The best store-bought hot chocolate mix isn’t Starbucks or Swiss Miss

There’s nothing quite as comforting as a big mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter day. You can top this decadent beverage with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate chips, or caramel sauce for a little extra comfort, but what matters most is the quality of the chocolate drink itself. From Starbucks to Swiss Miss, we tested some of the most popular hot chocolate mix brands to see which ones deliver the best results.

For our experiment, treat expert Sarah Vallie tested 12 of the most popular store-bought hot chocolate mixes, including brands like Great Value and Good & Gather. Vallie made the instant mix as directed, meaning some called for hot milk while others opted for hot water. As she tasted each drink, she assessed its flavor, texture, and overall chocolateiness.

Vallie chose a well-known brand as the winner: Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa Mix. She noted that the prepared beverage is rich and creamy and stands out for its balanced chocolate flavor. The drink requires adding 6 ounces of hot water or milk to the packet, which contains semi-sweet chocolate chips for an extra touch of sweetness. With Ghirardelli being a world-renowned chocolate brand known for its premium products, this classic blend certainly ups the ante.

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Why is Ghirardelli hot chocolate so good?

One of the important features of the Ghirardelli brand is that it uses high-quality ingredients in its products, and the hot chocolate mix is ​​no exception. The winning mix contains sugar, cocoa, two dry milk powders, and vanilla extract, in addition to a few other ingredients. The real milk powders add a gourmet taste to the drink as well as a creamy texture despite the flexibility of its instructions. And the bonus chocolate chips in the mix give it an intense, chocolatey flavor as they melt into the drink in real time. The melted chocolate chips not only add to the taste but also the feel of the drink as they make it even richer, almost like a French hot chocolate that uses real chocolate instead of cocoa powder.

When it comes to the quality of hot chocolate, Ghirardelli is strongly committed to sustainability and prioritizes the use of ethically sourced ingredients. The brand maintains the quality of its products by eliminating most fillers and producing its own cocoa paste, which serves as the base ingredient for its chocolate products. Additionally, its cocoa beans are sustainably sourced, in a farming environment that the company considers conducive, to ensure the best ingredients.

Ghirardelli is a popular brand

Ghirardelli offers a plethora of chocolate products, including sweet sauces, melty wafers, and one of Chowhound’s best chocolate chips. It even offers variety when it comes to its hot chocolate mixes with mocha and double chocolate options. The company has been around since the 1800s and was founded by Italian Domenico Ghirardelli who traveled to the United States to open a series of stores in California, one of which was a candy store. Over the past century, the brand has become one of the most popular chocolate brands in the United States and can be purchased in grocery stores or at one of its 17 flagship stores across the country.

If you don’t believe us about Ghirardelli’s superiority, just look at Disney World, which is known for its magical and delicious treats. The chocolate company partnered with the media conglomerate in 1997 to sell the sweet treats at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and then again in 2013 to open a boutique at the Disney Studio Store in Hollywood, California.

Today, the company operates three Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop locations on Disney properties: Disney Springs, Disney California Adventure Park at Pacific Wharf and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The shops offer a variety of specialty sundaes, milkshakes, hot chocolate and more. For the chocolate lover, the shop offers a Treasure Island Warm Brownie Sundae, featuring half a chocolate brownie, homemade hot fudge, almonds and whipped cream.

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