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I seem to get a lot of questions about how to sweeten coffee on a real food diet…so I’ve finally decided to address it in an official recipe. For starters PLEASE throw away your Splenda or other imitation sweeteners. I am begging you! :) Even though our family rarely does sugar anymore I would much rather have regular white table sugar (that has been around for thousands of years) over something that was (relatively recently) invented in a lab just to imitate sugar. Enough said about that.
As you’ve probably gathered from the title this is not a recipe for just plain ol’ coffee because that is just not how I roll. I am a mocha girl and always have been. My victim of choice used to be a white chocolate mocha to be exact, and I don’t even want to think about what the ingredients might be in one of those. But just in case I could convince one more person to stop ordering them I just got off the phone with Starbucks…
Starbucks white chocolate syrup: sugar, condensed skim milk, sweetened condensed skim milk, coconut oil, cocoa butter, natural flavors, salt, potassium sorbate, monoglycerides
Okay, well at least I can (almost) pronounce everything…I guess that is a positive, but what is the point in consuming a large dose of all that stuff when it could be so much simpler (and cheaper) if you make it at home!? Now if I am not at home my new drink to order is a latté (which is just plain espresso and milk) with a little honey added to sweeten it. And as you can see from the recipe if you want to make these mochas at home it is necessary to have an espresso maker. I have the simplest espresso machine imaginable, and it has worked wonderfully for almost a decade.
Now if you are one of those that likes to get creative please know that the cocoa/maple syrup combination in this recipe can be used as a “chocolate sauce” for just about anything. You can drizzle it on some ice cream, or I even use it to make both cold and hot chocolate milk for my girls. I bet it would be good mixed into regular coffee too. So enjoy!
Maple Mocha
I seem to get a lot of questions about how to sweeten coffee on a real food diet…so I’ve finally decided to address it in an official recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, (this recipe will work with regular, but I think it's sooooo much better with the "special dark" variety!)
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, honey would work as an alternative
- 1 shot espresso
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
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Heat 3/4 cup milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave (for about 2 minutes) or by using a milk frother.
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While the milk is heating up, stir together the cocoa and maple syrup until the mixture looks "wet."
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Pour the hot espresso and milk into the chocolate mixture…and voila! You have a “mocha.”
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
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Could you use a raw cacao powder instead of the hersheys cocoa powder and if so would you substitute equally?
Hi Rene. I think that would work fine as an equal sub. ~Amy
I was wondering what to do for iced tea. My husband drinks a lot of tea which is made with all the bad stuff. Trying to find a tea that’s good to make and sweeten with honey or maple syrup. I hope you have an answer! Thanks for all this wonderful information!!
Hi there. It may take some trial and error to find the one you like best. I’ve used a number of brands that taste great sweetened with honey. I brew my tea pretty strong and think it is a personal choice. :) ~Amy
This Maple Mocha sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for a yummy alternative to both dairy and gluten, and to all the other yucky additives that makes up our foods these days.
SO DELICIOUS. I don’t normally like maple flavors much, but this is the most perfect chocolate syrup of all time. Thanks guys!
I make this, or a version of this every morning. Aeropress 3 shots over honey or the mocha version, topped off w ice and milk. No need for 5 pumps of flavored simple syrup.
If you shake your milk vigorously for 30 seconds or so it’s like using a milk frother!
Is there any way to make this without an espresso machine?
Hi Rachel. Sure. I make shots of espresso in my regular coffee maker with espresso ground beans. Not having a frother will not affect the taste. ~Amy
I am surprised that Lisa recommends Hersheys chocolate! Their ingredients are terrible!
Their cocoa that Lisa recommends contains 2 ingredients.
I do not have a espresso machine or press do you think extra strong coffee would work for this? Just bought your book and in the learning process right now :)
Hi Leah. Yes, it will. ;)
You don’t need a fancy espresso maker. You can pick up a stovetop espresso maker at World Market or TJMaxx. I use it every day during the summer to make iced mochas and periodically in the cooler months for regular mocha. I also recommend aerolatte handheld frother for the milk.
