It has taken me some time to finally come up with an acceptable vegan version of Mexican hot chocolate. First we tested different types of Mexican chocolates until we found the best one. Then we tested different types of plant milks, until finally we did it! This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.
We tried 4 different types of plant milks for this recipe: coconut, almond, macadamia, and soy. I chose not to test rice and oat milk, because I thought they would be to thin and watery. The almond milk was our least favorite, which was a surprise, because I thought it was going to be the best one. The flavor was a little bit bitter, the texture thin, but it did foam up really well. Our next least favorite was the coconut milk. The coconut flavor completely overpowered everything, and the texture was almost too fatty. You could feel the fat coating your mouth, and not in a good way. The foam was average. One of our favorites was the macadamia nut milk. The flavor of the macadamia milk was very subtle, and the texture was creamy without being overpowering. The foam was average. Our favorite out of all of them was the soy milk. This was a complete surprise to me. The soy milk really let the chocolate shine through, the texture was just the right amount of creamy, and the foam was thick and bubbly.
(Just on a side note: The beautiful napkin you see in the picture is from Kari of the site Beautiful Ingredient., a vegan blog focused on bringing in more plant- based meals into your daily life. The napkins are handmade and vegan. You can also find coasters, pot holders, and dishcloths. You can find them on her site or on her shop on Food52.)
The family and I are still enjoying time at my parents’ house and we are having a blast. Christmas and New Years was great, I didn’t realize how much I really missed them, and how far away Hawaii really is. It’s time to get back to work though, and I’ve been busy trying to find the best spot to take pictures and start developing new recipes. I didn’t make any New Years resolutions this time, instead I chose a word to keep me motivated the whole year. My word is perseverance: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. No matter what this year brings, good or bad, we will persevere. With God’s help of course. How was your holiday?
The Recipe: The Perfect Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate
To make this amazing vegan Mexican hot chocolate we used the TAZA chocolate Mexicano cinnamon tablets, soy milk, and a hand blender to get the foam just right. If you are a traditionalist you can use a molinillo or if you prefer convenience you can use a blender. Serve with these marranitos de piloncillo or these vegan conchas.
The Perfect Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 pckg. (2.7 oz) Taza Chocolate Mexicano, cinnamon
- 2 cups Soy milk
Preparation
In a medium sauce pot, heat the milk over medium heat until just about to simmer.
Chop chocolate, and add to pot.
Whisk until the chocolate dissolves. Be careful not to overheat the milk.
Remove the pot from the heat and froth with a molinillo, hand blender, or blender.
Serve while hot and frothy.
Chef's Notes
You can find several flavors of Taza Chocolate Mexicano, use your favorite.
Being allergic to soy, I had to give up on soy milk but agree it’s the best for many dishes and not just hot chocolate. I have tried Ripple (http://www.target.com/p/ripple-dairy-free-original-milk-48-oz/-/A-50737701) as a straight up beverage and it is really good – more like old-fashioned dairy milk than all the others although it’s darker beige coloring is a bit of a put off. It wouldn’t matter in hot chocolate though!
Thank you for the suggestion Timaree. I haven’t tried ripple yet. I will give it a try.