Nesquik has been around for as long as I can remember. I remember drinking it as a kid and my kids drank it when they were small as well. It can be a “parents best friend” when they are desperately trying to get their kids to drink milk…ANY milk.
Unfortunately, chocolate milk has been under seige the last few years by people complaining of too much sugar. I’m not encouraging the drinking of chocolate milk on a regular basis…but for an occasional treat…it’s a pretty good choice as far as “snack foods” go, especially when you consider studies that show a three-fourths of teens suffer from calcium deficiency.
And if you’re making your own out of 3 simple ingredients you already probably have in your pantry, you know exactly what you’re drinking.
So here’s to a chocolate milk comeback! (within reason) :-)
Homemade Nesquik Recipe
2/3 C Sugar
1/3 C Cocoa
Pinch of salt
Combine the three ingredients and store in a sealed container. That’s it! Crazy easy huh?? (I ended up tripling the recipe because I knew the single batch wasn’t going to last long in this house!)
FYI…I added about two tablespoons to this pint-sized mason jar…but I would add to your taste. I found you need a lot less than the commercial stuff!
Thanks to Sarah at Sugar Bananas for sharing this homemade version of a childhood favorite AND for sharing a GREAT TIP for getting it to dissolve all the way in the cold milk.
One of the drawbacks to making chocolate milk with Nesquik is getting a smooth consistency. The powder tends to not want to “melt” in COLD milk. (Pet Peeve #487). Sarah suggests putting a little bit of hot water (I just got it from the tap) in the bottom of a cup…adding the powder…swirling it or stirring it for a few seconds…and THEN adding the cold milk.
So I gave it a go and it worked brilliantly! Result: perfectly smooth, creamy and cold chocolate milk made from scratch!
Had No. 2 son give it a taste test and he gave it a very positive review! (Especially the “smooth” part.) Then decided to do a taste test of my own…cuz momma needs a treat every now and then too! :-)
I also gave it TWO THUMBS UP! Really tasty!
Of course it would also make a good hot cocoa….but I refuse to think about winter yet! :-)
I even found a Wendy’s Frosty CopyCat Recipe using Nesquik! Need to try that next!
Any other Nesquik ideas floating around out there???
So this mixture can be served hot/warm also???
Most definitely. :-)
I wonder how well it would work with a sugar/stevia blend to healthy it up some. Now to think of a good way to smuggle in some vitamins like Nesquik does :)
You can buy liquid vitamins- Vitamin D is readily available in most places that carry health products. But health food stores carry a wide variety of liquid vities and minerals
I have tried this version along with a few others. I have problems getting it to dissolve. I finally tried: 1/2 cup powdered milk; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1/2 cup cocoa; and 1 and 1/2 cup sugar. I put it in my food processor until its ground up fine. Store it in a glass jar. I just use 1 tbsp per glass of milk. It doesn’t clump up, the sugar doesn’t just fall to the bottom of the glass and it all mixes up easily.
Chocolate milk is a great drink, post-workout. Carbs + protein + calcium. A little star and sodium, too.
A guilt-free way to enjoy chocolate milk!
*a little sugar and sodium
I was raised in the country back in the 60′s and most everything was made from “scratch”. We had hot chocolate almost every morning before school, except we called it cocoa and Mother made it using one spoon of Hershey’s cocoa powder, three spoons of sugar, she then filled the cup almost up with boiling water and finished it off with a generous dollop of canned milk. Just an idea for those who might want to get away from the packaged hot chocolate.
When i want to do homemade chocolate milk, here’s my recipe (found in http://www.amazon.fr/Le-grand-livre-recettes-grand-m%C3%A8re/dp/2353552722/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1345641533&sr=8-14) :
- 80 cl milk and 20 cl whipping cream (to boil)
- 100g dark chocolate
- 2 tsp cocoa
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Very heavy because you have to let it 15 minutes more on low heat… To adjust if you don’t like it this way ;)
we made something like this when we were starving college students, pretty sure we just added a tiny bit of cocoa and a little sugar but we also added a drop of vanilla right in the glass. Really good. I might whip up a batch of this i have a big chocolate milk drinker in my house.
I wonder if adding powdered vanilla to the mix would have the same effect? I think I’m going to need to experiment with this!
Vanilla would add a lovely flavor to the chocolate milk mix! I am going to try this with some vanilla sugar. Great idea, ladies.
I LOVE this recipe! Thanks for sharing. My hubby loves Nesquik but it is so dang high at the store. I am going to make him a batch and surprise him with a big glass this afternoon :)
OK, chocolate milk in a wine glass, how very chic and grown up!!! Love it.
Has anyone given this a try with splenda (?) — The original recipe has so much sugar :( – Just wondering if someone has figured out the ratios. :)
I will make it with Splenda.. It measures just like sugar, so I will start with 2/3C for a single batch. Splenda will probably melt better in the cold than the sugar too!
