Hot Chocolate Calculator

Cocoa powder is pure ground cocoa beans with no added sugar — you add your own sugar and milk. Drinking chocolate (like Options or Cadbury) already contains sugar and sometimes milk powder, so you just add hot milk or water. Cocoa powder gives you more control over sweetness.

For a standard 250ml mug, use about 25g (roughly 2 heaped tablespoons) of cocoa powder with 25g of sugar and 250ml of milk. Adjust the sugar to your taste — some prefer less, especially with a quality cocoa.

You can, but milk gives hot chocolate its creamy richness. For a lighter version, use half milk and half water. Drinking chocolate powder works better with water than pure cocoa powder does.

Use real chocolate, chopped and melted into hot whole milk. A standard hot chocolate uses about 30-40g of chocolate per 250ml; the calculator defaults to a decadent 50g per mug for a thick, indulgent drink. Use 70% dark chocolate for intensity or milk chocolate for sweetness. A pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla extract enhance the flavour further.

Heat the milk in a large saucepan. Whisk in the cocoa or chocolate until smooth. Keep warm on a low heat or in a slow cooker. Do not let it boil or the milk will scald. This calculator scales the quantities for you.