Justine Sterling
Jon Gutierrez
Jordan Myrick
The best hot chocolate mix is creamy, chocolatey, and ready in an instant. I mean, who has the time to warm milk in a pot and break out the whisk to make hot chocolate with actual cocoa powder, sugar, salt, vanilla, etc.? Some of us have children and cats and partners and needy potted plants. But even if you go with instant, who has the time to sort through all the different brands and flavors to find the perfect mix to warm your mug and your tum?
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To keep your cocoa list current, the Sporked team ran four taste tests to check out the latest hot cocoa mixes and find the best mix for hot chocolate out there. We used both hot water and milk to taste these hot chocolate mix brands.
What we looked for in the best hot cocoa mix:
- Chocolate flavor. It should go without saying but the best hot chocolate tastes like chocolate. Not just like sugar. We want real cocoa flavor in our hot cocoa.
- Creamy texture. Even if it’s made with water instead of milk, hot chocolate mix should result in creamy, milky hot cocoa.
- Easy to make. We don’t want to stand there whisking away forever. That kinda defeats the purpose of instant hot chocolate mix. The best hot chocolate mix is easily incorporated into hot milk or water.
Here are our picks for the best hot chocolate mix on the market.
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- Land O Lakes Chocolate Supreme
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We were absolutely reamed by Sporked readers for not trying Land O Lakes hot chocolate mix in the first round of our hot cocoa mix taste test. So we made sure to try it in a follow-up taste test. And not just one Land O Lakes hot chocolate mix, all of them. Every single flavor. We thought they were good! It’s not the best hot chocolate mix (sorry!), but we like it. This Chocolate Supreme version is our favorite of the bunch. When made with milk, it’s rich and decently chocolatey. Land O Lakes isn’t just a butter company, people! —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Great Value Candy Cane Hot Cocoa Mix
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If you’re looking for a little extra holiday cheer in your mug, this Walmart hot chocolate mix gives you a tasty mint flavor that doesn’t overpower the chocolate, while also giving you nice, creamy consistency. And as it’s presented in a can instead of packets, you can decide just how much (or little) your portion is. Spoiler: We went with “a ton.” This is the best hot chocolate mix for the holiday season if plain chocolate just isn’t festive enough. — Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Candy Shop Cocoa
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If you’ve ever tried a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and wished it was hot and liquidy, then this is the best mix for hot chocolate to make your dreams come true. It’s got a great, authentic-tasting peanut butter flavor, and the Hershey’s cocoa is strong enough to balance it out. The only downside is that the servings are kinda small, as they only make six ounces of drink per packet. Luckily, they give you eight packets per box. I went through the whole thing pretty quickly, almost as quickly as I can devour a pack of peanut butter cups. So, it’s definitely authentic! — Jon Gutierrez
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Good & Gather Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Mix
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Good & Gather, aka Target, Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa Mix is the best caramel hot cocoa mix we tried. It is so rich, salty, and decadent. It tastes like something you’d get at a local coffee shop. Good & Gather also sells hot chocolate mix flavors like double chocolate and peppermint, which are pretty good too. But for our money, this salted caramel hot chocolate is the way to go. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Starbucks Hot Cocoa Marshmallow
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While this Starbucks hot chocolate mix isn’t a dupe for real Starbucks hot chocolate, it certainly tastes more like it than the standard Starbucks hot chocolate mix. I think when the marshmallows melt into the cocoa it gives it that extra creamy sweetness that’s missing from the standard mix. If Starbucks hot cocoa is the gold standard for you…honestly, buy the K-cups. But if you don’t have a K-cup machine, then this is the best hot cocoa mix to buy. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Trader Joe’s Organic Hot Cocoa Mix
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Not only does Trader Joe’s cocoa have the best packaging but the beloved/cultish store also makes some of the best mix for hot chocolate. “It has a nice cocoa flavor,” said Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart. “It’s sweet but not obnoxiously so.” It has a cocoa flavor that stays with you with a pleasantly bittersweet finish. It tastes like real chocolate and it’s cheap, making it the best hot cocoa mix you can buy on a budget. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett
- Bettergoods Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