Seriously! Homemade Nesquick! My husband makes me buy the stuff in the giant container and I am always complaining about it. I’m going to try a small batch and see if he notices any difference but I have to do it on the sly. He is brand crazy.
I’ve got to tell you, I am loving this site and glad I’m following you on facebook because you surprise me with the stuff you come up with. Thanks
Thanks Kathleen. Glad you like the website. Hope you stick around. ;-)
Hey, Kathleen- here’s an idea- take whatever is left from his Nesquik container, put it in a ziploc, then put some homemade mix in the container. It’d be fun to see if he notices!
Keep the Nesquik container and fill it up with the home-made stuff =)
Used to do that with my kids’ cereal. I’d put Malto Meal versions of cornflakes and cheerios in the boxes until I wore them out. Worked nicely.
A few months ago I was looking everywhere for a replacement to Nesquik – I’m SO glad you found one and posted it!!!
Did I miss the amount of “Nesquik” per glass? I know the glass sizes vary but on average…say for the Mason jar in the photo? We LOVE chocolate milk at our house, too!
Thanks,
Dana
Oops….forgot to mention that part. I updated the post.
I added about two level tablespoons to this pint-sized mason jar…but I would add to your taste. I found you need a lot less than the commercial stuff!
Thanks!!! Sharing on my FB page!!
You can use stevia or Truvia ( if you buy the stevia from I herb in the 5 lb bag). It tastes just like sugar, comes from a plant and has no side effects. We love it in all our drinks!
That is what I was going to do good idea!!
I wonder if this would be close to the Hershey’s chocolate milk mix I used to love but is no longer made/sold.
So glad to see this recipe- just saw the price of Nesquik has gone up in the store and told my husband no more chocolate milk for us! Now I can just make our own! Good news for my son who has flavored milk every evening before bed. He is 4, and is on a liquid medicine that is very bitter. We have found that it is easier for him to take if he swallows the medicine, and has the milk right after. Whatever works, right?
OK this is definitely not what I needed to see this morning. Very proud that I managed to lose 3lbs and now I see this, and of course there is no ‘no trying it”. ;-)
This sound great! Any idea how to do the strawberry kind? That’s my daughters favorite.
I wonder if you could melt strawberry jelly and mix with milk? Or use strawberry Kool-Aid or Jell-O. Could be time for an experiment! There are also a lot of recipes for strawberry milk made with fresh strawberries.
I think the entire point of this recipe is to avoid the chemicals, artificial flavor and color. Using kool-aid or jello would entirely defeat the purpose. Those are two of the last things you’d want to put in your body!
Great idea Lisa..but I think the jelly would not mix well, from previous experiments:) Maybe the kool-aid or jello-o since they are powdered. Part of being a great mommy is providing those special treats for your little one. SO sweet of you to ask for ideas on this one! Shows you are desiring to please your little girl.
Visiting from Pint-sized Treasures
The Sneaky Chef has recipes for fruity milks – make a syrup from the berry. It’s concentrated. My kiddos liked it.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be using it as soon as we empty the two containers that we have in the cabinet. I bought one today without realizing that we already had a spare.
I found as a kid that I like putting Nesquik on ice cream…. for some reason I love the dry chocolate with the creamy ice cream….
Debbie! I had completely forgotten about that! I used to do the same exact thing. :-) There’s just something about the two together. OK…must revisit. lol. thx for the memory!
Debbie and Jillee that is so cool! I had totally forgotten about doing the same thing. I must show my Granddaughter how to do this. Wish I had ice cream in the house :( I am now craving this!
Debbie, thank you so much for this reminder. For years, our family put Nesquick on cream! I’d forgotten all about that. Can’t wait to do it again!
I made this last night and it was a hit! So yummy!! I have a small glass of chocolate milk every night to satisfy a big sweet tooth and add some calcium to my day. I must say this was divine!! Thanks for sharing. My grocery budget and I couldn’t be happier Jillee!!
Awesome! :-) Thanks for sharing Tanya!
I have been doing a similar recipe for years, 2/3 dark cocoa:1/3 sugar (without the salt). I mix a tablespoon into my morning coffee to make it into a mocha…delicious! I will have to try the cold version sometime!
I saw this suggestion and tried it. SO good! I even use it to make instant coffee palatable! It is actually very good even in instant – makes it smooth! This is a really great replacement for those flavored instant coffees!
I made this and my sons LOVED IT. Believe me they are picky but they LOVED IT.
Almond milk is a better choice to get your calcium.
Jillee…I was reading back over your article and caught the line where you said it would make good hot chocolate but that you refuse to think about winter….lol…I live in East Texas and that’s all I can think about some days!
What a great Christmas gift for friends. Thanks for the recipe.
I like adding a pinch of chili powder to my chocolate drink, especially hot cocoa. Sounds a little strange, but it’s so good.
