Keto Hot Chocolate with Heavy Cream

Keto hot chocolate in a glass mug topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate
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Introduction

Whenever it rains or snows, I find myself craving hot chocolate. There’s something about the warmth of a rich chocolatey beverage that pairs perfectly with the cold weather, don’t you think? It’s incredibly comforting, which is probably why hot chocolate is a staple during the Christmas season.

Growing up, bringing out the hot chocolate was one of the things I looked forward to most about the holidays. I just can’t drink that version anymore — it’s mostly sugar.

So this one starts with a full cup of heavy cream and a cup of water, and the chocolate comes from two places: unsweetened cocoa powder whisked into the hot cream, and sugar-free chocolate chips melted separately and poured in at the end. In our opinion, the best hot chocolate is made with actual chocolate, not just cocoa powder.

Making It Richer Or Lighter

The recipe uses one cup of heavy cream to one cup of water, and you can move that either way depending on how rich you want it — more cream for a thicker cup, more water for a lighter one. Worth deciding before you start rather than after.

For a dairy-free version, use full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream. It will bring some coconut flavor with it. Unsweetened almond milk works too, but it has far less fat than cream, so you’ll end up with a much thinner drink than this recipe is built around. We haven’t tested either swap against the original, so treat them as a starting point.

What To Watch For

The order matters more than the ingredient list lets on. Cream and water go in the pot first and come up to heat, then the cocoa, then the sweetener and vanilla, and the melted chocolate goes in last.

Melt the chips on their own, in a dry bowl, in 30-second bursts. Keep water away from them while they melt — that’s what makes chocolate seize, and it’s the reason they don’t just go into the pot with everything else.

Add the cocoa gradually while you whisk instead of tipping it all in at once, and it’s far less likely to clump. If it’s lumpy in the tin to begin with, sift it first.

Keep the heat at medium and stir often. Left alone on higher heat, the cream can scorch or curdle. What you’re looking for is the cocoa fully dissolved and the mixture smooth, the melted chocolate whisked in until it’s smooth again, and then the whole pot up to a low boil before it goes into mugs.

Ingredients

All Ingredients

Nutrition Facts

3 servings per recipe
Trans Fat 0g 0% 0g 0%
Allulose 0g 0% 0g 0%

About these numbers: We are home cooks, not certified nutritionists. Nutrition is shared as a courtesy and calculated with free online nutrition calculators — we compare a few to get as close as we can — so please treat it as a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee. The brands you buy, any swaps you make, and how generously you portion the recipe will all move these numbers.

Directions

  1. In a pot over medium heat on the stove, whisk together the heavy whipping cream and water.

    Pour a cup of heavy cream and a cup of water into a pot or saucepan. Heat the pot or saucepan over medium heat, and whisk the heavy cream and water until homogenous.

  2. Melt the sugar-free chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.

    Heat your chocolate chips in the microwave at 30-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. To avoid seizing, make sure that your chocolate chips don't come into contact with water while melting.

  3. Once the heavy cream mixture is hot, whisk in unsweetened cocoa powder into the pot.

    Mix until the unsweetened cocoa powder is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

  4. Add the vanilla extract and Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener to the cocoa mixture.

    Stir the pot until the sweetener is fully dissolved. Adjust the amount of sweetener you add according to your preference.

  5. Pour the melted chocolate chips into the cocoa mixture.

    Whisk until the melted chocolate has thoroughly combined with the cocoa mixture. You should end up with a smooth mixture. Continue to heat the mixture until it comes to a low boil.

  6. Once heated enough, remove the pot from the heat and transfer your hot chocolate into mugs.

    Garnish your low-carb hot chocolate with whipped cream and shaved chocolate chips.

    This keto hot chocolate mix will surely warm your heart and fill your tummy. Pair it with some keto-friendly snacks such as keto biscuits or muffins, berries, or nuts. Or have it on its own. That's perfectly fine. Enjoy your keto hot chocolate!

Notes

Tools

  • Saucepan or pot: you’ll need this for heating and mixing your hot chocolate ingredients.
  • Measuring cups and spoons: these are very helpful if you want to proportion your ingredients accurately.
  • Whisk: you’ll be using this to blend your ingredients to create one smooth texture (which will eventually end up as your keto hot chocolate mix).
  • Microwave-safe bowl: this is where you’ll be placing your sugar-free chocolate chips for melting them in the microwave.
  • Microwave: you’ll be using this to melt your sugar-free chocolate chips.
  • Mugs: these are where you’ll be serving your keto hot chocolate
  • (Optional) Sifter or fine-mesh strainer: if you find that your unsweetened cocoa powder is lumpy, then you can use this to sift it.