Another idea for regular coffee drinkers is to add pure white unrefined local honey and unsweetened vanilla almond milk to your coffee! It’s seriously delicious! I am more of a die hard espresso drinker and was an avid Starbucks snob, but since I really can’t afford to spend nearly $5 a day on coffee (and I don’t own an espresso machine) the almond milk and honey are great ways to sweeten coffee naturally :)
How would you scale this up when using a carton (32oz) of half n half as your milk base? I want to use half&half, honey, and unsweetened cocoa. Would heating it all together on the stovetop work to keep the honey dissolved and not scald the milk?
Hi Christa. We’ve not tried with such a large amount but I imagine it would work as long as your heat is not too high. ~Amy
No sugar in the coffee? Oh my! Does the honey or maple flavor the coffee in any way? Does brown sugar or raw sugar “count” as processed/refined sugar?
Hi Stephanie. Both honey and maple syrup do add a little flavor to the coffee. I’ve grown to prefer maple much to my surprise. :) And yes, both of those do count as refined sugars in terms of the pledge rules. ~Amy
I have always been a mocha person but moved to hot chocolate after discovering some great mixes (think ground chocolate and cocoa powder). I am now hooked on my own hot chocolate. Which is hot whole milk, cocoa powder and a half a teaspoon of honey. Everything else is way too sweet for me now.
I like this recipe- it makes me think that you have the same cooking style that I have. Thanks for sharing!
You can also “double brew” regular coffee or use a coffee press if you don’t have an espresso machine. Works well. This mocha sounds yummy! I am also a fan of the special dark cocoa!
Finally got around to trying this, but I used regular brewed coffee instead since I don’t have an espresso machine. It is great!! Definitely found a new way to drink my coffee, since I know that creamer and sugar I love has got to go!! :)
I just made this using strong coffee in lieu of espresso, and I used the magic bullet to froth the milk/cocoa mixture as another reader suggested. It worked beautifully. Thanks for a new “real food” way to enjoy my morning coffee!
I would never have believed that I could find some way to not only ditch my sugar/artificial sweetener requirement for my coffee, this recipe actually kicked up the flavor too many notches to count!!
I’m fortunate to have access to real maple syrup (like in a mason jar straight from the tree). I took 1tbsp of the syrup, 1tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, and 4oz of unsweetened plain almond milk (I’m lactose intolerant) and frothed the ingredients together in a container. I then added the mixture to fresh-brewed coffee made in my french press…..
I don’t ever want my coffee any other way. Period. BRAVO.
whaaaaat?!! I just tried this and added it to my regular brewed coffee, and it is A-MAZING!!! Converted from my Coffeemate Vanilla creamer!!
Hi! I have been following your site for awhile, but wanted to officially take the pledge. Can you substitute regular brewed coffee for the espresso in this recipe? I don’t have an espresso machine. Thank you!
Hi Alicia. Yes, I do all the time. Just use an espresso grind or brew a regular grind very strongly. ;)
I just tried this, also using regular brewed coffee instead of espresso. It wasn’t sweet enough for my taste so I added more maple syrup. Anyway, I never thought I could give up my artificially sweetened morning coffee BUT I CAN! I believe we need to cut ourselves a lot of slack as we make changes so I’m ok with the extra syrup, at least for now. My plan is to slowly reduce it as my taste buds adjust to less and less. Thanks Lisa for the challenge!!
This tasted fantastic!! I just used regular coffee. A nice change of pace when I want my coffee a little different. I will definitely make it again and again and again!
Any suggestions on how to make this drink iced? Would I have to hear everything in order to get the powder mixed and then put it over ice? That is what I would suspect. Love your blog and cookbook!
Hi Katie. Yes, you could also put it in the fridge or freezer so you don’t have the problem with melting ice. I know that requires extra time and less instant gratification. ;)
See Pioneer Woman’s iced coffee recipe. Solved my problem.
I would also like to hear about an iced version…I am lucky enough to have a nespresso machine (although the espresso isn’t organic), but i don’t like hot drinks! thanks!
This was really good! I used almond milk since I’m lactose intolerant. I didn’t think it would be sweet enough for me, but it was!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was addicted to Starbucks skinny vanilla lattes and never thought this would sufficiently replace it, but I absolutely prefer it. I love knowing exactly what’s in it and it’s the perfect amount of sweetness. As others mentioned, I don’t have an espresso maker, but I brew regular coffee and add that as well as the milk. I’ve raved about this fantastic recipe to many people. Thanks for doing the hard work and sharing it!
