With this one simple trick, you’ll end up with a keto hot chocolate that’s truly thick and creamy… and at just 2g net carbs!
Paleo & Keto Hot Chocolate
That’s truly thick & creamy!
With the imminent drop in temperature comes an instant penchant for hot chocolate. So here’s my absolute favorite (speedy!) cure: a truly luscious keto hot chocolate!
Thick, creamy and absolutely delicious.
The trick?! Using a little thickener, in the form of either konjac (my favorite!), arrowroot, Xanthan gum… or even chia seeds!
So forget that watery thin hot chocolate that comes from just siring in cocoa powder and some form of milk. 😉
Cacao vs Cocoa
Both work great. So feel free to use either a raw cacao powder (arguably more nutritional perks here) or a Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa (my forever favorite is Valrhona).
Both are well and good, as long as they’re unsweetened!
The Thickener
As many of you know, chia seeds are usually my staple thickener when it comes to hot chocolate. But I also know that a few of you find the task of grinding them fine enough to be a bit tedious… so I came up with a couple alternatives!
Just do note that chia seeds are awesome, as these tiny Mexican guys pack a whole lot of protein and add a whole lot of crunch. Chia seeds contain large amounts of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, plenty of high quality protein, and several essential minerals and antioxidants.
But you do have a few other options! Think the wonderful konjac root powder (my favorite Keto thickener!). It’s zero carbs and does an awesome job at thickening sauces, stews… and hot chocolate as it turns out! It’s powerful stuff though, so start at only 1/8th teaspoon and go from there.
Alternatives are arrowroot powder (works great too, but a higher carb count) and xanthan gum (gotta be careful here so you don’t get slime!).
The Sweetener
Pick your poison! Allulose is my favorite for no aftertaste now (you do need to add 30% more though), Lakanto Golden (barely any cooling aftertaste here), xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great in hot situations (particularly if chocolate is involved).
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
Oh! And if feeling a little extra, our keto marshmallows come highly suggested!
(Actually Thick ‘N Creamy!) Keto Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
For the bulletproof hot chocolate
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice*
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1-2 tablespoons allulose erythritol or xylitol (to taste)
- pinch pink Himalayan salt
- 1/8 teaspoon konjac root powder or 1/4 tsp arrowroot/xanthan gum or 1 TBSP chia seeds
Serving suggestions
- our keto marshmallows
- whipped cream optional (but highly suggested)
Instructions
When thickening with konjac, arrowroot or xanthan gukm
- Add milk of choice, cocoa powder, sweetener and salt to a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Taste for sweetness and adjust to taste.
- Make a slurry with a little konjac root powder (it's powerful stuff guys!), arrowroot or xanthan gum and a tablespoon or two of water; make sure it's completely dissolved to avoid lumps. Whisk it into the hot chocolate and cook until thickened. Feel free to adjust the quantity to yield your preferred thickness.
When thickening with chia seeds
- Check out the video for deets!
- Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. It will likely take a couple runs to grind all the chia seeds fully. Feel free to adjust the cocoa powder to suit your taste buds, and the chia seeds for desired thickness (and fiber!).
- Heat up and serve with (plenty!) whipped cream.
- NOTE: If using a NutriBullet or similar device, keep in mind that you should not put scalding hot water in it. If need be, reheat (safety comes first!).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I there!! I’m Italian, for those, like me, who use the version in grams..no 5 grams of chocolate but 15! .. in the conversion of 1 tablespoon in grams is missing a “1”..
Omg yes! I measured my cocoa powder out and that’s why mine tasted like water!
OMG!! this is just what I needed! Something chocolaty and heart warming. And really filling! Best medicine for my pms:)
A drinkable fat bomb! Love it! Perfect for a cold, rainy evening. I definitely need to get some Dutch processed cocoa for this, my organic cacao powder just doesn’t quite make the grade here. And you are so right about the whipped cream, lots of it is not only recommended, for me it’s required! 😊. Another winner!!!!
lol I should have listened to you about not using boiling water in the nutri=bullet….after blending, the hot water made the seal impossible to unscrew the blade! It’s still sitting there looking delicious but I can’t have it..torture!
Ok my husband came home and couldn’t get it off either, even though it has been hours and the liquid is cold. It’s a gonner..dang.
Please follow the directions…I know next time I will.
OK lol yup! Sometimes the seal opens after a couple minutes… other times you need to wait for it to cool down! Maybe still salvageable if you rewarm it xo!
The taste is not what I expected, but delicious non-the-less. I added heavy cream to up the calorie count and it was pretty good!! I also added chocolate stevia and vanilla to increase sweetness and chocolatey flavor. Will definitely be making this again!
I made this tonight because I wanted something a bit sweet at the end of my day. Today is day 1 of Keto. I used 240 ml Malk unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tb chia seeds ground in my coffee grinder, 1 tb grass fed butter, 8 g Ghirardelli cocoa powder, and granulated swerve. I buzzed everything in my nutribullet and it was the creamiest, most luscious hot chocolate I have had in years. I’ll make some whipped cream for next time. A most excellent end to my day. Thank you for the great recipe. Keep them coming!
