The Best Herbal Hot Cocoa

Looking for a silky, divine, heavy-on-the-chocolate and GOOD FOR YOU hot cocoa? As an herbalist, I love finding (and creating) recipes that honor herbs, feature delicious ingredients, and avoid fake fats, hydrogenated oils, and toxic sweeteners.

This recipe provides the flavor, the adaptogenic herbs, and the cocoa--all for a delicious hot sipping cocoa your family will love.

How to Make Delicious Hot Cocoa

The secret to strong, rich and healthy hot chocolate is to make it from scratch. Avoid those packets and strange marshmallow cubes! Once you have the ingredients (available at most health food stores) this is a quick recipe.

Since you’re using powders here, there is no steeping time required. And because it's so easy, this is a great activity for children--they can help measure the powders while they inhale deeply (the scent is magical!) and they can practice measurements and math. You can make this recipe vegan by substituting soy, oat, almond or other plant-based beverage for the heavy cream. 

The combination of bitter dandelion root and silky chocolate is enlivening and restorative. This recipe calls for 2-to-3 tablespoons of sugar which is divided between 2 and 4 servings, which is just enough to take the edge off the natural bitter flavor. For sweetness, try using beet sugar, sucanat, or even molasses.

Can My Hot Cocoa Be Healthy?

You can also "up" the vibe of this cocoa by adding adaptogenic herbs. These are herbs that help sustain us over the long-term, often providing endurance and helping our mental health, such as ashwagandha or eleuthero.

I teach about these herbs in my online course Herbal Actions, and I recommend getting to know 2-to-3 nervine herbs and adaptogens to support your overall health.

Environmentally Sustainable Cocoa

It is unfortunate that one of our favorite foods (cocoa) is being manipulated by a growing commercial industry that devalues fair hiring and trade practices and destroys land and forests to get it. On top of that, there is currently a blight attacking cocoa trees in their primary growing regions which is decimating village life and reducing cocoa supplies.

Thankfully, there are companies that are passionate about growing and processing cocoa sustainably--so that the earth and the people prosper. Many of these companies are B-corps (benefit corporations that focus on "business as a force for good.")

Examples of worthy chocolate and cocoa companies include Equal Exchange, Love Cocoa Ltd., and Divine Chocolate, to name a few. Vendors that carry quality cocoa with responsive and transparent processing practices include Mountain Rose Herbs.

Hot Cocoa Recipe

This recipe yields between 2 and 4 servings, depending on the size of the mug you use, with an estimated 1 cup of hot cocoa beverage per serving. You'll need:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon powdered dandelion root or powdered chicory root (see note)

½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon powdered ashwagandha or eleuthero, optional

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

4 cups boiling water

½ cup heavy cream or other "milk" of choice

Step 1: Put the cocoa powder, dandelion root, cinnamon, and sugar in a medium sauce pot.

Step 2: Pour the water over them and whisk together well.

Step 3: When all these are blended nicely, add the heavy cream or milk and whisk again.

Step 4: Divide into mugs and serve. Optional extras: serve with fresh peppermint sprigs or sticks of cinnamon bark.

Check out our Herbs for the Brain courses for more recipes, kitchen guidance, and information about supporting brain and mental health naturally.