When the weather gets chilly, there’s nothing like a good peppermint hot chocolate to warm your bones!
It’s a flavor combination that can’t be beat… but unfortunately isn’t the easiest to make. More than one peppermint hot chocolate recipe I found took hours to make!
I don’t know about you, but when I (or my little people) want to make peppermint hot cocoa around Christmas time, we don’t want to wait 12 hours to make it at home. And yeah, some of my family members need dairy free hot chocolate recipe (which I couldn’t find anywhere).
And yes, there’s a few peppermint hot cocoa mixes you can buy (or yes, you can get a peppermint hot chocolate drink at Starbucks), but who knows what kind of unhealthy ingredients are in there? And again, there’s the dairy free thing.
So I decided to develop my own peppermint hot chocolate recipe. And I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!
What if I told you that you could have dairy-free peppermint hot chocolate that takes only minutes to make and has much better flavor than any pre-made mix you can buy?
That’s what you’ll get in this post!
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe
This peppermint hot cocoa recipe is made with natural ingredients (that you may already have on hand anyway) and costs a fraction of what you’d spend at a local coffeehouse.
Plus this tasty peppermint hot cocoa recipe:
- Takes under 3 minutes to make
- Is dairy free and free of refined sugars
- Tastes much better than any pre-made mix
And (drum-roll please)…
This awesome candy cane hot cocoa can easily be made into a Peppermint Mocha (just add coffee)!
I know, you’re thinking: Give me the recipe right now!
But first, I want to tell you about the two secret ingredients that make this recipe utterly delicious (and ultra easy-to-make).
The Secret Ingredient in Dairy Free Peppermint Hot Chocolate
When I began looking for quick, all-natural, dairy-free DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipes I quickly figured out why I was coming up short.
There were two main problems I found:
- First, it’s hard to create that rich chocolate flavor in a short amount of time–especially without using dairy.
- Second, peppermint is not the easiest flavor to create, especially in a single cup of hot chocolate.
So that’s when I did some experimenting and came up with these two amazing ingredients that make this 3 minute DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipe a true winner.
Peppermint Hot Cocoa Secret Ingredient #1: Coconut Oil
Dr. Bronner’s – Fresh-Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil
Yes, folks, I said coconut oil (Dr. Bronner’s is my favorite coconut oil).
The big problem with creating a dairy-free chocolate drink is that every milk substitute used (almond milk, coconut milk, etc) lacks the creamy decadence of dairy that awakens the chocolate flavor needed in a peppermint hot chocolate drink.
In fact, several of my initial attempts with coconut milk (the milk substitute we prefer) and chocolate created a thin, watery drink that was sorely disappointing.
Until I added a little coconut oil.
And then…voila! Yes! There was that great chocolate flavor I was looking for!
Not only did the coconut oil deepen the chocolate taste, it provided an excellent base for combining the other flavors in this dairy free peppermint hot chocolate which resulted in a much-better-blended drink.
Secret Ingredient #2: Peppermint Essential Oil
If you want the authentic taste of peppermint, there’s nothing like peppermint essential oil to fit the bill!
However, it’s important to use high-quality essential oils (especially if you’re going to be cooking with them). Rocky Mountain Oils is my preferred brand because of the brand’s commitment to safe, quality oils that are reasonably priced (no need to become a distributor–just buy it directly online here).
P.S. Peppermint essential oil is something I use over and over in my home!
However, it’s important to know how much peppermint essential oil to use in this recipe because it’s very easy to turn this decadent chocolate flavor into a cup of medicinal-tasting minty-ness if you’re not careful.
Which brings me to the dairy free Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipe.
You’re going to love the incredible flavor in this fast, easy dairy free peppermint hot chocolate. Enjoy!
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Other Posts That Use Peppermint Oil
Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie
Tired of Being Sick? How Our Family Naturally Kicks a Cold
Essential Oils for Kids: How to Treat Everyday Owies with Essential Oils