Great recipe! My poison of choice was always cinnamon cream coffee. I’ve tried so many recipes, but haven’t found a good homemade “real food” version. Any suggestions?
Hi Faith. I would use this recipe minus the cocoa and maple. Use honey to sweeten and add cinnamon.
Oh. My. Gawd! I love it when something this simple is so delicious! I was looking for recipes using maple syrup but not expecting to find a drink. Thank you for sharing! Now I’m off to look at more of your website.
I am starting the Real Food mini pledge. I love my coffee with my artificial creamer but I know I need to give it up. I want to try this recipe but I was wondering if you could make this in a large quantity and keep in the fridge so I don’t have to make it every morning?
Hi there. I keep a little jar of almond milk sweetened with maple syrup in my fridge as a creamer. You do the same with cream.
Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for an iced coffee concentrate to keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks. I do that and add what I want each day in the way of creamers, sweeteners based on my 100 days commitment. Check it out.
Just wanted to say how much I have been enjoying this drink in the morning! I use almond milk and it’s delicious!
It’s been a few months since I’ve gotten into clean eating and just drink my coffee with a little milk or almond milk now. This was a nice treat, a great alternative to the chemical filled versions! This will be a permanent addition to my Saturday mornings.
I love flavored coffees,but cant have them unless like torani syrups.but I get a headache.I’m diabetic.I love mocha,carmel coffees,anythingAny Ideas. I cant use Maple still to much sugar for me…So appreciated…
Thank you for sharing! I will be trying this tomorrow. I used to drink a mocha everyday until I decided to go sugar free. I still needed my morning coffee fix so here’s a recipe I came up with….
1 cup hot coffee
1.5 tsp coconut oil
1 agave nectar
I blend it up in my ninja and it’s wonderful! Not to mention all the benefits of coconut oil ;)
Is the chocolate sauce you refer to for flavoring cold milk just the cocoa powder and maple syrup combo? Should it be used for only the amount of mill in the recipe? Thanks!!
Yes, but you can double the recipe easily.
Why do you use a separate milk frothed instead of the one on the espresso machine? (Forgive me if this is a silly question. I have never owned either appliance, but I would love to make these mochas.)
Hi. The frother on their little machine didn’t work well. They now have an espresso machine that does everything. :)
This was so good! I mixed together the cocoa and syrup and then added that to my mug along with a little cream. Then I brewed my coffee right into the mug. Very yummy!
Just curious sonce there are much better cleaner chocolate or coaco products why you would use hersheys, a company that uses vanillin in their chocolate which is a cheap gross additive in your recipe. Recipe souds good and i would like to try it but wonder if you are doing real food why you would use this product?
Hi there. This was a post that happened early in Lisa’s real food journey. There are many good brands to choose from today.
Sorry, I haven’t had time to go through all the comments, but has anyone made this in bulk and if so how much and how long does it keep?
Thanks :)
By ‘this’ I meant the cocoa/maple mix :)
We’ve not made it in bulk.
If I didn’t want the chocolate, but wanted a vanilla latte instead, should I just use vanilla extract? If so, how much?
Hi Krista. We’ve not tried but I’d say just add vanilla extract to taste.
Hi! Forgive me if this was already asked, but is there a way to do this with drip coffee rather than espresso? We don’t have an espresso machine.
Thank you!
I would like to know this as well!
Hi Lisa, I’m such a fan of your website and blog. A friend introduced me to your website last summer, and I instantly began cutting out processed food. I’ve been looking for a warm drink to enjoy in the morning because I’m not a coffee drinker, and hot tea just doesn’t taste good without sugar. I just made your maple mocha without the coffee! I used 1 cup of Organic Rice Dream Rice drink, 2 teaspoons of the special dark variety unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon of pure organic maple syrup. It’s delicious!
I was wondering if you have any tips for lunch ideas for middle school and high school students. I’m a teacher and a mother of two teenagers. It’s sad to see how popular processed food is among teens. I’d love to hear any thoughts you have about that.