Preparation

  • When adding your dry ingredients to the mixture, it’s recommended that you do so gradually while whisking constantly. This will help prevent clumps from forming in the mixture, ensuring a smooth consistency in your hot chocolate. It will also help ensure even distribution.
  • To prevent your mixture from scorching or curdling, keep the heat at medium and make sure to stir frequently.
  • Taste your keto hot chocolate before adding the sweetener. Then, add your sweetener gradually until you achieve your desired sweetness. This recipe calls for adding a tablespoon of Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, but you can add more if you want your hot chocolate to be sweeter.
  • You can adjust the thickness of your keto hot chocolate by adjusting the ratio of heavy whipping cream to water. If you want a thicker consistency, add more heavy cream. If you want it to be lighter, add more water. To make it dairy-free, replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk, which brings some coconut flavor of its own. Unsweetened almond milk has far less fat than cream, so it gives you a much thinner hot chocolate than this recipe is built around. Neither swap has been tested against the original.
  • Getting tired of just the plain ol’ chocolate flavor? Spice up your keto hot chocolate by adding a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or a dash of peppermint extract for different flavor variations. Or if you like to intensify the chocolate flavor, you can add a pinch of salt.

Storage

  • This hot keto beverage is best served immediately after preparation. But if you plan to serve it later (a day or more after), allow it to cool to room temperature first. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or glasses/plastic cups with tight-fitting lids. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

Serving Suggestions

  • Before pouring your keto hot chocolate into your mugs, you can pre-warm them by rinsing them with hot water. This will help hot chocolate maintain its temperature for longer.
  • If you have any melted chocolate or cocoa powder left, you can rim your mugs with it for a more appealing presentation. You can dip the rim of each mug into melted chocolate, then allow the chocolate to cool and harden.
  • Get creative with your garnish! You can sprinkle a dash of ground cinnamon or nutmeg on top of your hot chocolate to add a delightful aroma and flavor. Or you can top it with a dollop of whipped cream and grated sugar-free chocolate. There are plenty more options too such as crushed nuts, sugar-free chocolate syrup, sugar-free salted caramel, sugar-free marshmallows, etc.
  • Pair your keto hot chocolate with keto-friendly options such as sugar-free cookies, a cheese platter, fresh berries, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this keto hot chocolate recipe have chocolate chips when it already has cocoa powder?

While it’s fine to just use unsweetened cocoa powder to make keto hot chocolate, I think that the best hot chocolate is made with chocolate. That’s why in this recipe, we both used keto-friendly chocolate chips and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Keto chocolate chips will make your hot chocolate rich and creamy, not powdery and watery. There is nothing worse than a hot cup of chocolate-flavored water! After all, it is called hot chocolate!
Now while this recipe calls for using ChocZero chocolate chips, this hot chocolate is amazing with any of ChocZero’s chocolate chips (e.g. dark chocolate, white chocolate). Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can go with any combination of these chocolate chips! Don’t be afraid to experiment and see what you enjoy the most.

Can I use almond milk or other non-dairy milk instead of water?

Yes — and note that this means the water, not the heavy cream. The cream stays, so the drink stays rich; swapping the water for unsweetened almond, cashew or coconut milk just gives that half of the liquid a little more body and flavor than plain water has. Use the unsweetened kind to keep the carb count where it should be. We haven’t tested the different milks against each other, so treat it as a swap worth trying rather than a second tested version of the recipe.

Can I make this keto hot chocolate dairy-free?

Yes, with one swap and one check. Replace the heavy cream with unsweetened full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream, which will bring some coconut flavor along with it. Then check the label on your chocolate chips, since plenty of sugar-free chips still contain milk.
The rest of the ingredients — cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, sweetener and water — are already plant-based, so those two changes make the hot chocolate vegan-friendly too. We haven’t made the coconut milk version side by side with the original, so expect a slightly different drink rather than an identical one.

Can I add a shot of espresso or coffee to make a mocha version?

Go ahead! Adding a shot of espresso or coffee to the keto hot chocolate will convert it into a keto-friendly mocha hot chocolate. Enjoy!

More Holiday Favorites

A few more keto versions of things we look forward to this time of year:

Keto Eggnog

Keto Chocolate Peppermint Shake

Low Carb Keto Peppermint Cookies

Wrap Up

Hot chocolate tastes better with company, so share it around.

Have you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog? Please rate it below and let us know what you think in the comments! We love hearing from you!

You can also share it on Instagram and use the hashtag #buttertogetherkitchen and we will feature you on our page.

Some other recipes you might enjoy:

Thick and Creamy Chocolate Keto Pudding

Chocolate Snowball Cookies (Keto, Low Carb)

Low Carb Chocolate Mousse

Keto Biscotti Recipe

Keto Cupcakes

Updated — September 12, 2026: We rewrote the opening, put the cream-to-water guidance before the recipe, and added what to watch for while you melt the chocolate and heat the cream.

Correction — September 12, 2026: Full-fat coconut milk is the dairy-free swap for the heavy cream here and brings some coconut flavor with it; almond milk has far less fat and makes a much thinner drink.