These Editor-Favorite Instant Hot Chocolate Brands Mix Nostalgia with Luxury (2024)

Our Top Picks

Specializing in thoughtfully sourced and crafted chocolate bars, it’s no surprise that Crow & Moss makes an excellent drinkable version, too. This 70% drinking chocolate is ultra-luxurious with rich notes of honey, aromatic coffee, and toasted nuts. We found this to be very complex drinking chocolate, almost tasting like we melted a high-quality chocolate bar. You get those sweet, nutty banana bread notes, which is a nice surprise.

If you are a lover of dark chocolate and care about thoughtful, sustainable sourcing, this is the pick for you. Made with cocoa beans harvested in North-Eastern Honduras, in a region called Wampusirpi that is only reachable by a two-day canoe journey up the Rio Patuca River, this cocoa stood out to our team for its flavor and aroma.

We’d be remiss not to include Swiss Miss in our taste test because when it comes to hot chocolate mix, it's by far the most well-loved. Swiss Miss makes a variety of flavors of powdered hot chocolate mix from seasonal favorites like pumpkin spice to mix made with unicorn-shaped marshmallows. Still, the Milk Chocolate hot cocoa reigns supreme.

Made with cocoa powder, powdered nonfat milk, and coconut oil, Swiss Miss has a surprisingly creamy mouthfeel and balanced sweetness. We all agreed that Swiss Miss lives up to the communal memories shared of childhood snow days, and for some, it actually impressed even more. It’s balanced and not too sweet — classic and comforting.

Nestle’s Rich Milk Chocolate mix also deserves an honorable mention when it comes to hitting both quality and nostalgia. We loved the old-school milk chocolate flavor, even noticing a balancing salty finish, but agreed it was a tad sweet. Still, at less than $6 per can, it's a great pantry staple to have on hand to whip out for cold afternoons and morning brunches.

Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top of hot cocoa is always a welcome addition in my book. We tasted multiple hot chocolates that leaned on spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to round out the sweetness of the drink and add a little heat. Our favorite spiced hot chocolate kept things simple with a dash of cinnamon to pair with the warming chocolate. Spicewalla uses high-quality Dutch Process cocoa powder, which is dark and vibrant with aromatic and nutty notes. It reminded us of licking brownie batter off the spoon.

The addition of cinnamon and vanilla actually enhances the chocolatey flavor in this hot cocoa, giving it an indulgent richness that goes unmatched. It even smelled spicy with a strong cinnamon flavor, which we felt was a pleasant and delicious divergence from the classic hot chocolate notes.

Don’t get me wrong, Lococo’s hot chocolate is totally delicious on its own. The women-owned brand crafts a surprisingly complex dairy-free hot cocoa mix made with organic cocoa, coconut milk, adaptogenic mushrooms, and a warming blend of spices, including ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne. The depth of spice in this hot chocolate makes it a fabulous companion to a bit of booze: It has enough oomph and personality to stand up to bourbon or perhaps a sweet digestif like amaro.

When it comes to hot chocolate, Starbucks is a personal favorite. While it might not have a blend of spices or be sourced from hard-to-reach locations, Starbucks’ Double Hot Chocolate mix has a comforting familiarity while still being delicious. It tastes just like the one you get in the store, which, for me, is a big achievement for hot chocolate made at home in seconds. Have some peppermint syrup on hand and maybe some espresso? Add a pump or two and make a peppermint mocha in the comfort of your own home.

Vosges serves up this highly giftable treat at a price point that still feels attainable for a luxurious drinking chocolate. Infused with Madagascar vanilla bean and deep dark chocolate for an unmatched flavor, this editor-favorite chocolate is almost too good to share. Almost.

"Vosges' La Parisienne Drinking Chocolate is made with 62% cacao dark chocolate, so it tastes very rich, decadent, and grown-up," says Commerce Editor Danielle St. Pierre. "It's great with a pastry or croissant, and the packaging is also very pretty."

Sillycow's magic comes from the ingredients — or lack thereof. Made of just two (natural cane sugar and cocoa), the well-loved hot chocolate mix is produced in an allergen-free facility and doesn't contain dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, shellfish, fish, or nuts. It has a classic, everyday flavor, and it's super creamy and mixes well, which are all qualities we appreciate in an instant hot chocolate.

Apart from the adorable old-school glass carton it arrives in, we love that we can reuse it for salad dressing, fresh juice, or as a water bottle.

Sometimes, you're in the mood for a nostalgic cup of cocoa, and other times, you want to kick things up a notch. Compartés is a heavy hitter in gourmet chocolate, and their new hot cocoa mixes are instant favorites among staff. Made by hand in Los Angeles, the Luxury Milk Hot Cocoa Mix is a lesson in decadence. To enjoy, mix one cup of your favorite milk with three tablespoons of the powder, and sit back and relish the indulgence with each sip.

If you're feeling adventurous and want to stray from the classic milk chocolate flavor or simply want to try more, their premium white chocolate and extra dark hot cocoa flavors are well-favored as well.