This easy to make, delicious, and healthy peppermint hot chocolate recipe is something I always crave this time of year. What makes it a healthy version of peppermint hot chocolate is the quality of ingredients used and the health benefits the ingredients have. This recipe is also paleo friendly, vegan, dairy free and free of refined sugar.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe
Organic peppermint loose leaf tea in mesh tea ball
Organic baking cocoa (unsweetened)
Sweetener of choice to sweetness level desired (recommended sweeteners: maple syrup (extra sweet) or coconut palm sugar (low glycemic))
Almond milk or spoonful of coconut oil (optional for extra creaminess)
Other optional ingredients: sea salt and/or vanilla extract
This recipe is designed for one mug of hot peppermint cocoa. Put loose leaf tea in tea ball and infuse into mug of hot water. Infuse the tea for a minimum of 5 minutes but tea can also be left in while drinking. Next stir in 2 teaspoons cocoa powder then add sweetener of choice to sweetness level desired. For extra creaminess, add a splash of almond milk or a spoonful of coconut oil. Mix in added flavoring like a pinch of sea salt and or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract if desired.
Essential Oil Version of Peppermint Hot Chocolate
As an alternative to peppermint tea, you could also use one drop of a high-quality peppermint essential oil like this one here. Do not use more than one drop per mug. You may even want to use a little less by dipping a toothpick in peppermint essential oil then dipping in the hot chocolate. Peppermint essential oil is potent so in addition to using very little you do not want to use in hot cocoa that will be consumed by children under 10.
If you are going to use essential oil and are not familiar with it please reference this post on Essential Oils Guide: Safety and Uses. I prefer peppermint tea or essential oil to peppermint extract or flavoring because you are going to get far more benefits from the peppermint by utilizing it in tea or essential oil form.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Benefits
What makes this recipe so healthy while still being delicious and indulgent is the quality of ingredients used to make this treat.
Benefits of peppermint tea:
- Improves digestion
- Boosts immune system
- Prevents nausea and sooths upset stomach
- Controls your appetite and boosts metabolism
- Reduces stress levels
- Fights sinus problems
Tea is something that is very important to buy organic so you don’t end up drinking a pesticide infusion.
Why choose loose leaf tea?
The reason I specifically recommend peppermint loose leaf tea vs. peppermint tea in a tea bag is that first off, it tastes a whole lot better. Another reason you should avoid tea bags is because many of them contain plastics and other toxins that can leech into the beverage (like dioxin). You also get a lot more bang for your buck purchasing loose leaf instead of bagged tea.
Tea bags are unbeneficial, wasteful and actually take away from the flavor and benefits of the tea itself. For more information on the dangers of tea in tea bags check out this article Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea? It also shows a breakdown of which companies do have better safer tea bags.
All that said, there are two primary reasons why I choose to go with loose leaf tea vs tea in bags improved taste and reduced waste.
Benefits of cocoa:
- Rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium
- Contains very high level of antioxidants
- Lowers high blood pressure
- Enhances mood
- Balances cholesterol levels
- Helps in maintaining a healthy circulatory system
To reap these benefits you want to go with a high quality organic cocoa powder.
Winter is the perfect time to enjoy this delicious peppermint hot chocolate recipe which has many benefits to keep you happy and healthy in the colder months ahead.
-Elizabeth Hemmings
If you would like to share this peppermint hot cocoa recipe you can do so using the icons below.
Leave a Reply