We Ranked 7 Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mixes And This One Was The Clear Winner

Creamy, luscious, and a smell that'll invoke smiles, hot cocoa is a hot beverage perfect for those chilly mornings or nights sitting by the fireplace. It was such a treat as a kid to get a steaming hot cup of cocoa loaded with marshmallows. Now as an adult, opening up a packet of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa evokes memories of childhood and simplicity.

Videos by Wide Open Country

Today there are dozens of flavors and brands to purchase when it comes to fulfilling your hot chocolate craving. In fact, Swiss Miss has over 10 different kinds, ranging from milk chocolate to peppermint and even Lucky Charms.

Being an adult and doing adult things (mortgage payments, ugh, taxes, ugh, all the forms you need to fill out after you get married to change your last name ugh Ugh!) I've come to realize I like the finer things in life, like drinking the best hot chocolate mix from Swiss Miss. So how do I know which hot chocolate tastes the best? I guess I gotta try them all. Woe is me.

I called up two of my friends, Amber and Randi, and we decided on the ultimate Christmas girls night: wine, cooking decorating and testing out 7 different kinds of Swiss Miss hot cocoa mixes. It was a pretty fun Wednesday, I've got to admit.

The Test

I picked out 7 different Swiss Miss mixes at my local grocery store. I did not pick out their mini marshmallow flavor because this test was about the hot chocolate and not the toppings. I also made all the drinks with hot water because I am lactose-intolerant and I don't think I could have made it through 7 drinks all made with milk. There's still a little bit of real milk in the drink mixes, so if you are vegan or lactose-intolerant be mindful.

Is Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate or Hot Cocoa?

The biggest difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa is how the kind of chocolate product which is used to make the drink. Hot Cocoa is made with cocoa powder and sweeteners whereas hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate and milk, resulting in a richer taste. That being said, Swiss Miss is considered hot cocoa because of its use of cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate.

How Do You Make Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa?

According to the box, you can either mix the packets with hot water or hot milk. Hot milk is the way to go if you want a richer flavor.

When I was young I remember coming up with this hack when we were in hotels and they had hot cocoa in the coffee areas. I would fill it up with water and the powder, then add in a half-n-half creamer. It was the perfect amount of creaminess paired with rich milk chocolate.

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Ranked

7. Salted Caramel

The minute I started pouring water into this powder I knew I wasn't going to like it. The scent of popcorn filled my nostrils and I quickly moved on to the next cup. My friend Amber shared," It's like I worked out, ate a chocolate bar, and licked my lips to combine the chocolate with sweat. It really reminded me of those Pringles honey butter sticks they used to sell.

6. White Chocolate

I'm not a big fan of white chocolate, so I wasn't expecting much from this cup of cocoa. Along with tasting coconutty and artificial, it really lacked flavor. Randi suggested that using milk instead of water might have helped it a tad. Amber said it needed alcohol to taste good.

5. Reduced-Calorie Milk Chocolate Flavor

With 40 calories per serving size, this hot cocoa was quite nice. You couldn't tell that it was low-calorie except for the mild aftertaste. The nutritional information stated the cocoa had 0 mg total fat, 0 cholesterol, 1g dietary fiber, 6% daily value of calcium, 6 g total carbohydrate, and 7% of your daily value of sodium.

4. Simply Cocoa Milk Chocolate Flavor

I've bought this canister of cocoa a few times before, and I like the taste! rich chocolate flavors without preservatives, we had a hard time figuring out where to place this on the list. I think the only thing keeping this cocoa back was that we made it with water and this mix specifically says to use milk.

3. Milk Chocolate

The classic Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix came in third, much to the dismay and fight of Randi. who called this hot cocoa, PERFECTION on her notepad. Amber and I were opposed, saying the chocolate flavor seemed to be lacking from this mix.

2. Lucky Charms

This fun and sweet mix came in second. I love a marshmallow hot cocoa mix (especially since the marshmallows are dehydrated and crunchy!) The milk chocolate mix in this batch was sweeter than the previous, so we rated it higher.

1. Dark Chocolate

Winner winner! Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate won this ranking, beating out all the rest of the flavors with its rich chocolate flavor. Creamy and bold, I could drink a cup of these a day instead of coffee and be very happy.

Products featured on Wide Open Eats are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.