I notice that there is a slight cinnamon taste to the Nesquik. Anybody care to figure out how much to add to the homemade recipe? When You say a pinch, Jillee, do you mean 1/8 or 1/4 tsp? I have a set of spoons that actually have the measurements for dash, pinch and smidgen. The dash is 1/4, the pinch is 1/8, and of course the smidgen is 1/16. I just wanted to clarify. Thanks! =)
It does say spice on the Nesquik label but there no real or artificial cinnamon in Nesquik, or I would be dead. I have a severe anaphylactic reaction to cinnamon. Not sure what the ‘spice’ is.
I can’t get my 2 year old to drink anything BUT chocolate milk. (he only gets enough to give it flavor, which in most cases it’s usually still white) I’m glad i found both this and the one for the hershey’s syrup. I feel better knowing i control how much sugar is going in and there’s not all kinds of wierdo chemically preservative goodness going on in his little body
If you live in an older home do not use hot tap water to help make this easier to mix. Doing so may add lead into this drink. Better to microwave cold tap water (run water for about 30seconds to clear any lead reside that your last use of faucet) for 15 seconds to warm.
I grew up on this… My parents didn’t have much money and I figured this out on my own in desperation for chocolate milk. Added to hot water it becomes cocoa….. Add some marshmallow cream and yummmmmm
now, i am angry. got excited made a triple batch and… I. HAVE. NO. MILK. ahhhhh!!!!! small town stores close at 8 and the closest open store is 25 miles round trip! ahhhhh!!!!!
YUM!!! I am sipping away at my home made hot chocolate as I write this. My daughter has been begging for chocolate milk but I normally don’t buy it (too much sugar and who knows what else is in there). Had everything in the pantry and even used my home made vanilla sugar. Tastes great and I am sure we will be adding this to our regular staple of treats. Thanks again Jillee for one more thing!
I tried this with the hot water. Kids loved it. I tried it again without hot water, (at kids’ urging) and I stirred and stirred and stirred and couldn’t get it to dissolve. With water from now on. I was going to use someone’s recipe above, but looked like an awful lot of sugar (1/2 c powdered and 1 1/2 c regular). So, we’ll just stick with the hot water method. Maybe I’ll try adding in some powdered milk for some extra vitamins. We usually use ovaltine, but I’m all in favor of making it myself if I can.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this…I spend like $50 dollars a month on stuff for chocolate milk for my girls…they’re addicted lol…this is a LIFE SAVER
Thank you Jillee for the recipe. I work out often and my instructor says that chocolate milk is one of the best things to drink after weight training. I will take your recipe and sub it with xylitol. Yum!
This was wonderful thank you!!! One tablespoon was perfect for a mug. You could even heat it up for hot chocolate. So happy to have a better alternative to powder packets!
Do you have a Strawberry Nesquick recipe?
Can’t count calcium. The calcium joins with the cocoa and makes it useless as calcium. My dad is a doctor and apparently that has been in medical journals for years.
There is oxalic acid in chocolate that binds to the calcium in milk that prevents it from being absorbed into the body. However……..there is WAY more calcium in milk than there is oxalate in chocolate, so there is plenty of calcium left over for your body to absorb.
YUM! Just made this (While the kids are in school).. Tried the hot water in the bottom of my cup (worked perfectly) added about 1 1/2 tbsp of mix to my mason glass stirred it into the hot water and then topped it with cold milk. This is delicious! SO much cheaper than buying cocoa or nesquick from the store! I am only made 1 batch to make sure we would like it but if I love it this much I know my kids will as well. Thank you!
Oh my goodness this is going to save me some money. I make homemade hot cocoa mix and it calls for the Nesquik. My kids go through the hot cocoa mix so fast this is going to make my life so much easier. Thank you tons.
I just tried this and my very picky 11 year old loved it … claimed it was better than Nestle or Hershey’s. :)
I did add a tiny bit of hot tap water to dissolve before adding the milk, and had no issue with it not mixing or any settling to the bottom.
Thank you!!
I’m going to use this in replace of the Nesquik in the hot chocolate recipe. Is it sad that I’m already thinking about Christmas gifts???
This is wonderful, thank you!
I just made this for my kids and it was a big hit! Thank you!
I used raw cocao powder for the healthy antioxidants. :)
Wonderful. It’s my pm hot chocolate. You can change the deepth of chocolate flavor by the type of cocco used. Too bad about the calcium…… “Forget about it!…..” Take a sublingual supplement. :)
also, love the quilt squares
I have a battery operated frother (mini-whip) that I use to stir any kind of powder into drinks. Makes short work of Nesquik, instant coffee, etc., even into cold milk. My favorite kitchen gadget!
On another note, I usually add a small pinch of instant coffee to my chocolate milk for a rich dark chocolate taste. Yum!
Delicious! Definitely tastes like the real deal. Thanks for sharing.