How to Make Chocolate Almond Milk with Cocoa Powder

Sometimes a tall glass of chilled chocolate milk is just what you need to start your day. But if you are avoiding cow’s milk for health reasons, you may fear your chocolate milk days are over.

Don’t worry. Chocolate almond milk with cocoa powder is the perfect substitute.

But what about the taste? You may never miss dairy milk when you use unsweetened almond milk in baking. You pour vanilla almond milk on oatmeal or cereal with great results.

But chocolate milk is another matter. You drink chocolate milk by itself. As a stand-alone treat. Too often the chocolate almond drink from the grocery store has ingredients the health-conscious wish to avoid.

You need a homemade chocolate almond milk recipe that tastes fabulous. But is still healthy. Then when the chocolate craving hits, you can drink with no guilt.

In the post you will learn how to make chocolate almond milk without white sugar or any other undesirable additives.

RELATED: See lots more drinks and smoothies.

What Does Chocolate Almond Milk Taste Like?

Homemade chocolate almond milk has a light, yet creamy chocolate flavor.  

Soaked almonds blend into a rich, smooth texture. Raw cacao powder infuses a deep earthy chocolate flavor. (Unsweetened cocoa powder is an easy substitute for cacao powder.)

When sweetened with dates or maple syrup, the chocolate milk tastes naturally sweet, rather than sticky, sugary sweet.

I do not like the taste of store-bought almond milk. It is fine to pour on cereal. But drink it from a cup? No way. You probably feel the same way if you are exploring any homemade nut milk recipe.

All the almond milks I have tried have a higher water to almond ratio than this recipe. That high water ratio dilutes the flavor.

Almond milk companies try to remedy the lack of flavor by adding sugar. Sugar does not bring back lost flavor.

If you are going to learn how to make chocolate almond milk, use a recipe that tastes good. Add more almonds. Do not dilute the flavor. Sweeten naturally.

Making your own nut milk is a healthier option and a better tasting one too.

Ingredients

This recipe has no sugar or dairy in it.  It has 4 simple ingredients blended with water and an optional pinch of salt.

• Almonds. Use whole, unpeeled almonds for the best flavor. Blanched almonds are too devoid of flavor to use in milk.
  
  Some recipes use almond flour instead of whole almonds. However, it does not give the best flavor to the milk. Avoid that route, if possible.

• Raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder. Note that cocoa powder is heated cacao powder. Cocoa powder can be substituted for cacao powder if desired.

• Pitted dates, maple syrup, or your sweetener of choice. If you need to limit your sugar intake in any form, skip the sweetener.

• Dash of cinnamon. Optional spice, but it enhances the chocolate flavor.

Equipment List

Healthy chocolate almond milk is one recipe where I highly recommend using specific equipment. It will make your job much easier!

• Vitamix: For recipe success, you really need a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix or a food processor.
  
  The Vitamix is a great choice and my go-to blender of choice. I love mine. I have had it for years and expect to own it forever.
  
  It especially shines when blending an ingredient with a liquid, like water and almonds. I can blend water and almonds in under a minute.
  
  See more about the benefits of the Vitamix.

• Nut milk bag. A nut milk bag is a bag made of fine mesh material, like organic cotton. This material allows liquid to pass through, leaving the solid pulp in the bag.
  
  The reusable bag is often shaped like a cloth pouch with a drawstring closure at the top.
  
  To use a nut milk bag, place it inside a bowl, pour the blended chocolate almond mixture into the bag. Then squeeze or press the bag to extract the liquid while leaving behind any pulp or solids.
  
  You can use cheesecloth if you prefer. However, you may need to strain the liquid more than once with cheesecloth.

How to Make Healthy Chocolate Almond Milk

Soak the Almonds

• SOAK the almonds 6 to 24 hours (depending on how creamy you want the milk). Use ½ cup of almonds for every 1½ to 2 cups water.
  
• DRAIN the almonds.
  

Blend the Ingredients

• POUR 2 cups of fresh water into a high-speed blender or food processor. I recommend the Vitamix.

• ADD the cacao or cocoa powder, almonds, dates (or sweetener of choice), cinnamon, and pinch of sea salt into the blender.

• BLEND for 1 minute.

Strain the Milk

• POUR the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to catch the thick pieces. Then pour into a nut milk bag. Or use cheese cloth.

• SQUEEZE the chocolate milk through the nut milk bag. The almond pulp will stay in the bag. Use the pulp in smoothies or muffins.

• CHILL for 2 or more hours.

• ENJOY during any chocolate craving.

How to Store

Store the homemade chocolate almond drink in a pitcher in the refrigerator. Use one with a lid if possible to preserve the fresh taste.

The cacao almond milk will keep for 3 to 4 days. It is best to make small batches so it doesn't go bad before you drink it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Use Chocolate Almond Milk

• Drink chocolate nut milk as a healthy sweet drink. Or use it in any recipe calling for chocolate milk.

• Try it in hot cocoa, smoothies, and almond milk pudding.

• Use homemade almond milk in ice cream, pancakes, crepes, and waffles.

• Serve it with chocolate chip cookies or chocolate chip Bundt cake.

Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk Nutrition Facts

Most commercial almond milk has cane sugar unless it is unsweetened. Unsweetened chocolate almond milk does not have any added sugar.

Commercial almond milk has been fortified with calcium carbonate, potassium citrate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, and D-alpha-tocopherol.

If you make your own chocolate almond milk, you will not have these added minerals. That may be a downside.

However, store-bought chocolate almond milk contains artificial gums and emulsifiers. These add-ins make the milk thick and creamy. You may see gellan gum and sunflower lecithin on the label.

Gellan gum is an emulsifier and a vegan thickening agent, artificially made by manufacturers. Its role is to keep the milk from separating.

Since it is not an ingredient in homemade chocolate almond drink, you may have to shake your milk before pouring a glass.

Sunflower lecithin plays a similar role as an emulsifier. It keeps the milk from separating. Some people even add it to their homemade almond milk.

Commercial almond milk has been diluted with more water than this recipe calls for. The ratio of water to almonds is high. This cacao almond milk recipe has a much lower water to almond ratio.

When you compare the taste of store-bought versus homemade, the taste difference is obvious. However, that difference is also reflected in the nutrition facts.

Homemade Chocolate Almond Milk Nutrition Facts

Based on a serving size of 1 cup:

• 75 calories
• 9 grams of fat
• 4 grams of protein
• 2 grams of fiber
• 4 grams of carbs

Keep in mind that this is an estimate only.

Commercial Almond Milk Nutrition Facts

Blue Diamond Unsweetened Chocolate Almondmilk has a higher ratio of water to almonds. The nutrition facts reflect this.

Based on a serving size of 1 cup:

• 40 calories
• 3 grams of fat
• 1 gram of protein
• <1 gram of fiber
• 2 grams of carbs

In addition to almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, and soy milk are all fantastic dairy-free milk alternatives.

Homemade cacao almond milk plays an important role in a plant-strong diet. Drinking it is a guilt-free way to satisfy your chocolate cravings.