Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

Last year, I went on a bit of a homemade hot chocolate recipe development binge, which involved coming up with a lower carb, sugar free Pistachio White Hot Chocolate recipe, as a copycat recipe for a favourite warm drink of ours, that a local coffee shop used to sell.

I hadn’t really made my own white hot chocolate before that easy white hot chocolate recipe.

I’d really only used powdered white chocolate mixes, and the use of chips was a bit of a revelation. You know, especially since sugar free white hot chocolate chips are a thing now!

So, I decided to work up what would become my second favorite white hot chocolate recipe - a peppermint white hot chocolate.

This one is a fabulous warm drink for the winter months, and feels a bit Christmassy without the cost or carb count of the source material.

Buuuut...

Slightly bad news for white chocolate fans, though: This creamy white hot chocolate is definitely a bit higher in carbs than some of my other hot drink recipes.

21 grams of carbs per serving come from the sugar alcohols in the white chocolate chips. Add that to the 16 grams of fiber, and you have 37 grams of deductible carbs - leaving you with 11 net grams of carbs per serving.

Yes, this delicious drink is higher carb than many of my other recipes, but that's also a fraction of the ~70 grams of net carbs in the real thing!

I figure “better choices” is better than just “bad choices”, when “really good choices” aren’t really doing to scratch the itch, you know?

Also, it’s a very rich and decadent drink, on account of all that sugar free white hot chocolate.

Honestly, even half a serving of this festive drink is usually enough to satisfy my sweet tooth... and hey, 5.5 grams isn’t bad!

Anyway, let’s get to that recipe!

Ingredients

While this Sugar Free Peppermint 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:

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 nice creamy hot cocoa. Whole milk is great... I find 1% / skim milk to be too watery, IMHO.

Heavy Cream

I use a little heavy cream - AKA whipping cream or heavy whipping cream - for a richer texture.

Feel free to swap out the heavy cream for the same amount of the milk you’re using.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Pure Vanilla Extract
Peppermint Extract

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

Optional Toppings

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

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

Whipped Cream (Unsweetened, or with your favourite sugar substitute)
Sugar Free Marshmallows (Chop them up for “mini marshmallows”!)
Sugar Free Mini Chocolate Chips
Crushed Sugar Free Peppermint Candies

How to Make Sugar Free Peppermint 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 almond milk, sugar free white chocolate chips, and cream into a small saucepan.

Remove from heat, stir in the Vanilla and Peppermint extracts.

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

Leftovers

Leftover sugar free peppermint 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)
Pistachio White Hot Chocolate
Protein Hot Chocolate
Pumpkin Chai Latte (High Protein)
Pumpkin Spice Latte (High Protein)