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Walmart continues to impress us with its millennial-geared Bettergoods line. This hot chocolate mix makes cocoa that tastes so different from other mixes—it tastes like hot chocolate cereal milk. And it’s super rich. Even though we made it with milk it tasted like we made it with cream. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Nestle Classic Rich Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
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If you’re only using water, there is no better hot cocoa mix out there than Nestle Classic Rich Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix. It is so rich and creamy and chocolatey. Even when made with water, it tastes like it was made with whole milk. That makes it a great accessible and money-saving option. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- La Monarca Bakery Chocolate Mexicano
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We pitted La Monarca’s Mexican hot cocoa mix against Abuelita’s and La Monarca won hands down. It tastes like real cinnamon-infused cocoa (rather than hot cocoa someone dropped a Red Hot into). It’s chocolaty and spicy and absolutely delicious. It’s made by a local Los Angeles bakery chain, but you can and should buy it online. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Dark Chocolate
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This is the best hot chocolate mix to pick up if you want a more grown-up version of a childhood favorite, for sure. It’s dark and indulgent. It’s a little fancier—a little more upscale. It’s richer and feels like it’s really warming you up from the inside. It’s the type of hot chocolate you hold with both hands, just under your nose, breathing in the warm, sweet vapors before taking a sip. A cinematic hot chocolate. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Sillycow Farms Hot Chocolate
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Readers told us to taste this hot chocolate mix and they were right to do so. Because this really is the best hot chocolate mix. It tastes like pure, creamy, hot milk chocolate. It seriously tastes like the best chocolate milk but hot! Yes, it’s more expensive, yes you need to measure, but it’s a real treat—especially when you accidentally confuse tablespoons for teaspoons like I did and add more mix than the instructions call for. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
Fan Favorite
Best Minty
Best Peanut Butter
Best Salted Caramel
Best Starbucks Mix
Best Budget
Best Milk Chocolate
Best with Water
Best Mexican Hot Chocolate
Best Dark Chocolate
Best of the Best
Other hot chocolate mixes we tried:
Treat Life, Starbucks Classic, Swiss Miss Lucky Charms, Nestle, Select, Beaumont, Swiss Miss, 365 Organic Hot Cocoa, Beaumont, Good & Gather (all flavors), Land O Lakes (all flavors), Nestle, Numi Drinking Chocolate, Signature Select, Sprouts, Starbucks Classic, Swiss Miss (Lucky Charms, no sugar added, non-dairy, reduced calorie, regular and white chocolate), Treat Life, Kroger Dutch Hot Cocoa Mix Milk Chocolate, Starbucks Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix, Cocoa Classics Caramel & Chocolate Cocoa Mix, bettergoods White Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix, Raaka Premium Hot Chocolate Mix, Abuelita Mexican Style Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
Danny Palumbo
Ariana Losch
Gwynedd Stuart
Luke Field
You tasted Starbucks, but not Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf? To me, theirs is the BEST! It’s harder to find, and it is expensive, but man oh man is it worth it! Make it with milk and it’s about as good as the ones at the CBTL store.
I just bought some SillyCow Farms Hot Chocolate yesterday, but just read your review this morning. I can’t wait to try it even more now!
It was awesome to see the silly cow farms hot chocolate win! I had received a bottle of it as a gift a few years ago during Christmas and it truly is so delicious! it’s creamy and has such a nice chocolate taste:)
What about Stephen’s hot chocolate? They sell it at Sam’s Club.
I was wondering if anyone has tried the Ghirardelli or Silly Cow Farms.
Please try the Starbucks Classic Hot Cocoa mix that comes in a tin!!
try the ghirardelli coco mix!!! soooooo rich and yummy
You need to try Abuelita hot chocolate! Originally comes in a hard bar form but they make mix packages now!
Land O Lakes ftw
I’ll have to try these! Love the sea salt caramel hot chocolate!
Came here to look for Hot Cocoa rankings and you did not disappoint!
Thoughtful! And the Land-o-Lakes has been a sleeper for a while…it’s my favorite but now I’m on the hunt for your number one.
If you want THE best Cocoa go to KingsCoastCoffee. Its only available for a limited time during Christmas time each year. Hands down the best you can buy.
It may be because you are on the west coast and don’t have access to it, but you are missing out on THE best hot chocolate. Tim Horton’s!
Agree that Swiss miss is crap. Especially the KCups. Tasted like water.
Silly Cow farms is AMAZING! ALL flavors are great. Must me mixed with milk though. Water is a no with those.
If you didn’t try Stephen’s Hot Cocoa, it wasn’t a legitimate ranking.
