolate chips

This is a secret ingredient that increases the chocolate flavor and makes the best chocolate milk. You are making homemade chocolate syrup to make this healthy treat. My go-to sugar-free chocolate chips are from.

Coconut oil

I use coconut oil to milk melt my chocolate chips and make my sweet chocolate syrup to help boost the flavor of this healthy chocolate milk recipe.

Vanilla extract

Vanilla extract just gives it a good punch of sweetness as we’re trying to sweeten chocolate milk as healthy as we can.

Himalayan pink salt

I use this salt for pretty much everything so of course, I sprinkle it in this because it just brings out all the yummy and delicious flavor. I buy in bulk, the product I personally use is linked above!

Substitutions 

Milk substitutes– Try using non-dairy milk like unsweetened almond milk, which is a great substitute for cow’s milk in this recipe because it will make your homemade milk chocolate drink nice and sweet.

You can make vegan chocolate milk by using other milk alternatives you can try homemade oat milk, store-bought oat milk, coconut milk, and soy milk.

Learn about more healthy baking substitutes in our Ultimate Guide to Clean Eating Desserts.

Honey– If you don’t have maple syrup, you can add any type of sugar that you have in your kitchen, but honey is one of the healthiest substitute sugar options without comprising taste. 

Cocoa powder– We discussed earlier how cacao powder is better than cocoa powder, but if you have cocoa powder instead of cacao, you can use it as a substitute for it. 

Dark chocolate chips: This type of chocolate is more bitter but healthier for you compared to milk chocolate.

How to make this healthy chocolate milk recipe 

First, go ahead and melt your chocolate chips with a double boiler, if you don’t do a double boiler you can do it in the microwave but make sure you don’t burn the chocolate.

The second step in making this healthy chocolate milk recipe is to blend your mixture for about 4-5 minutes or until your cacao powder was dissolved.

To make hot healthy homemade chocolate milk put your mixture in a pot on your stovetop to medium heat and while it’s heating stir until it’s hot enough to drink without being too hot.

Best Tips for Success

Make sure you blend your chocolate milk mixture as much as you can so you can dissolve all the cacao powder.

There’s no such thing as over-mixing this recipe, as we are trying to avoid a pottery taste.

After you blend your mixture, go ahead and strain it before pouring it into your pot dish wall to prevent any big clumps of powder to land in your healthy chocolate milk.

Be sure to shake up your stored chocolate milk every time you drink because the excess powder floats to the bottom.

A quick shake will make all the difference!

Healthy Chocolate milk recipe Storage Tips

I recommend storing this healthy chocolate milk recipe in a glass bottle as it’s easier to shake it every time you drink it.

You can store it in an airtight container or glass bottle when you store it in your refrigerator. 

According to the USDA, you can keep milk in the refrigerator for about seven days and you can freeze it for about three months. Chocolate milk is no different you use the same rules as you would milk.

Some of your favorite airtight glasses to store our chocolate milk are below.

DUTCH COCOA VS. CACAO POWDER

Cacao powder is made from raw cacao and is processed at low temperatures. Cocoa powder is made from roasted cacao and uses high heat to process it to make the powder. 

This is why cacao powder has more antioxidants than cocoa powder and is a better quality chocolate powder to use.

Both chocolate powders are similar but cacao has a bitter taste compared to cacao, it is the rawest form of chocolate than cocoa and it has more trace minerals. 

Healthy Chocolate milk recipe FAQ

Can I make a peppermint hot chocolate? 

This is a perfect recipe to make peppermint hot chocolate because all you have to do is add peppermint extract instead of vanilla extract. Go ahead and use the same measurements we use for this recipe’s vanilla extract.

Can I use a different sweetener? 

There are many other sweeteners you can use that are healthy instead of maple syrup. As we mentioned earlier, you can use honey, or you can use other sweeteners like agave, Monk fruit, or any other sweetener you have in hand. Just remember that, depending on the sweetener that you use, the taste will differ.

Can I use fruit to sweeten it? 

You can most definitely use fruit as a sweetener. You just have to make sure you blend it up very well. Having a powerful blender like the vita mix will mix up your fruit sweetener better than a regular would.

Is chocolate vegan? 

Chocolate is vegan as it comes from a tree and a seed-like pod that you open up to make the chocolate from. The video linked here is a great video to see how chocolate is made.

Can I make this healthy chocolate milk ahead of time?

Yes, you can make healthy chocolate milk ahead of time. Just be mindful though it does not have preservatives so you can only make it a couple of days ahead. I would avoid using it after a week.

Can I add fruit to this milk?

The great thing about this healthy milk chocolate recipe is that you can play around with it. This recipe gives you a base to be creative, so adding fruit to milk is possible. Trying fruits like Medjool dates, and a ripe banana in baking are go-to fruits to blend up and use as a sweetener.

Is chocolate milk good for you?

Chocolate milk can be good for you depending on the quality of ingredients you use or buy. So if you’re not paying attention to the ingredients, it can be very unhealthy for you so pay attention to what ingredients you are buying.

More yummy recipes to try! 

The Best No Fail Pie Crust Recipe from Scratch

Best Chocolate Covered Peanuts Candy Recipe 

Stovetop Candied Pecans with chocolate

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