Vegan Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa

Everyone is sharing healthy smoothie and salad recipes to start the New Year and I’m just here, sharing a peanut butter hot cocoa.

This is not just any hot cocoa recipe though. This vegan peanut butter hot cocoa is made with cashews, peanut butter, dates and cocoa.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago, after walking home from work in -34°C weather (we’ve been experiencing very cold temperatures over the last 2 weeks). I came home after walking 20 minutes, my eyes watering from the cold and I knew I needed something warm and comforting to drink. I was going to make my healthy peppermint mocha, but then I thought I’d try something new. Enter this healthy peanut butter hot chocolate.

Over the past week, I’ve been making this warm drink almost daily. It’s been my go-to drink during these cold weeks. Not only has the temperature been under -30°C, but we’ve also had a big snow storm this week. The temperature increased that day and we ended up with a mix of snow and rain, which turned to ice the next day. Now we’re back to -30°C. I think it’s safe to say that this temperature is making me want to stay inside all day, curled up with a good book and a cup of peanut butter hot cocoa.

Not only is this drink a perfect way to warm up on a cold day, but it’s also a great healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I was craving a sweet treat Friday night while watching a movie with Shaun, so we snuggled on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa. It satisfied my cravings instantly!

Clearly I’ve been a little obsessed with these cashew drinks lately and I’m loving making different flavors (see my cashew chai latte). It’s very simple and it gives you a very healthy drink without the milk/cream. Plus, it gives you a good dose of healthy fats and protein from the cashews and peanut butter.

To make this peanut butter hot cocoa, all you need is a good blender and 5 common ingredients. I use a Vitamix, but a Blendtec and other strong blenders would work too. If your blender is on the weaker side, you may want to strain it using a nut-milk bag or a fine mesh sieve.

Cashews, dates, peanut butter and cocoa powder are thrown together in the blender, along with 3 cups of hot water. Blend everything for 30 seconds and you get a frothy, delicious and comforting drink.

Feel free to adjust the ingredients as you like. Add more dates for a sweeter hot chocolate – This one is not overly sweet, but perfect to my taste. If you’re used to a very sweet drink, you could also substitute the dates for a desired amount of maple syrup or honey.

Also, I use organic, salted peanut butter in this drink. There’s no other ingredients other than sea salt and peanuts. You can use unsalted peanut butter, but I would recommend adding a tiny pinch of salt with it.

I hope your year is off to a good start!

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The Healthiest Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

You won't believe that this creamy, rich hot cocoa doesn't contain any milk or added sugar. Instead, this drink is made with cashews, peanut butter, dates and cocoa powder, blended with hot water. The result? A frothy, perfectly sweetened cup of hot cocoa. Plus, it takes only 5 minutes, 5 ingredients and one blender!

Course Drinks

Cuisine vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 3 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1 rounded tablespoon peanut butter, salted

Instructions

• Boil your water using a kettle or a saucepan on the stove.
• Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender, including the hot water. Blend for 30 seconds until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.

Notes

I use organic salted peanut butter. If using unsalted peanut butter, add a small pinch of salt before blending. For a lighter peanut butter taste, start with one level tablespoon, taste and add more as needed. I like to use one rounded tablespoon.

If you use a strong blender, you shouldn't have any pieces of dates or cashews in your drink. If your blender is on the weaker side, try straining your drink with a nut-milk bag or a fine mesh sieve.

If you're used to a sweeter drink, add more dates or substitute for a desired amount of maple syrup or honey.

If you try this recipe, make sure to tag your photo #unsweetenedcaroline on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Don’t forget to also tag me @unsweetened.caroline on Instagram so I can see your creations!