Hot chocolates are the perfect hot beverage after a long day, especially during the colder months with extra cream and marshmallows.
There are various brands of instant hot chocolates available to bring the classic drink to the comfort of your own home with the flick of a kettle.
Sometimes hot chocolate can be pretty pricey, especially if you're out and about, so we thought we'd put some instant hot chocolates to the test from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and more.
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Although the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser might be all the rage at the moment, we wanted to see if there were tastier and cheaper options right under our noses.
Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate
I absolutely love hot chocolate, but it’s something I tend to buy when I'm out at cafés rather than make at home, mainly because I find shop-bought hot chocolate powder can be quite bland and watery.
Cadbury's is usually my go-to chocolate powder, but I’ve been wanting to try Maltesers hot chocolate for a while as I was intrigued to see if it actually tastes like the chocolate treat.
I headed to my local SPAR which stocks the Maltesers drink, as well as Cadbury's and other hot chocolates.
As soon as I opened the jar of Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate when I got home, I was hit with the smell of Maltesers - so far, so good!
I added hot water to the four heaped teaspoons of powder as instructed on the jar. I was left a little underwhelmed, as there was no thick, frothy foam on top like I thought there might be.
Instead, there were a few bubbles and some small clumps of powder, despite me stirring the liquid thoroughly.
I find instant hot chocolate very watery, so I always add a drop of milk to make it thicker which is what I did to my mug of Malteser Hot Chocolate. The liquid had a nice, rich chocolate colour and wasn’t pale like some can be.
Next up was the all-important taste test. I got a subtle hint of chocolate which was pleasant, but unfortunately it didn’t taste like Maltesers at all to me. I'd say it's good for a quick hot chocolate fix, but definitely isn't Maltesers flavour.
Where: SPAR, Tesco, Sainsbury's and more
Price: £1.99
Rating: 2/5
Cadbury Drinking Hot Chocolate Original
I must confess, I'm not the biggest fan of hot drinks and hot chocolate is the only one I can stand - though I am fussy with when it comes to which ones I enjoy. I blame Hotel Chocolat entirely; once I'd tried a hot chocolate from there, all others paled in comparison.
I was keen to see what instant hot chocolates had to offer and ventured to The Co-op to pick up Cadbury's Drinking Hot Chocolate.
It's easy to make, simply add three heaped teaspoons to warm milk and enjoy. The packaging advises using semi-skimmed milk but I'm not a fan of cow's milk at all so opted for oat milk, like I do at Hotel Chocolat.
I had expected the flavour to be reminiscent of a bar of Cadbury's iconic chocolate but I was quite underwhelmed. It wasn't unpleasant in any way, it was sweet and I enjoyed cosying up on the sofa with a warm drink - which is a rarity for me - but it just wasn't as flavoursome as I'd hoped.
To me, it tasted like any other instant hot chocolate and I couldn't really taste any signature Cadbury flavours.
It's a generous tub that will certainly last a while so I think it's good value for money, but it's not something I'll be rushing to make again.
Where: The Co-op, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and more
Price: £2.20 (though it may vary store to store)
Rating: 2.5/5
Options Belgian Chocolate
You know the leftover chocolatey milk you get after eating a bowl of Coco Pops? That’s exactly what Options Belgian Hot Chocolate reminded me of.
I was disappointed but not surprised at the sheer amount of calories in a standard cup of hot chocolate, so Options was a pretty good alternative at just 40 calories per cup.
First impressions? After obsessing over my Velvetiser, which was a gift last Christmas, you can definitely tell the difference in quality.
The Options hot chocolate was extremely sweet and quite lumpy once I added some hot water and a bit of milk.
All criticisms aside, the hot chocolate was fairly tasty, but not exactly what I’d call a high quality luxurious hot chocolate.
It’s perfect for a quick cup of hot chocolate before bed if you’re watching your calories or wanting a cheaper alternative, but it didn’t exactly blow me away.
The plus side is, there are plenty of different flavours of Options, so perhaps if I try one of those I’ll be more convinced!
Nevertheless, chocolate is chocolate, and it’s difficult for a cup of hot chocolate to not taste good, so I’m giving this hot chocolate a middle of the range 3 out of 5.
I think I’ll still be sticking to my Velvetiser for now, despite being very calorific!
Where: Tesco
Price: £3 for a 220g tub
Rating: 3/5
Green and Black's Organic Hot Chocolate
I'm not a huge hot chocolate fan as I often find them watery and disappointing. That all changed when I got a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser a couple of years ago and now I'm a full on hot chocolate snob. I haven't found an instant variety that comes close to the thick, frothy chocolately goodness you get after the Velvetiser has spun its magic.
That was until I bought Green and Black's Organic Hot Chocolate from my local Sainsbury's. A bar Green and Black's chocolate is one of my regular Friday night treats but I still wasn't convinced its hot chocolate would live up to Hotel Chocolat.
You make it by warming up 250ml of semi skimmed milk on the hob or microwave, then pouring into a mug containing four teaspoons of powder, and stirring until smooth. I was pleased to see the powder melted instantly with no unsightly bits left floating on top.
It looked dark in colour, with a very slight froth, but still had a fairly watery appearance. Once I took a sip I realised it wasn't watery at all in taste. Being made with milk gave it a delicious creaminess and the dark chocolate added a rich, slightly bitter flavour meaning it didn't end up tasting too milky.
I was really impressed with the flavour, it tasted really indulgent and felt like a proper treat. I'll certainly be keeping a tub in the cupboard from now on.
Where: greenandblacks.co.uk, Ocado and Sainsbury's
Price: £3.60
Rating: 5/5
Cadbury Drinking Hot Chocolate
I'm a hot chocolate fan but typically only when a professional is making it. I've being trying - and failing - to make a good cup of hot chocolate for years, but they just never turn out well.
Until this time, that is.
I tried Cadbury's Drinking Hot Chocolate, which is different from its instant version. This product needs to be made with milk rather than hot water and trust me, it makes all the difference.
You make it by adding three teaspoons to a mug of hot milk - or combine the powder with milk and then heat it up.
It looked smooth in the mug and not watery at all, which I was impressed with after being disappointed so many times before. The hot chocolate was rich and creamy, tasting as though I'd just melted a Cadbury Dairy Milk into a cup.
I was really impressed and will definitely be stocking up on this.
Where: Asda, Tesco, Ocado, Sainsbury's and more
Price: £2.99
Rating: 5/5
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