How to make a healthy peppermint mocha recipe at home with fewer carbs, calories, and fat. You don't need any special equipment to make this delicious healthier version of your favorite coffee house drink.

It's been a fairly mild winter, but I'm still freezing. I am just not meant to live in Ohio. I should be on some tropical island where the temperature is between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit all year.

In the evenings, I get cold. I cuddle with my chihuahua, Nacho, under a blanket and sip a hot drink. I'm kind of a coffee addict, so I usually make a coffee drink.

I have been all about peppermint mochas lately, so I make this healthy peppermint mocha recipe sometimes in the evening.

This pepermint mocha recipe is a skinny version of your favorite coffee house drink. This skinny coffee drinks can be made with your choice of milk and sweetener. This skinny peppermint mocha recipe can be made in about 10 minutes at home with no special equipment. This diet coffee drink has fewer calories, fat, and carbs versus buying the drink at the popular chain. Healthy coffee drinks can still be yummy! #peppermintmocha #coffee #skinnycoffee #coffeedrink #peppermintcoffee

I'm a busy mom, so I don't want to spend time making this drink when I could be spending time with my kids. I look for recipes that don't need any special equipments or ingredients that I won't use for anything else.

This skinny peppermint mocha recipe is definitely easy. You can make it in about 10 minutes, and you don't need any special equipment.

HEALTHY PEPPERMINT MOCHA RECIPE

Name: Healthy Peppermint Mocha Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2/3 cup strong coffee; 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk; 1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder; 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice); 1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

If you get a grande peppermint mocha at Starbuck's with 2 percent and no whip, expect it to have:

360 calories
8 grams of fat
60 grams of carbs

The same size of my healthy peppermint mocha nk made with unsweetened almond milk, coconut sugar, and no whip has:

136 calories
3.4 grams of fat
29.8 grams of carbs

If you replace the coconut sugar, you'll reduce the carbs and calories quite a bit more.

The calorie and carb savings are definitely enough to make it worth your while to make this skinny peppermint mocha recipe, but I also wanted to control my ingredients.

If you get a peppermint mocha at Starbuck's, it will have:

Natural flavor
Sugar
Sodium benzoate

Natural flavor sounds good, right?

Not necessarily. Anything from nature can be called a natural flavor. It could be ground ant legs. It could be something that I would normally eat. We just don't know. And I'm not sure I want to know.

I'm trying to stay away from white sugar, so that's obviously a no no for me.

Sodium benzoate is a preservative. According to Naturally Savvy, sodium benzoate can cause hives, asthma attacks, or allergic reactions in some people.

Even more astonishing, when it's combined with vitamin C, it forms benzene, which is linked with cancers including leukemia and other blood cancers.

It can also increase ADHD symptoms in children.

No thanks!

If you love skinny coffee drinks, then you'll love these:

You'll also love my homemade powdered coffee creamer with no refined sugar. I also included 8 flavored coffee creamer recipes.

COFFEE

If you get a peppermint mocha at a coffee house, it's probably made with espresso. I have an espresso machine, but I rarely use it. It makes me jittery, so I just use regular coffee.

You should probably brew fresh coffee for this healthy peppermint mocha, but I just make extra in the morning and put it in the fridge to make this in the afternoon or evening.

You can even use decaf if you want. Coffee really affects me in the evenings, so sometimes I do brew some decaf if I want a hot coffee drink in the evening.

I was using a single serve coffee maker, but I went back to my Cuisinart Grind and Brew. It's expensive, but I've had it forever. It makes the best coffee!

SWEETENER

Coconut sugar is my preferred natural sweetener. It tastes the most like regular sugar, but it has a lower glycemic index than does table sugar.

You can also use stevia or a sugar substitute of your choice to make this healthy peppermint mocha recipe. I don't know about the conversions because I don't use those sugars, but you can always add a little bit and taste it and add more if needed.

There is a liquid stevia extract in peppermint flavor that you can use. Again, I haven't used it, so I don't know how much to use.

MILK CHOICE

I use unsweetened almond milk for my healthy peppermint mocha recipe, but you can use cow's milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. I calculated the nutrition based on unsweetened almond milk, so the nutrition information for yours may differ.

If you want a low carb drink, use half and half or whole milk. For low fat, use skim or 1 percent milk.

If I do use cow's milk, I use whole milk because that's what I buy for my family. I do prefer half and half for this recipe though. If I were making it for company, I'd use half and half.

COCOA POWDER

I just used regular unsweetened cocoa powder that I got from Aldi. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.

What I love about this recipe is that I can use the same chocolate that I keep in the pantry for baking. Some peppermint mocha recipes call for other types of chocolate.

Who wants to buy a new kind of chocolate just for this recipe? Not I.

PEPPERMINT EXTRACT

I use McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract. I had every intention of making my own this year with the peppermint I grew in my herb garden, but I did not get it done.

I chose this brand because it's made with alcohol, oil of peppermint, and water. That's it. No artificial flavors or funny ingredients that I can't pronounce.

I use 1/8 of a teaspoon of this brand. It's fairly strong. If you use a different brand, you may need to add more.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup strong coffee
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1/8 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

DIRECTIONS

STEP #1

Brew 2/3 cup of strong coffee. I make a little extra in the morning with my daily coffee and put it in the fridge.

STEP #2

Combine the unsweetened almond milk, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and peppermint extract in a small sauce pan.

STEP #3

Heat over medium heat until the cocoa and coconut sugar are dissolved. Stir well. I use a plastic whisk.

If you want a frothy drink, you can use a stick blender to whip some air in it. I just use the whisk to add some air.

STEP #4

Pour the coffee into a glass. Pour the peppermint mocha over top of it.

Top with whipped cream, candy cane bits, or sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!

Yum! This healthy peppermint mocha is one of my favorite winter drinks. I may be a little obsessed with peppermint mocha lately, so expect a few more recipes in the next few weeks.

If you're going to drink this yummy skinny peppermint mocha, make sure you have a cute cup to drink from!

Peppermint Mocha Mug