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Do you have kids who love chocolate milk? I do. My boys jump at the chance to drink a hot cocoa on a cold winter afternoon or the occasional treat of chocolate milk.
At the grocery, while walking the coffee isle (a mom necessity) I hear: “Mom, can we get this??” “Mom, that looks good, can we get it?” -referring to the squeezable bottle of thick chocolate syrup.
One of the things my youngest’s favorite treats is chocolate milk. It never fails that if we go past the dairy section, he’ll ask for it.
Then one day, it dawned on me, that it might be fun to try to make a chocolate syrup of our own. Sure, it might be full of sugar, but at least I know what exactly is in the syrup.
So here is our version of homemade chocolate syrup. It’s adapted from one of our favorite ice cream toppings by just leaving out the butter. It’s delicious! Be sure to give Laura’s strawberry milk a try too.
Homemade Chocolate Syrup
- Cuisine: Condiments
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar or sucanat
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and water.
- Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
- Stir continuously until thickened to a sauce consistency.
- Remove from heat. Add in vanilla and stir.
- Pour into a separate container and allow to cool before using.
- To make chocolate milk use 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup per 1 cup of milk.
Chief Mom’s note:
I’m not saying that this syrup is “healthy” but please compare the ingredients in our recipe vs the ones found in a bottle of the store-bought syrup. HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; CORN SYRUP; WATER; COCOA; SUGAR; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE); SALT; MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES; XANTHAN GUM; POLYSORBATE 60; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLA VOR *source.
Hi Laura,
I just made this but used arrowroot starch. After it cooled it was very thick and sticky and wouldn’t really dissolve in the milk. Do you think that was because of the arrowroot?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Nicole
Hi Nicole, it was definitely because of the arrowroot. If you can’t have corn starch, use 1/2-1tsp of the arrowroot.
How long will this keep in the fridge?
★★★★★
Hi April, nothing in the ingredient list “expires” anytime soon… so I’d say about a month in the fridge (if it lasts that long).
I made this for my incredibly picky wife who loves chocolate milk but hates the HFCS (not to mention the other artificial junk)… this is a winner and she loves it! Thank you for cooking outside the box and sharing your recipes!
Thank you for letting me know it was a success Dave!!!
This is awesome. I have a kiddo that refuses to eat fake maple syrup, so I can easily try this with the real stuff. I also use agave. In your professional opinion… do you think it would work?
this recipe does not call for “fake” maple syrup. You won’t find a single recipe on our site that calls for it actually. I do not like agave since it’s nearly as highly processed as hfcs.
Is there an alternative for cornstarch? Maybe tapioca flour?
Catherine, I haven’t tried it with anything else other than corn starch. Tapioca flour might work..
I do all gluten free baking/cooking and I find that potato starch actually thickens gravy and soups better than tapioca starch. Just a thought.
This sounds tasty! I will be making some tonight. How long will the chocolate syrup keep in the fridge?
Thanks!
Hi Lonie! well… the recipe doesn’t have any “perishables” so… I’d say up to a month?
Nice ! Love this version. I make a version of just raw cocoa & stevia for myself, bu this would be great for the kids. Bet it tastes yummm !
I see vanilla in the ingredient list but not in the directions. When should I add the vanilla? Thanks
My apologies. I should have had that second (or third) cup of coffee before the final edits. It’s on the recipe now. Thank you Tara!
We make our homemade one too…. It’s a bit simplier but still yummy. I put it in my coffee for a homemade White Mocha Latte.
1 t. unsweetened cocoa (I use Hershey’s special dark)
2 t maple syrup
Mix until combined, then add in 1/2 c milk. Leave milk cold for chocolate milk, warm milk up for hot chocolate (and add a bit of vanilla – about 1/4 t), or warm milk up and add to coffee for the White Mocha Latte. This avoids so much of the refined sugar, but still gives the yummy chocolate taste :D (Recipe based on 100 days of real food blog)
Opps… See someone else had the same thoughts above :-P
I love this! Can’t wait to make the chocolate syrup. One quick question, do you store the chocolate sauce in the fridge or pantry?
Thanks!
in the fridge.
Sweet, thanks!
A mixture of cocoa powder and maple syrup makes a really good chocolate syrup for both chocolate milk and hot chocolate and it keeps well in the fridge. We usually use a 1/2 tsp cocoa to 1 tsp maple syrup ratio but of course you can adjust this. We got the idea from 100 days of real food. Thank you for all the recipes you post! As a newbie to gluten free food your site has been so helpful!
So glad you find our recipes helpful! Yes, I use the maple syrup version too…. but our community wanted a more “affordable” version… and substituting fake syrup a)defeats the purpose b) won’t work. thank you!!