Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.

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Shall we bring back a bit of nostalgia this morning?

Maybe it’s the DIY facial serum at work? Bringing me back to the youthful years of 1992. I promise, we’ll skip the overalls and tie-dyed shirts. Everyone take a deep sigh of relief.

I grew up with everything the late 80’s and early 90’s had to offer– the good, the bad, and the “What in the world were we thinking??”.  Overalls and tie-dyed shirts that flowed down well-past the knees definitely qualify for the latter category. If you thought overalls were the bomb-diggity (it’s the 90’s coming out), just keep reading. No hard feelings. I’m sure you pulled off the overall look much better than I did.

Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.

One of my fondest memories as a child, besides cooking with my mom, was a magical bottle of dark chocolate syrup kept in the door of our almond-colored fridge.  The 90’s aren’t exactly known as the age of health food, so the thought of chocolate syrup and mystery ingredients never came into question. All I knew was that the big bottle of chocolate syrup took my milk from a plain white drink to a heaven-sent glass of chocolatey-satisfaction.

My heaven-sent chocolate milk experiences were not an everyday event. The bottle of magical chocolate syrup only came out on special occasions, much like fast food and chips.

Fast forward to 2015 and real food.

Oh don’t worry, I’m not about to take away the nostalgia of chocolate milk! No, no…

Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.

When people hear, read, or notice (“Umm…Your fridge is a tad bit different than mine. You have half a cow in your freezer…what?!”) that we enjoy real food, the first reaction is often, “So do you eat a lot of salads and quinoa?” My reply usually includes a line about butter, steak, bacon, and homemade ice cream. Oh, and my utter distain for quinoa, until recently. Remember? We made up and became friends!

Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.

The good news is that we are not  thriving on salads and quinoa alone. Yes, I make both. I’m a huge fan of a hearty homemade salad, like my Probiotic Chicken Caesar Salad, but that doesn’t mean salads make-up our entire real food existence. In fact, because of our real food lifestyle, we don’t have to worry about an ingredient list, calorie counts, or trans fat. We enjoy homemade treats with great pleasure–homemade ice cream, pastured bacon, brownies (!!!), and even chocolate milk.

Amazing, right?

We enjoy these treats and find pleasure in the taste and wholesome ingredients.

Let’s get to the syrup…shall we?

Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.

Homemade chocolate syrup is seriously one of the easiest homemade treats to make in the kitchen. Homemade chocolate syrup is made with just a few basic ingredients: cocoa powder (the chocolate punch), water, pure maple syrup (the sweetness), vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. The simple ingredients come together in just minutes to create a decadent chocolate syrup that can be stored in the fridge for several months. Stir homemade chocolate syrup in a tall glass of whole milk or drizzle over homemade vanilla bean ice cream. You can also enjoy this syrup straight from the spoon…hey, I won’t judge.

Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.
Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup without refined sugars or artificial colors. The healthy, fun, and easy way to do chocolate milk.
4.77 from 26 votes

DIY Homemade Chocolate Milk Syrup (Refined Sugar Free)

Homemade chocolate syrup is seriously one of the easiest homemade treats to make in the kitchen. Homemade chocolate syrup is made with just a few basic ingredients: cocoa powder (the chocolate punch), water, pure maple syrup (the sweetness), vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. 
Kristin Marr
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
Calories 599 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium-size saucepan, over medium-high heat, whisk together the water and maple syrup. Bring the water/syrup mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low.
  • Whisk the cocoa powder into the water/syrup mixture until the powder is fully dissolved. Simmer for 2 minutes. This is just the right amount of time needed for the syrup to thicken. If the syrup simmers for longer, the cocoa powder may burn resulting in a burnt flavor (yuck!).
  • Remove the chocolate syrup from the heat. Stir the vanilla extract and pinch of salt into the syrup.
  • Store the syrup in a container in the fridge for several months.

Notes

The “where to buy” links provide links to the actual products I use. As always, I recommend shopping around online and at local stores for the best prices and products you love. Find all my favorite kitchen essentials, here.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcalCarbohydrates: 146gProtein: 12gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 79mgPotassium: 1345mgFiber: 21gSugar: 98gCalcium: 258mgIron: 8.9mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

 

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80 Comments

  1. I used raw cocao powder and it was bitter. I added extra salt, vanilla and more maple syrup. It’s good. Now it’s like dark chocolate. Yummm. I think using regular processed cocoa powder would result in better flavor but I didn’t have any. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Kristin,
    My friend sent me this recipe after I posted asking for help to make a whole gallon of healthy chocolate milk – we’re a blended family of 8, and I’m slowly trying to incorporate healthy eating. I haven’t tried this out yet because we use raw milk and I didn’t want to screw it up and waste a whole gallon. Could I make the syrup as is and pour the entire amount into the gallon? Or would I need to adjust it? Some people have told me to add an egg yolk to make chocolate milk even creamier. What do you think? Thanks for your help and for such an amazing site! 😊

    1. Hey Barbi, I haven’t tried this, but I think it would work. I might start with half the syrup, mix it up, see how it tastes and then add more to taste. I haven’t tried an egg yolk, but may work as well. With an egg yolk, I would consume it quickly.

