A cozy chocolate maca latte is my new favorite morning drink. This maca hot chocolate only takes 5 minutes to make!
About maca
Maca's potential health benefits got me intrigued enough to start playing around with this superfood powder. I'm not going to make a lot of health claims about maca here, but if you'd like to read about what got me interested in maca, you can find more about its potential benefits here.
Maca powder is pretty affordable, so it felt like there was no harm in adding it to my routine. And, it turns out, it's delicious!
Maca is a cruciferous root vegetable, though you're not likely to find maca root whole in most stores. This recipe uses maca powder, which is the more common way to find it.
Maca powder has a nutty, malted taste with a hint of caramel or butterscotch, which makes it lovely in hot drinks like this maca late!
Where to buy maca powder
The maca I have been using is from Trader Joe's, and I've also seen bags of maca powder at Whole Foods and at my regular grocery store.
The eight ounce bag of maca that I got at Trader Joe's was about $5 at the time of this writing. Eight ounces is 48 teaspoons, so you can make 32 maca lattes with one $5 bag. That works out to roughly 15 cents per drink. Not too shabby!
If you can't find maca powder at the store, you can grab it on line. I found this 16 ounce bag for $13 on Amazon. That's a bit more expensive per latte - 20 cents instead of 15 - but it's still not super pricey.
Recipe notes
This is a super easy morning drink to make, and you don't need any fancy equipment to do it. Just combine your maca powder, cocoa powder, and ground ginger in the blender with a cup of vegan milk.
Depending on the vegan milk that you use, you may or may not need to add a little sugar to this drink. Vegan milks can vary a lot in sweetness!
If you don't do sugar, you can use alternative sweeteners, like stevia. I don't recommend agave or maple syrup, since those flavors don't mesh well with the combo going on in this mug.
The regular soy milk that I use works in this recipe with no extra sweetener needed. Totally unsweetened plant milk, though, might need a little bit of extra help to reach your desired sweetness level. Just blend in between additions, and you're good to go!
Once you've blended up your maca latte, simply transfer to a mug and heat it in the microwave or heat it in a saucepan before transferring to your mug.
You can even drink this cold, if you prefer. I like to warm it up, because I use it as a coffee alternative.
Variations
Want to mix things up? Feel free to have fun with this recipe!
You can omit the ginger or replace it with a pinch of black pepper or cayenne, if you prefer. Or just add black pepper or cayenne, if you like things extra spicy!
For a golden maca latte, add half a teaspoon to a full teaspoon of ground turmeric to the mix before blending.
A half teaspoon of vanilla extract is another lovely addition to your maca latte.
More cozy, hot drinks
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Maca Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy or oat milk - or your favorite creamy vegan milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons maca powder
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- organic sugar or sugar alternative - to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your blender, and blend until completely smooth. Taste and add sweetener, blending in between additions, as needed.
- For a warm maca latte: Microwave 45-90 seconds, depending on the power of your microwave, OR transfer to a small saucepan and cook on medium, just until heated through.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Maca has a malted flavor that's lovely in both hot and cold drinks! In this recipe, it brings richness and body to the drink, making it a great caffeine-free coffee alternative.
Maca is a root vegetable, though you're most likely to find it in powdered form. It has a malty flavor with hints of caramel, which makes it lovely in hot drinks!
I do not think it tastes like coffee at all. It does have an earthy, nutty flavor, but I'd liken it more to malted milk than coffee.
Absolutely! You can add ½ to a full tablespoon of maca powder to a cup of warm milk and stir to dissolve. I find that it is easiest to get it to dissolve by tossing the milk and maca into the blender together.
Maca, on its own, is completely caffeine-free, so it shouldn't keep you awake. Some people do report energizing effects from maca, so I'd recommend drinking it early in the day until you know how it will impact you. I have never found it to keep me awake, though.
Dianne
I have a bag of maca in the fridge, and I've been looking for ways to use it. I love this idea! I think I'm going to start the day with a latte tomorrow!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! I hope you're sipping one right now!