A simple 3-ingredient homemade hot chocolate that's ready in minutes! (It's also sugar-free and can be made dairy-free.)

Homemade hot chocolate can be ready just as fast as heating your milk and stirring in one of those store-bought packets. It's really that simple and that quick.

And best of all, you don't need the packets, with all their funny extras and that strange aftertaste. You just need cocoa powder and honey and milk. Really, that's all.

Three ingredients and three minutes to make your own hot cocoa anytime. Aww yeah!

I love, too, that it's naturally sweetened with honey and has no added sugars. That's particularly important to me for my little ones.

And does it get better than a warm mug of hot chocolate on a cold day? Especially a snow day? ❄️

We don't get many snow days here in N.C., and when we do, I'm not always stocked up on the snow day essentials.

Which is why I just make my own homemade hot cocoa. I don't have to worry about buying it at the store in advance because I've always got these ingredients on hand in the pantry.

I'm ready anytime the craving strikes!

(If you're looking for a party version, check out this crock pot hot chocolate that is crazy rich and creamy and delicious and perfect for guests!)

This year is the first time I've made it for M.

I wasn't quite sure how to serve it to her, honestly. I didn't think she could wield a coffee mug at age 3. So I let it cool WAY down (which was necessary anyway since I knew she'd start gulping instead of doing the slow sip-blow lightly-sip method) and put it in one of her regular sippy cups.

She took those first tentative little sips and her eyes lit up. She was in heaven!

Notes on making homemade hot chocolate:

• You can use your milk of choice. I use soy milk because M has a milk allergy, but any kind of milk will work: skim, 1%, 2%, almond milk, etc.
• You'll need to really whisk to get the cocoa powder well combined with the milk.
• The milk takes just a minute or two to heat up. Taste test with a spoon or stick a finger in to see how warm it is and take it off before it gets too hot. (That way you can serve it right away!)
• This recipe makes enough for one large mug. You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe as necessary, depending on how many you are serving.
• You can also adjust the honey to your liking if you want a sweeter drink. You could even melt in some dark chocolate if you wanted to kick the whole thing up a notch.

And of course, top it with your hot cocoa favorites.

Topping ideas for homemade hot cocoa:

• Mini marshmallows - grab a whole handful
• Whipped cream
• Crushed graham crackers
• Crumbled cookies
• Candy canes or peppermint sticks or spoons
• Mini chocolate chips

Go as crazy as you like with the toppings!

Oh, and you can also make some marshmallow snowmen for a fun addition at the holidays! Check those out with these other easy, cute Christmas treats for kids.

This sure made for a fun mother-daughter afternoon treat on a snow day. ❤️

And once you've seen how easy and delicious it is to make it yourself, you won't want to go back to that store-bought stuff. Promise.

(Probably you won't even need to come back to this recipe. It's one of those recipes that you'll just memorize after the first couple of times you make it.)

Enjoy and stay warm!

XO,

Kathryn