Healthy Hot Chocolate with Ginger & Collagen

I don’t know about you, but once the colder temperatures of winter come to town, I become allergic to cold food and beverages (ok, not really, I just find them repulsive). I drink warm water and herbal tea religiously all winter to stay warm. As such, I have a penchant for creamy drinks that taste like dessert but without the inflammatory side effects of a blood-sugar spike. This is how I came up with a recipe for healthy hot chocolate with ginger and collagen. While I prefer it warm, it’s just as delicious cold if you want a late-morning pick-me-up in the summer. 

Benefits of Pairing Chocolate with Ginger

Since chocolate and ginger pair so well together, I wanted to make a healthy hot chocolate recipe with these flavors. Unfortunately, traditional cocoa is alkalized, meaning it’s highly processed and stripped of all its nutrients. It’s also loaded with sugar, which does a body no good.  

For this recipe, I use cacao powder instead of traditional cocoa. Cacao powder comes from the cacao bean, which is basically chocolate in its purest, raw form. Raw cacao is a superfood due to its high antioxidant and flavonoid content. It’s also full of protein and fiber making it the perfect ingredient for this healthy hot chocolate recipe with ginger and collagen. 

Ingredients to Make Healthy Hot Chocolate  

There are so many methods to making this healthy hot chocolate recipe, which makes it easy to prepare to your preferences. I’ve tested this recipe using three different types of ginger so you can prepare it with whichever type you already have in your kitchen.  

From the Refrigerator:

Water – 12-16 ounces of filtered water is enough. Adjust the quantity to leave enough room in your mug for non-dairy milk. While I prefer to make this hot chocolate, well, hot, you can use cold water for an iced version if you are using minced ginger from a jar, or powdered ginger instead of fresh.

Ginger – The spicy, warming flavor of ginger pairs so well with rich, bitter cacao and creamy non-dairy milk. You can make an infusion with fresh ginger, or to save time, try minced ginger from a jar, or powdered ginger from your spice drawer. Choose your own adventure from the list below: 

• • 1) Fresh Ginger – a 1” piece of fresh ginger, chopped into small pieces and placed in a stainless steel tea ball infuser will give your hot chocolate a nice kick.  
  • 2) Minced Fresh Ginger – 1 ½ teaspoons of jarred ginger (such as Ginger People). This will add a little texture to your hot chocolate, but the finer it’s minced the less noticeable it is. 
  • 3) Ground Ginger – ½ teaspoon is plenty. Keep in mind the fresher the ground ginger, the stronger the flavor. 

From the Pantry:

Cacao Powder – You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder. Cacao does contain caffeine, so be mindful if you’re very sensitive to it and adjust accordingly. On the flip side, if you want extra chocolatey goodness, add more. 

Collagen Peptides – I find 1 scoop of unflavored collagen peptides such as these from Thrive Market work well. (Get $40 off your first Thrive order through my affiliate link). Collagen peptides add a considerable amount of protein without altering the flavor.  

Ceylon Cinnamon – Finishing your healthy hot chocolate with a dusting of Ceylon “true” cinnamon is an optional touch. 

3 Ways to Make Healthy Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate recipe can be prepared using fresh ginger, pre-minced ginger from a jar, or powdered ginger. Chose your adventure based on what you have available, how much time you have, and whether you prefer to drink it hot or iced.

Option 1 – Fresh Ginger: 

1. If using fresh ginger, chop it and place it in a stainless steel tea ball infuser.
2. Heat your water just before boiling. If you have an electric kettle, set it to 200º. 
3. Pour the hot water over the ginger pieces and let steep for 5-10 minutes. The longer you leave it in the water, the more flavor you’ll get. I don’t take it out until I’ve finished with the hot chocolate (and sometimes I eat the pieces afterward). 
4. Whisk in the collagen peptides and cacao powder, or mix with a matcha frother. 
5. Add sweetener and non-dairy milk. 
6. Garnish with cinnamon (optional). 

Options 2 & 3 – Minced Ginger from a Jar or Ground Ginger: 

1. Follow the instructions above, starting with step two.
2. Add the minced ginger after the collagen and cacao. There’s no need to steep the minced ginger. 

Helpful Tools 

These three tools aren’t necessary to make this hot chocolate recipe, but they’ll make it a lot easier if you have them.

Tea Ball Infuser – A stainless steel tea ball infuser is handy for using fresh ginger in this healthy hot chocolate recipe. I found the more the ginger was cut, the more flavor I got out of it. If you don’t have one, just cut the ginger into a few smaller pieces to increase its surface area and toss it in the water. 

AeroLatte Matcha frother – If you mix any sort of powder into your beverages (even if you don’t drink matcha) I recommend this tool. Matcha frothers break up the powders so they don’t leave chunks in your drink. I use them for hot chocolate, matcha lattes and electrolyte powers.  

You can also use a traditional latte frother, but they’re designed to add air to the fatty molecules of milk to make it foamy, not necessarily to break up powders. 

Electric Tea Kettle – This Chefman Electric Kettle has been a game changer in our household. Not only does it have seven preset temperatures for various types of tea, it’s also fast.

Healthy Hot Chocolate with Ginger & Collagen

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• Author: Chelsea L. Allard
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes (10 minutes if using fresh ginger)
• Total Time: 5 minutes (or longer depending on variation)
• Yield: 1 serving 1x
• Category: Beverage
• Method: Boil, Steep, Froth
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This healthy hot chocolate recipe includes ginger and collagen for a kick of extra flavor, added nutrients and protein. It’s dairy free to curb inflammation and doesn’t contain any added sugar to maintain steady blood glucose levels.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

FRESH GINGER VARIATION:

• 12–16 oz hot water
• 1” piece of fresh ginger, chopped (or alternatives below)
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
• 1 scoop unflavored collagen peptides
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk
• pure liquid stevia or pure monk fruit drops to taste
• sprinkling of Ceylon cinnamon – optional

 

MINCED GINGER VARIATION:

• 1 1/2 tsp jarred ginger

 

POWDERED GINGER VARIATION:

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

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Instructions

Option 1 – Fresh Ginger:

1. If using fresh ginger, chop it and place it in a stainless steel tea ball infuser.
2. Heat your water just before boiling. If you have an electric kettle, set it to 200º.
3. Pour the hot water over the ginger pieces and let steep for 5-10 minutes. The longer you leave it in the water, the more flavor you’ll get. I don’t take it out until I’ve finished with the hot chocolate (and sometimes I eat the pieces afterward).
4. Whisk in the collagen peptides and cacao powder, or mix with a matcha frother.
5. Add sweetener and non-dairy milk to taste.
6. Garnish with cinnamon (optional).

 

Option 2 & 3 – Minced Ginger from a Jar or Ground Ginger:

1. Follow the instructions above, starting with step 2.
2. Add the minced ginger after the collagen and cacao. There’s no need to steep the minced ginger.

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Equipment

Chefman Electric Kettle

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latte frother

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matcha frother

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Notes

This healthy hot chocolate recipe tastes just as delicious and refreshing served cold. If using jarred ginger or powdered ginger you don’t have to use hot water, so it also saves time.