Thank you Mari for sharing in detail! And welcome to keto (and gnom-gnom!)!! 🙂
This was soooo delicious! Another Paola hit in my house. I was too lazy to prepare whipped cream, so I just stopped it with a couple spoonfuls of Paola’s super creamy vanilla ice cream that was already in the freezer. O…M…G!!!
OMG with vanilla ice cream!! Why haven’t I thought of that!! 😂😍
You’re welcome!!! LOL 😂
I just made this. Although it is yummy…. I wonder if I did something wrong. It seems a little grainy. I wasn’t expecting that. I used chia flour that I purchased online and instead of almonds I used almond milk. I thought using almonds would be lumpy.
Hi Laura! Is chia flour = meal? If it was grainy tbh it just sounds like it wasn’t blended well enough? Also remember that almonds + water + powerful blender = almond milk xo!
I used ground chia and think maybe should of cut back because if I didn’t have so much Yummy other stuff I would of probably dumped and started over wit maybe just 1/ 2 Tbl of ground chia. Just a FYI. Will definitely do a do-over.
Delicious!!
Used coconut oil and I really enjoyed it.
Will grind some chia seeds and create my own hot chocolate mix to have at work.
Thank you Paola. Your videos and recipes are beautiful, tasty and inspiring.
So kind of you to say Elisabete, thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Should I use Powdered Swerve or Granular Swerve. Both are erythritol. I saw you specified powdered for whipped cream but how about the hot chocolate?
Hi Sheila! I think you can use either as they’ll blend and subsequently melt (hopefully?!). I used granular Lakanto and had no issues 😉 xo!
Hi were is the video? I didn’t see it on the page! Love the recipes Paola–you are amazing!
Hi Gina! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! I’ve found that the videos don’t show up to peeps running adblockers, disabling it and clearing the cache usually fixes it xo!
I fixed it and cleared it and still not seeing video!! funny….some of the videos I have had no problem at all…is there another way to see videos?
Is it possible to make the night before and warm it up in the morning?
Hi Amy, I did that once and had to re-blend it because the chia seeds split a bit. So wouldn’t really recommend it xo
Well, now, wasn’t that lovely on a Sunday afternoon!
Thank you!
Going to experiment now to make a nut-free version.
Thanks as always for your generosity, Paola.
My absolute pleasure and so happy you enjoyed it Lois! ps you can simply swap out the almonds for some coconut milk for a nut-free version 😉 xo!
The nutrional guide states:
Please note that nutrition values were calculated using grass-fed butter, and the total net carb count comes out to 2.4g
Is this carb count including the whipped cream? Thanks.
Hi Angie! Whipped cream is not included (as nutritional values can vary widely here). xo!
How much almond milk would i use instead of almonds?
Hi Joni! Simply replace the water and almonds for the almond milk xo!
Hi Paola! If I use ground chia seeds would the amount called for (1 tablespoon) change?
Hi LaWanda! You could start with a little less if you want to and thicken up to taste. Tbh I’ve gone up even to 2 tablespoons when I want a more filling breakfast 😉
xo!
Excited! Struggling with the keto WOE as I am a full on carb and sugar addict.
I ran to the kitchen, made this with cacao and almond essence and now I feel like the cat who got the cream. (whipped cream, that is) Best breakfast ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Worst part is . . . I want another! Hahahahahahaha. Tomorrow is another day :-))
YAY!!! 😂😂 so awesome to hear Pea!
Omg so delicious and perfect on this cold northern Michigan day!!!!
This sounds sooooo good! Do you put everything in a pot and heat it before putting in the blender?
Hi Penny! We find it best to only warm up the water first. If you would like, feel free to check out the video we made 😉
xo! Paola
Delicious and SO FILLING! I might even try the chia seeds in BP coffee as well!
I am allergic to all nuts but peanuts any suggestions?
Hi Terrie! You can just go ahead and leave them out. Could you sub instead for a little coconut milk? We’re essentially, making almond milk on the go, so you can use what you want. The chia seeds are what gives it the nice and thick texture 😉
xo Paola
It’s delicious thank you!
Another delicious one! Hurray chia seeds lol!
How do u making the whipped cream topping
Hi Kelly! I chill a bowl in the freezer for 10 mins, take some heavy whipping cream (or Mexican crema), and just beat it until it thickens. You can add a touch of vanilla extract and/or powdered sweetener too!
xo Paola
MY GAAAAWD THIS IS GOOD! I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was certainly not this!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! LOL It’s just sooooo thick and creamy! I cannot believe this is actually good for me! THANK YOU!
This was amazing! Made mine with pecans and the almond extract. Balanced nicely! Was craving hot chocolate earlier today, so thank you!
Awesome! Glad you liked it Haleigh 😉
I’m picking up some almond extract tomorrow FOR SURE!
I’m a HUGE fan of your chia seed pudding so this was a no brainer, whipped it up straight away this am! Really awesome stuff!
Glad you loved it Diana!! And thanks again for reporting back! Much love xo!
What are 7 and 14 g in teaspoons?
Hi Diane! Just click on US Customary at the bottom of the ingredients and you’ll get it in tablespoons/cups! 😉
I’m allergic to almonds… do I have another option?
Can you do either pecans or hazelnuts? Hazelnuts would be particularly A-MAZING! Think Nutella 😉
LOOKS SO GOOD!!! THANK YOU!!! I’ve been craving a mug!
MY pleasure Anna!