Love homemade almond milk? Craving chocolate? Then learn how to make chocolate almond milk with cocoa powder for a refreshing, dairy-free drink.

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.
Jump to:
- What Does Chocolate Almond Milk Taste Like?
- Ingredients
- Equipment List
- How to Make Healthy Chocolate Almond Milk
- How to Store
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Use Chocolate Almond Milk
- Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk Nutrition Facts
- Homemade Chocolate Almond Milk Nutrition Facts
- Commercial Almond Milk Nutrition Facts
- Recipe
- Comments
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
This vegan chocolate milk can be heated. Heat it up and drink it as hot chocolate. If you want a thicker hot cocoa, melt some chocolate chips and stir them into the warm milk.
If the chocolate almond milk simmers for several minutes, it starts to thicken. This is a good choice to start almond milk chocolate pudding.
You can freeze chocolate nut milks. If you make a large batch of chocolate milk and you don’t think you can finish it before it goes bad, freeze part of it.
Thaw it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. It will separate a bit so shake it before you drink it.
You can also freeze the milk in ice cube trays and then use it to make your favorite smoothies. Try it in a chocolate banana smoothie or a chocolate peanut butter smoothie.
Chocolate milk ice cubes won’t water down your smoothie like regular ice cubes.
Any nut milk is best used within 3 to 4 days after you make it. It can last a few days longer than that in a pinch.
However, fresh is always better. So make smaller batches and enjoy fresh more often.
When it gets bad, you will know it. It curdles, smells, and separates. Do not let it get that far. Small batches are your best friend.
Chocolate almond milk is dairy free. The only exception is recipes calling for milk chocolate. This recipe does not include milk chocolate and so it is completely dairy free.
This recipe for chocolate almond milk is vegan. The cocoa powder has no dairy in it. However, beware of recipes that call for blending a chocolate bar into the almond milk. The chocolate bar may have dairy in it.
Homemade chocolate almond milk is paleo. Almonds, raw cacao powder, and dates are all paleo ingredients.
Processed cocoa is cacao powder roasted at high temperatures. Although it can be used in this recipe, choose raw cacao powder instead if you are on a paleo diet.
This recipe has keto-friendly ingredients, such as almonds and cocoa powder. Be aware of added sweeteners. Dates are a dried fruit high in carbs and not recommended on a keto diet.
If you are on a keto diet, you can substitute a keto sweetener, such as stevia or xylitol. Instead of the dates, add 1 tablespoon of the sweetener of your choice. Taste and add more until it is as sweet as you like.

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.
Recipe

Chocolate Almond Milk
Equipment
- Vitamix (or use another high-powered blender or food processor)
Ingredients
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup (6 ounces) of raw almonds
- 3 tablespoons of raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
- Sweetener of your choice (dates maple syrup, stevia, or xylito
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- pinch of salt optional
Instructions
- SOAK the almonds in water enough water to cover the almonds by at least an inch. Soak at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours. The longer the soak, the creamier the milk.
- DRAIN the almonds.
- POUR the water into the Vitamix or other powerful blender.
- ADD the cocoa powder, almonds, dates, cinnamon, and salt.
- BLEND until completely liquefied, at least 1 or 2 minutes.
- TASTE and add more dates if needed.
- POUR the milk into a nut milk bag (best) or cheesecloth or thin towel if that is all you have.
- STRAIN the milk through the nut milk bag and into a storage container.
- CHILL the chocolate almond milk in an airtight container, preferably a glass milk jug.
- DUMP the almond pulp out of the nut milk bag. Dry the pulp and use it as you would almond meal.
- CLEAN your nut milk bag, dry it, and get it ready for your next batch of milk.
Notes
- If you forget to soak your almonds the night before, you can boil the almonds in water for 15 minutes to soften them. This makes it easier to blend them. It is also possible to blend the almonds into milk without soaking them if you have a powerful enough blender. The Vitamix is powerful enough and I have made the milk with raw, unsoaked almonds.
- Nutrition facts do not include a sweetener since various sweeteners can be used.
Nutrition
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