Homemade Mocha Latte (Vegan & Dairy Free)

How to Make a Mocha Latte at Home – Homemade Mocha Latte Recipe

Sip on the sweet comfort of coffee-meets-chocolate with this homemade mocha latte recipe! Learn how to make a mocha latte with coffee, your favorite milk, and some hot cocoa mix. The perfect sweet treat to jumpstart the day, or make with decaf coffee for a cozy beverage to wind down with before bed.

The beauty of any latte is that you don’t need tons of ingredients, just espresso or coffee + the milk of your choosing. And, this homemade mocha latte is no exception: equal parts deliciously simple and simply delicious!

Coffee and chocolate were made for each other, and putting the two together is as easy as adding some hot cocoa mix to your warm coffee and milk. Easy as that, you’ve got a homemade mocha latte in minutes! Serve with a bit of whipped cream on top for maximum joy.

I’ll show you how to make a mocha latte at home, keeping things as simple or fancy as you like. Plus, I’ll share some simple ideas for health-ifying the recipe to suit your lifestyle!

Homemade Mocha Latte Ingredients

For those who’ve never tried it and are wondering “what is a mocha latte anyway,” it’s simple. Basically, it’s a chocolate latte, sometimes called a caffe mocha or mochaccino. (Yet never called a “choco-latte,” which seems like it’d be perfect…) It’s got the classic espresso and milk combo, plus some chocolaty goodness.

If you go to Starbucks and order their caffe mocha, that chocolaty goodness comes from their sweet mocha sauce. Although delicious, it’s also loaded with sugar. A 12oz caffe mocha with whipped cream contains 28g of sugar!

Thankfully, this homemade mocha latte recipe lets YOU control the ingredients and sugar content. Made with a standard hot cocoa mix, this mocha latte recipe comes out to only 4-8g sugar per drink. Or, I’ll show you how to make a mocha latte with just 2g sugar per drink using my favorite healthy hot cocoa mix!

First, let’s walk through the homemade mocha latte ingredients you’ll need:

Brewed Coffee (Regular or Decaf)

Every latte recipe starts with some coffee or espresso! For a true mocha latte recipe feel free to use 1-2 shots of espresso, if you’ve got an espresso maker.

Personally, I love a simple coffee latte made with just brewed coffee. Or, if you’d like to enjoy your homemade mocha latte as a cozy evening beverage, use decaf coffee!

Milk of Choice

The next most important component of any latte: the milk. Of course, you’re welcome to use any dairy milk you like, cream, half n’ half, etc. But, if you’d like to keep your homemade mocha latte dairy free, use your favorite nondairy milk—coconut, soymilk, almond milk will all work great!

Hot Cocoa Mix

Finally, to pack some chocolaty goodness into this mocha latte recipe we need hot cocoa mix! Any standard hot cocoa mix you like to use is just fine—you’ll only need 1-2 Tbsp, depending on how chocolaty you like it. Or, for the lowest sugar option, you can use plain cocoa powder instead with the sweetener of your choice.

Personally, my favorite way to make a homemade mocha latte is with Four Sigmatic’s Hot Cacao Mix with Reishi. A single packet is the perfect size and it’s just sweet enough, with a mixture of coconut sugar and stevia. And, it’s an ultra-comforting cocoa thanks to the cinnamon and cardamom flavors, along with the sleep-supporting, stress-relieving Reishi mushrooms. It’s the perfect relaxing evening beverage!

Toppings

Toppings can transform your beverage, depending on how much of a treat you want your homemade mocha latte to be. If you’re going for more of a morning coffee that isn’t quite so sweet and indulgent, you can skip the toppings altogether and enjoy it straight.

But, for those who want to get a bit more adventurous, get creative with your toppings! Whipped cream is a MUST on top of cocoa for me, and you can even find loads of dairy free options now, like coconut whipped cream or almond milk based whipped cream. Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top, crushed peppermint, sprinkles, even marshmallows—whatever you like!

How to Make a Mocha Latte with Coffee & Hot Cocoa Mix

Once you learn how to make a mocha latte at home (and how easy it is), you’ll be ready to whip one up every day!

To start, heat your brewed coffee and milk in a pot over the stove. Once it’s warm, whisk in your hot cocoa mix of choice until it’s integrated. Continue to heat until almost boiling and mixture is nice and frothy. Feel free to use a hand-held frother to help it integrate and fluff up, too!

Finally, pour into a cup to serve with your favorite toppings, and that’s it—a homemade mocha latte that’s ready for sipping! Comforting and satisfyingly sweet, but not overly heavy or sugary. Serve with my triple chocolate chip cookie for one and you’ve got the perfect evening indulgence!

Single Serve COOKIE + LATTE Combos