I Tried 15 Hot Cocoa Mixes and This is the Best

hot chocolate A.I. illustration

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Cocoa it Up a Notch

There are few beverages as synonymous with winter and cold weather as hot cocoa, and if you've got any Grinchless bones in your body, you may be looking to grab some hot chocolate mix. With so many brands competing for your attention, who do you reach for? I tasted 15 of the best hot cocoa mixes — here are my findings, ranked based on flavor.


Prices and availability are subject to change.

Silly Cow Farms Chocolate Chocolate
Amazon

Best: Sillycow Farms Chocolate-Chocolate

$16 from Amazon

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What a truly delightful experience this was, from start to finish. It's sold, first and foremost, in a very pleasant glass bottle, offering you a look at exactly what product you're getting. The mix itself is stellar — full-flavor taste without being too rich, and not at all clumpy when you mix it up. 


These geniuses have the foresight to tell you to use hot milk only, and don't even give you the option for hot water. After a dizzying array of mediocre mixes, Sillycow is a real breath of fresh air, and the best hot chocolate mix I've tasted.

Savory Spice Mexican Hot Cocoa
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

2. Savory Spice Mexican Hot Chocolate

$12 from Savory Spice
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I did not expect to see a day when I gave a flavored hot cocoa a top spot, but here we are. This is flavored perfectly, delicately, with cinnamon for that classic Mexican hot cocoa experience. The light peppering of cinnamon is balanced and makes for an all-around warming winter treat. This is a killer pick as far as winter beverages go; you need this in your pantry immediately.

whole foods organic hot cocoa
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

3. Whole Foods Organic Hot Cocoa

$4 from Whole Foods

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This is what I'm talking about. Rich, silky, and lush, Whole Foods knows what it's doing. This is about as decadent as I am generally willing to go. Add a little extra scoop; you won't be mad you did.


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savory spice classic hot cocoa mix
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

4. Savory Spice Classic

$12 from Savory Spice
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When other hot cocoa mixes feel too light, it almost seems like a mistake. Savory Spice's classic mix is something else entirely. It's gentle and creamy and makes for a hard-to-top cup of hot chocolate. Since I almost exclusively make hot cocoa with milk, I always prefer a darker, richer, experience, so Savory Spice can move no further than number four.


Related: Love Chocolate? 10 Places You Have to Try the Hot Cocoa

sees double chocolate cocoa mix
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

5. See's Double Chocolate Cocoa (Discontinued!)

$10 from See's 


If there's a person whose hands I trust my cocoa in, it's ole Mrs. See. This mix is smooth and just rich enough to really help pull you into the winter spirit. Throw a few marshmallows in here and curl up by the fire.


Editor's note: Sadly, See's Double Chocolate Cocoa has been discontinued.


Related: Boozy Hot Chocolate Recipes for a Chilly Winter Night

Swiss Miss with Marshmallows
Amazon

6. Swiss Miss with Marshmallows


$6 from Target

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Swiss Miss is the go-to brand for most people, and there's a reason for that. Even after all this time, it doesn't just taste like chocolate syrup; we're talking about a very distinctly sweet and malty taste, like a chocolate bar. Yet, as always, these marshmallows are tragically small.

laura lynn hot cocoa
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

7. Laura Lynn Hot Cocoa Mix

$2 from Ingles

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After a long run of bad experiences with Laura Lynn products, I'm surprised to say that her cup of hot cocoa mix is very strong. No notes, really. My only notes are with the idea of including mini marshmallows in a mix in general: Who needs them? If I want mallows, I'll stick normal mini mallows in there myself. These things are microscopic, what's the point? Sheesh, I gotta cool off.

swiss miss hot cocoa with unicorn marshmallows
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

8. Swiss Miss with Unicorn Marshmallows

$6 from Walmart

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What is the deal with unicorn stuff? This is basically hot Lucky Charms. And if you don't like the look of rainbow milk in cereal, rainbow milk in your hot beverage isn't gonna do the trick either.

land o lakes chocolate supreme hot cocoa mix
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

9. Land-O-Lakes Chocolate Supreme

$30 from Amazon

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For something called Chocolate Supreme, this isn't very strong. I had to mix a lot more powder into this one than I normally do. Forgettable job, Land-O-Lakes.

Signature Select Rich Milk Chocolate
Safeway

10. Signature Select Rich Milk Chocolate

$2 from Safeway

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This is exactly what you'd expect from a grocery store knockoff. It definitely doesn't taste as good, but for a cheaper price it will do the trick. Truly not bad, though each package is strangely hard to open, and will undoubtedly leave your kitchen counter with a dusting of cocoa mix.

Ghirardelli Premium Hot Cocoa Envelopes, Rich Chocolate
Amazon

11. Ghirardelli Premium Hot Cocoa Mix

$13 from Amazon

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You'd expect a hot cocoa mix from a company like Ghirardelli to display the deepest, boldest, most chocolatey flavors. While the Ghirardelli mix is decently tasty, it's not even close to the richest. I expected more.

Starbucks Classic Hot Cocoa Mix
Amazon

12. Starbucks Hot Cocoa Classic

$22 from Amazon

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If the Ghirardelli mix let you down, look to classic Starbucks flavor. This was easily the richest, most decadent chocolate flavor of any brand that I tried. It tastes like a big cup of melted dark chocolate — we filled our mugs to the brim with milk, and the stuff was still insanely thick. This guy right here is for the true chocolate lover.

land o lakes mint chocolate hot cocoa mix
Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

13. Land-O-Lakes Mint & Chocolate

$24 from Amazon

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I like a peppermint patty as much as the next fella, but this is a little too minty and sweet for me. I'm not sure I really need a flavored hot chocolate, seeing as hot chocolate is basically already a flavored beverage.

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa
Walmart

14. Starbucks Salted Caramel

$15 from Amazon

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This creature of Starbucks' design is intended to be salted caramel-flavored, but it truly doesn't taste any different than the classic option. I made it three different times and tried to pick up those flavors. No dice. Unless you enjoy a $15 box of hot chocolate packets that don't actually taste like salted caramel, look elsewhere.

Nestle Hot Cocoa Mini Marshmallows Mix
Amazon

15. Nestlé Hot Cocoa with Mini Marshmallows


$2 from Walmart

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This was unquestionably the worst hot chocolate I tasted. If you stuck some Nesquik in the microwave and threw some deconstructed bits of Lucky Charms marshmallows on top, you'd have an identical match, flavor-wise. I'm not sure what it is with the Nestlé mix, but it has a weird aftertaste that you just can't shake. 

Droste Cocoa Powder
Amazon

Make Sure to Read the Box, Kids


$9 from Amazon

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Droste hot cocoa is actually not hot cocoa at all, but rather pure cacao powder that was for some reason placed on the shelf in the hot cocoa section of the Albertson's where I bought it. I'm not a quitter though, but even after mixing it with sugar, the cocoa did not take on the properties of any sort of dry milk powder. 


It was horribly bitter and essentially undrinkable. This one's on me.