My 11 year old walked down the stairs and into our kitchen. She must have caught a whiff of what I was making because she stopped, turned around and asked me why it smelled like Christmas. I had to giggle because she was right… it did smell like Christmas, which even in September sounds great to me, especially with this year we’ve been having. I handed her a glass of the vegan chai hot chocolate I had just made and asked her what she thought. She told me it was like spicy hot chocolate, and she loved it. Then she walked out… vegan chai hot chocolate in hand.
So how and why did I come up with a vegan chai hot chocolate recipe? That’s an interesting story. When MiCacao reached out to me to see if I wanted to partner with them, my mind started racing. How many different things could I make with a tea that uses the husks of 100% organic cacao beans? The possibilities….
What is MiCacao?
MiCacao brings us a unique tea experience that’s both healthy and delicious. Their cacao tea is light with a hint of dark chocolate and packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals – everything you need for a healthy mind and body. It’s the calorie-free and guilt-free pleasure you never knew you always wanted.
And while it’s so good on it’s own, both hot and cold, I wanted to come up with a drink that my kids would also love and something that would be perfect for the Fall and into the holidays. To compliment the cacao, I decided to combine two of my favorite drinks, chai and hot chocolate. This incredibly creamy, and slightly spicy chocolate drink is unlike anything I’ve ever had and I had to share it with you!
Since MiCacao tea leaves are organic, gluten free and vegan, I wanted to make sure that this recipe was also vegan. But if you are a dairy fan, you can switch to whole milk and regular whipped cream, though I don’t think you’ll even miss the dairy, if I’m being totally honest.
I chose sweetened vanilla almond milk because I love how creamy it is. You can probably use coconut milk, oat milk, or any other dairy-free milk as well, for a slightly different twist. When you boil the milk, make sure that you remove it from the heat as soon as the milk begins to bubble around the edges.
MiCacao’s tea is made from the shell of the cacao bean, so it’s not as fragile as other tea leaves or tisanes. To ensure full flavor is released, it requires hotter water, or in this case, milk and a longer steep time.
They recommend steeping 2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea (using an infuser or tea bag) in a cup of boiling water or milk (210° F) for at least 6-8 minutes. I found that 8 minutes was the perfect amount of time for this vegan chai hot chocolate.
You can save 15% off your first purchase by using code SUPERMOM to get 15% off your first purchase of MiCacao tea.
I love this vegan chai hot chocolate because it’s so easy to make! Just boil the milk, steep the MiCacao tea, add your cocoa powder, spices and sugar and whisk. And as my 11 year old pointed out, it will smell like Christmas in your house almost instantly.
You will be using three ground spices… cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Feel free to adjust to your liking, though we love the perfect balance of the spice with the chocolate.
You do have a couple of options to top your vegan chai hot chocolate. I chose a non-dairy whipped cream and vegan mini chocolate chips. You can also use a vegan chocolate syrup or vegan marshmallows! I bet it would also taste great with a pumpkin spice whipped cream, for Fall!
And while it tastes amazing hot, if you are looking for something for those hot days, it tastes just as good over ice! You’ll think you just spent a fortune at one of those fancy coffee spots!
Now, I’m excited to share the recipe for our vegan chai hot chocolate. If you do make it, I’d love for you to share a photo and tag both @thesupermomlife and @micacaotea on social media or comment below and let me know what you think. We love feedback from our readers! Don’t forget to use code SUPERMOM to get 15% off your first purchase of MiCacao tea.
Don’t forget to check out our other family friendly recipes and family-friendly content.
Chai Hot Chocolate (Vegan)
PrintChai Hot Chocolate l Vegan
- Yield: 2 drinks 1x
Description
A spicier version of your favorite hot chocolate, this rich and creamy drink is vegan friendly and features a number of spices, MiCacao tea and an incredible chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk
- 2 tbsp MiCacao tea leaves
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- non-dairy whipped cream
- vegan mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the almond milk on med-high until bubbles form around the edges.
- Remove from heat and steep MiCacao tea for 8 minutes.
- Add spices, sugar and cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
- Top with non-dairy whipped cream and sprinkle with vegan chocolate chips or vegan chocolate syrup.
*This post is sponsored by MiCacao. All opinions are my own. This post may also contain affiliate links. This means if you click on any of them and make a purchase, our family may receive a small commission. As always, we appreciate your support!
This looks super yummy and I love the vegan part into it. My son is going to love it, I need to prepare for him.
Vegan chai hot chocolate looks and sounds delicious! I am saving your recipe to give it a try!
This looks fantastic and I will definitely try it out! I always liked vegan hot chocolate more than regular, so this would be great. Thanks for the recipe!
oh this sounds amazing. i could go for this right about now.
I want to use micacao to do chai hot chocolate. So yummy! It sounds so easy to do too!
I never knew a chocolate tea existed. I want to try now!
This sounds amazing & right up my alley. Cacao tea?! Yum!