Try the Silly Cow brand hot chocolates. They are the best.
You need to rerun this including the ghiradelli, Starbucks, ovaltine, and landolakes mixes. All available at Walmarts and targets across the country.
Where’s the land ‘o lakes representation!!
You are missing the best brand ( Land O Lakes)
Or Starbucks
Essential Everyday
Ghirardelli
Sillycow Farms
Stephens
All of the other flavors put out by these companies
Should have thrown the Kroger “Private Selection” Double Cocoa in there. Would have dominated. I’m surprised that Abuelita and Ibarra wasn’t tested here also.
Ok, now taste a latino hot chocolate like “Ibarra” or “abuelita” and prepare to get your mind blown
Hi Lina! Mexican Hot Chocolate is getting its own separate ranking so keep an eye out for it!
I love sporked and have loved having y’all on GMM but I know sometimes you listen to the comments so I just came here to beg you to reconsider land o lakes!
You need to try stevens gourmet. Classic and mint
Ugh, I love your lists, but you seriously missed out by not including Land of Lakes hot chocolate. With that said, keep up the excellent work, but be sure to do your research and try all the products available. 🙂
Tim Hortons is the only hot chocolate! Have to order for delivery most of the time, but so worth it! Land o Lakes up there too, but still Timmy’s for the win 🙂
Isn’t Cadbury sold on US?
Y’all gotta try the Dandelion Chocolate Hot Chocolate. By far my favorite chocolate company, based out of San Francisco.
staff of Sporked.com,
It is an atrocity beyond measure to have excluded all brands of widely available Mexican Hot Chocolate into your considerations. The Mexican people have revolutionized the modern world of flavored milk, and it is a disservice to all visitors of Sporked.com to have left these out. This letter is not meant to criticize the work of Dutch and Swiss culinarians, but to urge the Sorked.com team to confront the severity of their actions and rectify them. It is recognized that Mexican hot chocolate preparations require more time and care before serving than their powdered colleagues, but this will not be accepted as an excuse for such a dreadful offense.
You should try Stephen’s cocoa. https://indulgentfoods.com/collections/stephens-hot-cocoa
My wife and I stumbled upon this brand when visiting Colorado and think they are the best so far. Right above Land O’ Lakes.
A swing and a miss. How did Ghirardelli not make the list? And why didn’t you try the same flavor with different brands to get a better comparison? And you only used hot water? Disappointed with this list.
Y’all need to try Stephens! Sooo good!
Right?! That’s what I said!
Land o lakes is the best, it’s a crime it was ignored. Lol
Land o lakes didn’t make the top list? They are so good!
Thoughts on Land O Lakes? I love the white chocolate flavored one as I’d put that as best alternative in my opinion. But that’s just me.
My favorite from years ago is Land O’ Lakes Hot Cocoa. I haven’t had it in quite a while because unfortunately ALL hot chocolate started to disagree with me for some reason. The mix of hot and sweet really messes with my stomach. Or did. I just haven’t chanced it lately. But yeah if you can find the Land O’ Lakes brand give it a try. They had a few varieties. I remember a salted caramel and a mint one which were both pretty nice iirc.
My favorite is Ghirardelli with semi-sweet chocolate chips
It’s way too slow/unorganized to go through these Spooked rankings… I like the idea, but with no way to pick between categories just makes this website feel useless.
It needs a rankings tab and mini sub tabs for things like Chip rankings/Chicken/Beef/Drinks/Sweets/Ice cream/Frozen etc etc
The real answer is Nestlé Abuelita
The only hot chocolate I drink since I found it is abuelita!
Yessssssss exactly!
Yup… iykyk!! Abuelitas is the only hot chocolate worth drinking!
The last time that I had nestle it was just horrible. Nowadays, I only use hot chocolate powder to add to coffee. If I am making hot chocolate, I heat milk and mix in some ovaltine.
Would love a best sugar free cocoa mix recommendation!
Agreed
this is so unhealthy but I use swiss miss milk chocolate as my coffee sweetener most days 😅 it’s delicious tho
Have you ever nestled near a fireplace with Land O lakes coco? That is my favorite one out of all.
Best dairy-free? Swiss Miss!
Swiss Miss isn’t dairy free. Wish it was though.
Camino mix (Canadian company) is amazing; the only better hot chocolate I have had is very expensive shaved chocolate mix from chocolate shops. Incredibly delicious.