Thick & Creamy Banana Walnut Hot Chocolate
Meet your new favourite hot chocolate. It’s like banana bread in liquid form. Unlike the typical hot chocolate I grew up with, this one is rich, thick and creamy, almost like a smoothie, and 100% whole food based without any added sweeteners.
Both the banana and oat milk impart a natural delicate sweetness and the walnuts add a deliciously nutty flavour that’s also packed with healthy omega 3 fats. If you like things on the sweeter side, you could add a drizzle of maple syrup, but I find it perfectly sweet enough as it is.
Thick & Creamy Banana Walnut Hot Chocolate
Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com
- Time 10 minutes
- Difficulty Easy
- Servings 1-2
- Diet vegan, gluten free
- Category Beverage
Ingredients:
- 1 Small Banana (70-80g)
- 1/4 Cup (30g) Walnuts, halves or pieces
- 1 Cup (240ml) Oat Milk (more if like it less thick), use certified gluten free if necessary
- 1/2 Tbsp (5g) Cacao Powder
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 2 Squares Dark Chocolate Bar of choice (at least 85% cacao content)
- Oat milk and chopped dark chocolate bar for topping (optional)
Method:
- Add banana, walnuts, oat milk, cacao powder and sea salt to a high speed blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth.
- Test it for thickness and add more milk if you prefer a thinner hot chocolate.
- Transfer to a small pot and simmer on medium heat, whisking continuously until the liquid is warm, but not boiling.
- Chop the dark chocolate squares and whisk them through the warm mixture until fully melted and combined.
- Return the mixture to the blender and blend again, until frothy.
- If desired, warm the extra oat milk in a clean pot, and froth it with an electronic frothing wand, manual frothing pump or your preferred method to make milk foam.
- Pour the hot chocolate into drinking mugs, and if desired top with milk foam and chopped dark chocolate and enjoy!
Notes
- The hot chocolate thickens as it sits and cools, so you may need to bring a spoon to the party.
- If you don't have a high speed blender, then you may have a hard time getting a perfectly smooth result. If that's the case, you can strain the hot chocolate with a fine mesh strainer to remove any stubborn clumps or banana fibers that don't blend well, before heating it up.
The summer heat is on in the Northern hemisphere and we've been keeping cool with some icy treats. So today, I thought I'd share my tips and tricks for creamy dreamy nice cream and smoothie pops and a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana & Jam Pops, kind of like the sandwich but frozen and without the bread.