  3. 5 stars
    Easiest and best chocolate sauce I have had yet.It is super delicious and has few ingredients and a super short preparation time.I have used it in milk, as a fruit dip,and just drank it from the bottle.It is a must for dark chocolate lovers.Thanks so much for the recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    This is fantastic! I’m trying to cut down/out refined sugar but dying for an iced mocha. I won’t use bottled sugar-free syrups so I decided to try this. I bought good quality cocoa powder and made this. It’s delicious! I don’t taste the maple and it’s pure ingredients. I can’t wait to make iced coffee with it tomorrow.

  5. As an adult who has been desperately trying to figure out a healthy alternative to chocolate milk.. THANK YOU! Absolutely delicious AND I have come across your blog.. It’s beautiful! Total bonus!

  6. Hi Kristin, so happy to run across this recipe . I’m gifting personalized ice cream spoons and ice bowls to the kids in the family this year for Christmas and needed to add a bit something to the gift and I think a container of this is perfect, however, I’m wondering about storage? Do you think there is a maximum amount of time it can be left out of fridge before it goes bad ?

    1. Hey Caity, What a great gift! It needs to stay in the fridge. I wouldn’t keep it out for more than a few hours, or a day. Another idea may be create a DIY chocolate syrup kit with the printed recipe. So they can make their own?

  7. I’m so happy to see this recipe and will be making it soon. What do you think about using cacao instead of cocoa! I’ve been reading a lot and understand that is is a better choice than cocoa because it isn’t roasted/heated. I’d love your take on this.
    Two months ago I went “real” (no alcohol or refined/processed food) and my head is spinning with all the different perspectives and opinions. Thank you!

    1. Hey Sydney, Yes, you can use cacao. I generally use cacao these days, but for many people cacao isn’t easy to find so that’s why I stick with cocoa in the written recipe. Cacao adds a rich chocolate flavor. I’m personally not worried about using a good cocoa powder from a trusted brand, but also have read about there being benefits to using cacao instead. Cacao is very easy for me to find these days, so that’s what you’ll generally find in my pantry. I’d say go with what you can find and love using.

  8. Should I wait until the chocolate syrup completely cools down before putting it in her fridge? And also will it stay with the same texture or will it get thicker? I like the consistency of it at first, just thick enough.

  9. 4 stars
    Hi Kristin, I am a big chocolate milk fan and when I found your recipe on Pinterest I was really excited. I made it yesterday and followed the directions but it turned out pretty thick. Do you have any ideas on how to thin it out or avoid this in the future?
    Thanks!

  10. Hi Kristin! Do you think it would be ok to skip the maple syrup and just add some liquid stevia for sweetness?

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you, Kristin! I added just a spoonful of honey, some Stevia and a bit more water to adjust the liquid-powder ratio. Stronger cocoa flavour, but it worked just fine, husband loved it 🙂

  11. I just tried it. I am I made some mistake and it was very thin. I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa and 1/2 cup. And used Molasses replacing maple syrup. Do you have any recommended recipes using these two ingredients?

    1. Hey Julie, I’ve never tried making this with molasses, so I’m not sure if that was issue or possibly something else. I don’t have any recipes with molasses. You can add a few tablespoons to homemade granola add the end of baking. There are a lot of ways to use cocoa (I’m sure the same is true with molasses–it’s just not an ingredients I keep on hand often). You could make pudding: https://livesimply.me/2015/07/15/homemade-chocolate-pudding/. Or hot chocolate, brownie bites (skip the peppermint): https://livesimply.me/2016/11/29/no-bake-peppermint-cookie-bites/.

  12. I have been searching for a sugar free chocolate fix since September 2016. This fits the bill perfectly. I take a spoonful now and then but mostly stir it into my coffee. Thank you!

  13. This was really good and very easy. I tried to cut back on the amount of maple syrup, but it really did need what you called for.
    Thanks!

  14. 5 stars
    Thanks very much for this recipe! I used it over the weekend for an ice cream bar and it was delicious. I did find it a little thin at first so I added a dark chocolate bar to the mix and then it was perfect.

  15. I just made this! IT’S absolutly awsome! I had agave syrup in the cabinet so I used it. Turned out just right! Now I can try those iced coffees and not feel so bad. I’m trying to adjust to being paleo. This will help in those oh o times! And I stopped using regular white sugar years ago, wish we had pintrest way back then!

  16. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! We love it! It is exactly what I was looking for and not “sicky” sweet– just enough to add a lovely chocolate taste without a bunch of artificial garbage! 🙂 I am getting ready to make my second batch and had a question for you. After keeping it in the refrigerator for a few weeks, it started to get thick on the bottom. I tried warming the jar I was storing it in, but that didn’t seem to help. Any suggestions for keeping it smooth? We don’t keep it for too long (it lasted maybe slightly less than a month), but it would be great to keep it running smooth/liquid-y until the end…

    1. Hey Cherly, I’m so glad you’re enjoying this syrup! Yes, my jar gets a bit thick on the bottom, too. I use a long a spoon to stir the mixture before use, which seems to help, or even shake the jar (if it’s tightly sealed).

      1. Thanks for your quick response, Kristin! We will try that (or maybe just eat it even faster!). Looking forward to trying more of your recipes…