White Hot Chocolate Tips & Tricks—And A White Mocha Recipe

Let’s talk the best white hot chocolate!

Ever since a famous coffee chain began selling white hot chocolate and white mochas, folks have been trying to recreate that flavor at home. White hot chocolate powder is now quite popular, thanks to these coffee drinks.

Yes, white hot chocolate has a different flavor profile than regular hot chocolate—most of our taste testers thought it was sweeter. 

As white chocolate enthusiasts know, white chocolate has only cocoa butter and none of the cocoa powder or chocolate liquor that you see in regular hot chocolate.

FYI: Only one of the brands we tasted (Land O Lakes Arctic White) actually had white chocolate as an ingredient in their white chocolate powder! Most other brands use various mixes of cocoa powder and other ingredients to approximate the taste of white chocolate. 

Here’s how we tested white hot chocolate. First, we mixed white chocolate powder with whipping cream until the powder was dissolved:

Then we added hot water. The result looked like this:

Best White Hot Chocolate taste test

White Mocha Recipe

Here’s a recipe on how to make your own white mocha at home (credit: Ghirardelli):

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. (33 g) Ghirardelli White Chocolate Flavored Sweet Ground Powder
Double shot Espresso
• 8 fl. oz. (237 mL) Steamed Milk
• Whipped Cream, for topping
• Ghirardelli Classic White Barista Mini Chips, for topping

Steps

  1. Prepare espresso shots.
  2. Mix Sweet Ground Powder with milk and steam together in a pitcher.
  3. Pour over espresso.
  4. Top with whipped cream and Ghirardelli Classic White Barista Mini Chips.

(Recipe and photo credit: Ghirardelli)

And now, here are our top picks for the best white hot chocolate.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability. When we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!