This low carb hot chocolate is made from scratch with cream and water instead of milk, which keeps it rich and around 3 grams of net carb a mug. Most sugar-free versions lean on almond milk; this one skips the milk entirely and lets cream and a little cocoa do the work, with a pinch of cinnamon so you need less sweetener.
I love making a nice warm cup of hot chocolate during the winter time, and if you make it from scratch you can easily make it Low Carb. Simply start with the basics of cocoa powder, cream, water, and Splenda. If you try to find any pre-mixed packets you will be sadly out of luck. I have tried a few out there and they are either too sweet or too fake. If you make it from scratch you can control your ingredients and make it to your liking. I personally tend to eyeball this recipe by filling a mug halfway with cream and the other half with water. This way I know I have made exactly one serving. If you like yours really sweet you may need to add one more tablespoon. I normally go by a 2 to 1 ratio of sweetener to cocoa. I add cinnamon to mine as well to cut down on the sweetener taste and add a little spice. I hope you try this Hot Chocolate recipe the next time you are relaxing at home by the fire on a cold evening.
Cream and water, no milk
The trick that keeps this low is the base. A cup of dairy milk brings about 11 grams of carb to the mug, so most keto recipes swap in almond milk to dodge it. I skip milk altogether and go half cream, half water, which gives you the silk of a real hot chocolate with none of the milk sugar, and it self-portions: a mug filled halfway with cream and topped off with water is one serving. From scratch also beats the packets, which I have always found either too sweet or too fake.
Cinnamon lets you use less sweetener
A pinch of cinnamon does more than spice. It reads as sweet on its own, so a little lets you pull back on the sweetener and soften the cooling aftertaste some sugar-free sweeteners leave. Splenda, allulose, or a monk fruit blend all dissolve into the hot cream and add about zero net carb, so use whichever you like at roughly two parts sweetener to one part cocoa. For a dairy-free mug, full-fat coconut milk works in place of the cream and water. Pair it with a cheesecake mousse or a scoop of vanilla custard ice cream, and find more in my low carb desserts guide.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for heavy cream, milk, and unsweetened cocoa
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb hot chocolate notes
