Viral Almond Butter Hot Chocolate
Can you believe we have come so far in revolution to now have healthy, dairy-free, plant-based, high protein hot chocolate? Let me just say that this hot chocolate is so fun to make, healthy and drumroll SO GOOOOD!!!
I’m not the type who likes sweets much so drinking hot chocolate is definitely more of a winter, once, maybe twice, kind of thing. When I learned about this recipe, I definitely had twice as much hot chocolate as I would normally have.
Chocolate
Chocolate is rich in antioxidants — specifically polyphenols and flavonoids. Antioxidants travel through our body and scavenge for free radicals, and remove them. Free radicals can damage protein, lipids and DNA, which in the long run, can increase inflammation and trigger multiple medical conditions.
I typically recommend darker chocolates for its minimal to no sugar added. Excessive sugar is what gave chocolate a bad rep.
Almond Butter
I made my own almond butter by blending almonds and adding a tiny bit of honey or agave. You could also omit any sweetener. I don’t add any additional oil to the almonds because almonds are already packed with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that we don’t need any more fat.
Almonds are also a good source of protein. 1 cup of whole almonds give 20-25g of protein.
Dairy-free Milk
I used cashew nuts here to make cashew milk. Cashews are the most versatile nuts to use for non-dairy creamed base dishes, thanks to its subtle nuttiness, creamy, sweeter baseline flavor, compared to other nuts. If you have an extra minute at the grocery store, check out the dairy-free cheese products. Most would use cashews!
Ingredients
1/3 cup cashews
20oz of water
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp almond butter
2 Tbsp agave
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 dark chocolate squares
Instructions
1. Prep
Add all the ingredients above into a blender. I prefer a nut milk maker that heats because it does all the blending and heating without needing the stove or a microwave.
2. Blend
Blend everything then pour into your favorite mugs!
3. Enjoy!
Shave some dark chocolates on top and enjoy!
Dietitian Notes
No need for marshmallows, whipped cream or anything more! It’s going to be a little bitter than the store bought ones because this is a healthier, guilt-free version of hot chocolate.
Each cup (8oz) gives: 230cal | 20g carbs | 6g protein | 16g fat
In comparison to a Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate made with 1 cup whole milk, 1 serving gives 310cal | 46g carbs | 9g protein | 11g fat.
Now, you might argue that the almond butter version has higher fat and lower protein content. So, why is it healthier? The almond butter version has an overall less calories with its fat content coming from Omega-3 and -6s whereas a typical hot chocolate packet made with milk would have mostly animal fat which can be more inflammatory. Even if the amount of protein seems less for the almond butter version, it still has a significant amount of protein for a dairy-free based beverage. The last, probably most important piece is the carb difference. The Swiss Miss version has more than double the amount of carbs than the almond butter version has, and most of it being sugar.
Tips & Variations
Milk:
Feel free to use almond milk, soy milk, oat milk or any other nondairy milk as alternative.
Sweetener:
Honey is a good alternative but keep in mind that honey can raise our blood sugar much higher than agave would. Agave is known as the diabetic-friendly natural sweetener for a reason!
