Creamier Healthy Spiced Frozen Hot Chocolate (dairy-free, paleo & vegan)

If we can rely on the weather forecaster, much of this week is going to feel like summer in June around here! Perfect, warm, sun-drenched days and I couldn’t be happier to get an extra dose of Vitamin D before our winter tires get put to good use. And I thought: wouldn’t it be so nice to enjoy a healthy frozen hot chocolate!

October was a veritable whirlwind — so, so busy (and I’m SO grateful to have been so busy). But of course it feels like I barely had time to blink or brush my teeth (I’m sure I did both, though!).

With the weather being nice over the last day or so, I took advantage to do some fall cleaning/sorting/organizing and made some donation piles for the local thrift store.

After 7.5 months in this house, I finally have somewhat of a walk-in closet since I converted an extra bedroom, adding some wide and tall removable shelves, a few hooks and an extra dresser.

I had been using the room as storage since late summer and everything was a mess: it’s so nice to have everything sorted and accessible. The room instantly feels bigger and refreshed.

I also got caught up on some urgent paperwork before I dive back into new client work, and of course marking as a Program Coach with the Academy of Nutrition’s Culinary Nutrition Expert Program.

With a brief pause in the workload, it also seems fitting to finally share this extra-creamy, rich-tasting, frozen hot chocolate that I first starting making back in June.

Your info is safe with me. I will guard it with my life and promise no spam, ever. I genuinely hate it as much as you do!

Why I was Inspired to Create this Creamier, Dairy-free Frozen Hot Chocolate Recipe

Based on the recipe title, you may be wondering: creamier than what?

Well, there’s a popular chain of restaurants here in Canada named after a famous hockey player that has a truly unhealthy beverage on tap. I haven’t had the displeasure of trying this sugar-loaded bevvy myself but I’ve heard from friends that it’s sickeningly sweet.

And no wonder: it contains a whopping and shocking amount of sugar.

How much, you ask? 50.

50 GRAMS.

And that’s for the small size!

The medium size has 72 g of sugar and the large size has 95 g.

I can’t even believe it myself.

To put that in perspective, that’s about:

• 18 grams more than a can of soda/pop for the small size, or
• roughly the amount of sugar in THREE cans of soda/pop for the large size.

That’s a lot, and some might even say a criminal, amount of sugar.

I think we can all agree that we can do better. So I have!

I hope you lick your lips enough to make this because I’ve been making this healthy frozen hot chocolate all spring and summer.

Adding more water, or more cashews, less water and experimenting with different spices (a lot). I’ve made it with cloves (more than once), nutmeg and even turmeric.

But I like this version the best!

Secret Ingredients of this Spiced Frozen Hot Chocolate

I love the idea of pairing chocolate with spices, kinda like Mexican chocolate includes cinnamon. So, I’ve used cinnamon, ginger and some optional chile powder in this frozen hot chocolate.

The chile powder is optional because even though it’s used in a small amount here, it gives your tastebuds a kick in the teeth. It’s not for the faint of heart.

Chef be warned!

However, the nice thing about spicy things is that they tend to boost the metabolism. I like spicy things so this is right up my alley. However, feel free to omit it if you don’t.

Cashews are really the secret to some fabulous dairy-free food in your culinary nutrition kitchen. They make mouth-watering dairy-free cheeses, cream cheese, and sour cream. I use them in this bright, lemony dairy-free potato salad. Cashews also have a host of nutritional benefits that are worth keeping in mind.

If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak your cashews for at least 6 hours. This is necessary before blending them. If you do have one, go ahead and use it. You don’t need to soak if you don’t have the time or foresight. Just make sure you blend until everything is smooth as silk.

Grab a glass and a straw. Then, drag your blender out from hiding. This vegan frozen hot chocolate is an easy and healthy way to soothe your chocolate cravings. And not a cube of refined sugar in sight!

Looking for more recipes featuring chocolate?

Try this vegan Basil Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, or these Easy Chocolate Energy Balls.

Life is a plate… Eat up!

Ashleigh