Mushroom hot chocolate is a delicious treat that is perfect for a chilly fall or winter day. Made with cacao, honey, cinnamon, and mushroom powder, this hot cocoa is quick and easy to put together. Enjoy the benefits of healthy and medicinal mushrooms in this creamy hot chocolate recipe!
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Mushrooms in Hot Chocolate
You may be wondering why anyone would want to include mushrooms in hot chocolate.
There are many health benefits to mushrooms, and adding them to drinks like coffee and hot chocolate is simply another way to enjoy them.
It’s also a great way to use mushrooms that are not typically eaten due to their woody texture, such as reishi, turkey tail, or chaga.
The flavor of the mushrooms is very subtle and not really noticeable at all. If anything, they add a slight earthiness to the hot chocolate that is pleasant.
Types of Mushrooms to Use
There are many different varieties of mushrooms that can be used to make mushroom hot chocolate, and each one will bring different benefits.
I use reishi and lion’s mane in this recipe, but feel free to use any mushrooms that you prefer! It works best if you can get the mushrooms in powder form.
Here are the most common types of mushrooms to use for hot chocolate and their primary benefits:
- Reishi – immune support, sleep aid, stress reducer, anti-inflammatory
- Lion’s Mane – increases focus, memory support, immune support, anti-inflammatory
- Turkey Tail – immune support, high in antioxidants, prebiotic, anti-inflamatory
- Chaga – high in nutrients and antioxidants, immune support, lowers cholesterol, anti-inflammatory
- Cordyceps – energy boosting, anti-aging, immune support, anti-inflammatory
Beyond their specific benefits, all of these mushrooms are considered to have adaptogenic properties. Adaptogens help to increase your body’s ability to deal with stress, both emotional and physical.
Most of these mushrooms can also be foraged! Chaga fungus, turkey tail, lion’s mane, and reishi are all fairly common and easy to forage.
If you forage your own mushrooms they are best dried and ground into a powder before using in this recipe.
Related: 6 Medicinal Mushrooms for Your Health
Mushroom Hot Chocolate Recipe
Once you have chosen the mushrooms you would like to use and acquired the mushroom powder, this recipe is very simple to make!
The other main ingredient you will need is either cacao powder or cocoa powder. Cacao is raw or unroasted and cocoa is roasted. They are very similar and either one will work for a delicious chocolate flavor!
Combine Ingredients in a Pot & Heat
To make this mushroom hot chocolate, simply combine the milk (or non-dairy milk), cacao or cocoa powder, mushroom powders, and cinnamon stick in a pot.
Heat the mixture on the stovetop on medium low heat for 5-8 minutes or until it is heated through. Whisk everything together as it heats to combine.
Pour in a Mug & Enjoy
Carefully remove the cinnamon stick, then pour the mushroom hot chocolate into a mug. Add honey or maple syrup to taste and enjoy!
This recipe makes about two servings of hot chocolate, or one big one depending on how big your mug is.
A homemade marshmallow is the perfect addition to this warm mug of deliciousness!
If you don’t have any homemade marshmallows on hand, these natural marshmallows are my favorite.
Adding marshmallows will also make it sweeter, so keep that in mind before you stir in the honey — you may want to add less honey or none at all.
This mushroom hot cocoa is definitely a new favorite around here!
Reishi and lion’s mane mushrooms are the perfect additions to this recipe. I love their adaptogenic and stress relieving properties.
It feels good to be improving my health while also drinking something tasty!
Make yourself a mug of this mushroom hot chocolate, you definitely won’t be disappointed!
More Mushroom Recipes & Guides
Here are a few more mushroom recipes to make and a guide for mushroom foraging!
- Chaga Chai with Carob and Coconut
- Reishi Mushroom Infused Red Wine
- Mushroom Cookies with Candy Caps
- 5 Easy to Identify Edible Mushrooms
- 15 Best Mushroom Books for Kids
Mushroom Hot Chocolate with Reishi and Lion’s Mane
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk or non-dairy milk
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1 tsp lion's mane mushroom powder
- 1/2 tsp reishi mushroom powder
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp raw honey or maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- marshmallows for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the milk, cacao or cocoa powder, mushroom powders, and cinnamon stick in a pot.
- Heat the mixture on the stovetop on medium low heat for 5-8 minutes or until it is heated through. Whisk everything together as it heats to combine.
- Carefully remove the cinnamon stick, then pour the mushroom hot chocolate into a mug. Add honey or maple syrup to taste.
- Serve with marshmallows for garnish if you desire.
Notes
- Other powdered mushrooms can be used instead of reishi and lion’s mane, such as chaga, turkey tail, or cordyceps.
- If you forage your own mushrooms they are best dried and ground into a powder before using in this recipe.
- Adding marshmallows will also make it sweeter, so keep that in mind before you stir in the honey — you may want to add less honey or none at all.
Hi Colleen,
I have bought mushroom super blend powder which has reishi, Maitake and Shitake.
Would that do ok?
Yes, that should still work!
silly question but where is your label maker from! I can’t find the correct type online and that’s what I’m looking for!
Hi Ashlee. I use a DYMO embossing label maker!