Pistachio White Hot Chocolate

Recently, I finally got around to posting my Pistachio White Hot Chocolate recipe to my main blog.

It was based on the best white hot chocolate I’d ever had in my life - one that Second Cup used to sell - but it was WILDLY high in carbs.

Still, I was pretty addicted to that creamy white hot chocolate - that version ended up becoming my favorite white hot chocolate recipe ever - so I knew I’d need to make a similar version, just sugar free.

So, here we are with a low carb version of that regular white hot chocolate.

Just, uh, a bit of a caveat on this one...

While this easy white hot chocolate recipe has a fraction of the carbs in the regular hot chocolate it was based on... it’s not REALLY keto friendly.

The thing with using enough sugar free white hot chocolate to satisfy white chocolate fans AND my sweet tooth, is that there’s still a fair amount of carbs left, even when you deduct the sugar alcohols and fiber.

21 grams of carbs per serving are from the sugar alcohols, and there’s 17 grams of fiber, giving you 38 grams of deductible carbs.

That still leaves you with 12 net grams of carbs per serving. Yes, it's higher carb than many of my other recipes, but that's also a fraction of the ~80 grams of net carbs in the real thing!

And sometimes, you just need a fancy, festive drink, you know?

Personally, I think it’s worth it to have a little treat, without just COMPLETELY falling off the wagon, you know?

Also, this recipe is SO rich, I’ll usually only have half a serving in a sitting, anyway.

Anyway, let’s get to that recipe, eh?

Ingredients

While this Sugar Free Pistachio White Hot Chocolate recipe uses only a few basic ingredients, they’re not necessarily ones that you can easily find in grocery stores. So, it’s good to plan ahead!

A few notes for you:

Pistachio Butter

Pistachio Butter is an amazing thing. Not the cheapest - it IS ground pistachios, after all - but a bougie little treat.

If you’re buying it ready made, ideally you want one with just pistachios, maybe some salt. For best results, use one that doesn’t have added oil. Those brands will work, but I find they don’t taste as good.

If you have a high powdered food processor, you can make your own! Just run a cup or so of lightly toasted pistachios and a pinch or two of salt for 5-10 minutes - scraping down the sides every once in a while - until it’s smooth.

While it’s still warm, scrape it into an airtight container - like a mason jar - and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

One other thing to keep in mind: If the pistachio butter you’re using is unsalted, you’ll want to use a pinch of salt in your hot chocolate mixture.

Sugar Free White Chocolate Chips

For best results, use a good quality chocolate. This can be Sugar Free White Chocolate Chips or a chopped up Sugar Free White Chocolate Bar.

Personally, we use Lily's White Baking Chips, as it’s been the easiest to come by, here in Canada.

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Unsweetened Almond Milk has been my milk of choice for years now. It was a great dairy-free option when I could no longer handle cow’s milk, and it’s a fantastic option for those on a keto diet.

When it comes down to it, though... depending on your macros, you can use pretty much any kind of milk in this recipe.

As far as non dairy milk goes, Oat milk, Cashew Milk, Flax Milk, Macadamia Milk and Coconut Milk are all good options - just definitely check the carb counts, to make sure they’ll fit your plan.

Beyond that, regular milk works, too - just a bit higher carb. You can use whatever you like, but I’d recommend at least 2% fat, for a creamy hot cocoa.

Whole milk works well, but I find 1% / skim milk to be too watery, IMHO.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Pure Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract

... Don’t really have anything to add, here.

Optional Toppings

Half the fun of making fancy drinks is dressing the top of the hot chocolate with your favorite toppings.

Some of my favourite options for this Low Carb Pistachio Hot Chocolate recipe:

Whipped Cream (Unsweetened, or with your favourite sugar substitute)
Chopped Pistachios
Sugar Free White Chocolate Curls or Sugar Free White Chocolate Chips
Sugar Free Marshmallows (Chop them up for “mini marshmallows”!)

How to Make Sugar Free Pistachio White Hot Chocolate

The full recipe - with exact measurements - is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a walk through with step-by-step photos:

Measure the pistachio butter and a small amount of the milk into a small saucepan, whisk until smooth. If your pistachio butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.

Add the sugar free white chocolate chips and salt.

Heat milk mixture over medium low heat - whisking constantly - until the white solids have fully melted and combined with the milk.

Remove from heat, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.

Divide pistachio white hot chocolate into 2 mugs, garnish as desired, and serve immediately.

Leftovers

Leftover sugar free pistachio white hot chocolate can be cooled to room temperature and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

More Low Carb Hot Beverages!

Looking for more sugar free, low carb drinks - and drink mixes - as a healthier alternative to the coffee shop? I've got you covered, with all kinds of keto friendly fancy coffee drinks, hot chocolates, and more!

Basic Hot Chocolate
Cappuccino Mix (High Protein)
Chai Latte (High Protein)
Gingerbread Latte (High Protein)
Matcha Latte (High Protein)
Mocha Latte (High Protein)
Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (High Protein)
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Peppermint Mocha (High Protein)
Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
Protein Hot Chocolate
Pumpkin Chai Latte (High Protein)
Pumpkin Spice Latte (High Protein)