Common Ingredients in hot chocolate Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular hot chocolate recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes is chocolate.

Milk, vanilla, sugar and semisweet chocolate are also common ingredients in hot chocolate recipes. For herbs and spices, cinnamon and vanilla extract are popular. Variations include:

• cocoa powder in place of sugar

Salt is in 30% of hot chocolate recipes.

The average hot chocolate recipe has about 5.8 ingredients, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 11.

In terms of directions, hot chocolate recipes have about 2.2 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 3 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Hot Chocolate

For 1.5 cup milk (366 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single hot chocolate recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with milk	Potential subsitutions
sugar	1.5 tablespoon (19 g)	0.88 tablespoon (11 g)	40%	cocoa powder
vanilla extract	0.17 teaspoon (1 g)	0.09 teaspoon (0 g)	40%
chocolate mix	2 teaspoon (58 g)	2 teaspoon (58 g)	20%
half and	three quarters of a cup (182 g)	three quarters of a cup (182 g)	20%
tahini	0.19 cup (45 g)	0.19 cup (45 g)	20%
milk chocolate	a quarter cup (42 g)	a quarter cup (42 g)	20%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Hot Chocolate

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in hot chocolate recipes. This would be: 64% milk, 16% chocolate, 7% milk powder, 5% semisweet chocolate, 3% chocolate pudding snacks, 2% tahini, 2% milk chocolate and 1% sugar.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

chocolate

Chocolate is the most popular ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 90% of hot chocolate recipes contain chocolate.

Variations of chocolate include:

• semisweet chocolate: 30% of recipes
• chocolate mix: 10% of recipes
• chocolate pudding snacks: 10% of recipes
• milk chocolate: 10% of recipes

For hot chocolate recipes, chocolate is frequently used with milk, milk powder, cinnamon, cream and sugar. However, salt and cocoa powder are almost never used together with chocolate in hot chocolate dishes.

semisweet chocolate

Semisweet chocolate is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 30% of hot chocolate recipes contain semisweet chocolate.

Semisweet chocolate is often included in hot chocolate dishes in amounts of half a cup.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain semisweet chocolate, it is on average, 8% by weight.

For hot chocolate recipes, semisweet chocolate is frequently used with cinnamon, salt, cocoa powder, milk and agave nectar. However, milk powder is almost never used together with semisweet chocolate in hot chocolate dishes.

milk

Another popular ingredient in hot chocolate is milk. From the recipes we've sampled for hot chocolate, over 80% have milk.

Variations of milk include:

• milk powder: 20% of recipes
• whole milk: 10% of recipes

In recipes for hot chocolate, milk is often used with chocolate, vanilla extract, sugar, cream and peel oranges. On the other hand, milk is almost never used with cinnamon, milk powder and cocoa powder.

vanilla

Vanilla is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 40% of hot chocolate recipes contain vanilla.

Variations of vanilla include:

• vanilla extract: 30% of recipes

Milk, half and, semisweet chocolate, chocolate, sugar and cream are commonly used together with vanilla in hot chocolate dishes.

vanilla extract

Another popular ingredient in hot chocolate is vanilla extract. From the recipes we've sampled for hot chocolate, over 30% have vanilla extract.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain vanilla extract, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for hot chocolate, vanilla extract is often used with salt, milk, peel oranges, chocolate and passion flowers. On the other hand, vanilla extract is almost never used with milk powder, cream and sugar.

cinnamon

Another popular ingredient in hot chocolate is cinnamon. From the recipes we've sampled for hot chocolate, over 40% have cinnamon.

Cinnamon is often included in hot chocolate dishes in amounts of 0 pinch.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain cinnamon, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

For hot chocolate recipes, cinnamon is frequently used with salt, semisweet chocolate, cocoa powder, milk powder and chocolate. However, cream and sugar are almost never used together with cinnamon in hot chocolate dishes.

sugar

Sugar is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 30% of hot chocolate recipes contain sugar.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain sugar, it is on average, 1.7% by weight.

In recipes for hot chocolate, sugar is often used with milk, chocolate, cream, chocolate mix and half and.

Potential substitutions for sugar in hot chocolate:

• cocoa powder

Also, sugar is not often used with cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt and milk powder.

salt

Another popular ingredient in hot chocolate is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for hot chocolate, over 30% have salt.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

Cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate, vanilla extract, cinnamon and almond milk are commonly used together with salt in hot chocolate dishes. Conversely, salt is not often used with milk powder, cream and sugar.

cocoa powder

Another popular ingredient in hot chocolate is cocoa powder. From the recipes we've sampled for hot chocolate, over 20% have cocoa powder.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain cocoa powder, it is on average, 2% by weight.

For hot chocolate recipes, cocoa powder is frequently used with semisweet chocolate, salt, cinnamon, almond milk and oats.

Potential substitutions for cocoa powder in hot chocolate:

• sugar

Also, cocoa powder is not often used with milk powder and cream.

cream

Cream is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 20% of hot chocolate recipes contain cream.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain cream, it is on average, 0% by weight.

In recipes for hot chocolate, cream is often used with milk, sugar, chocolate, chocolate mix and half and. On the other hand, cream is almost never used with cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, milk powder and cocoa powder.

peel oranges

Peel oranges is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 10% of hot chocolate recipes contain peel oranges.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain peel oranges, it is on average, 0.7% by weight.

For hot chocolate recipes, peel oranges is frequently used with milk, passion flowers, chocolate, vanilla extract and cinnamon. However, cinnamon, salt, semisweet chocolate, milk powder, cocoa powder, cream and sugar are almost never used together with peel oranges in hot chocolate dishes.

tahini

Tahini is another common ingredient in hot chocolate dishes. In fact, over 10% of hot chocolate recipes contain tahini.

In hot chocolate recipes that contain tahini, it is on average, 10% by weight.

Milk, milk chocolate, vanilla extract, salt and chocolate are commonly used together with tahini in hot chocolate dishes. Conversely, tahini is not often used with cinnamon, semisweet chocolate, milk powder, cocoa powder, cream and sugar.

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