The Best Store-Bought Hot Chocolate Mix Isn't Starbucks Or Swiss Miss

Nothing hits harder than a big mug of hot chocolate on a cold, winter day. You can top the decadent drink with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, or caramel sauce to bring additional comfort, but what matters the most is the quality of the chocolate drink itself. From Starbucks to Swiss Miss, we tested some of the most popular brands of hot chocolate mixes to figure out which delivers the best results.

For our experiment, sweet treats expert Sarah Vallie tested 12 of the most popular store-bought hot chocolate mixes, including brands like Great Value and Good & Gather. Vallie made the instant mix as specified in the directions, meaning that some required hot milk while others opted for hot water. While tasting each drink, she assessed its taste, texture, and overall chocolateness.

Vallie chose a well-known brand as the winner: Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa Mix. She noted that the prepared drink is rich and creamy, and stood out with its balanced chocolate taste. The drink requires 6 ounces of hot water or milk to be added to the packet, which contains semi-sweet chocolate chips for an extra sugary kick. With Ghirardelli being a world-famous chocolate brand known for its premium products, this classic mix certainly ups the ante.

An important part of the Ghirardelli brand is that it uses high-quality ingredients in its products, and the hot chocolate mix is no different. The winning mix contains sugar, cocoa, two dry milk powders, and vanilla extract, in addition to a few other ingredients. The real milk powders add a gourmet taste to the drink as well as a creamy texture despite the flexibility in its instructions. And the bonus chocolate chips in the mix give it an intense, chocolatey flavor as they melt into the drink in real-time. The melted chocolate chips not only add to the taste but also the feel of the drink as they make it extra rich, almost like a French-style hot chocolate that uses real chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

When it comes to the hot chocolate's quality, Ghirardelli has a strong sustainability pledge and has prioritized the use of ingredients that are ethically sourced. The brand maintains the quality of its products by eliminating most of the filler ingredients and producing its own cocoa mass, which serves as the base ingredient for its chocolate products. Additionally, its cocoa beans are sourced sustainably from what the company deems a good agricultural environment to ensure the finest ingredients.

Ghirardelli boasts a plethora of chocolate items, including sweet sauces, melting wafers, and one of Chowhound's best chocolate chips. It even offers variety when it comes to its hot chocolate mixes with mocha and double chocolate options. The company has been around since the 1800s and was founded by Italian Domenico Ghirardelli who traveled to the United States to open a set of stores in California — one of which was a confectionary shop. Over the last century, the brand has evolved into becoming one of the most popular chocolate brands in the United States and can be purchased in grocery stores or at one of its 17 flagship stores around the nation. 

If you don't believe us about the superiority of Ghirardelli, just look at Disney World, which is known for its magical and delicious treats. The chocolate company partnered with the media conglomerate in 1997 to sell sweet treats at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and then again in 2013 to set up shop at the Disney Studio Store in Hollywood, California.

Now, the company has three Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop locations on Disney properties: Disney Springs, Disney California Adventure Park in Pacific Wharf, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The shops offer a variety of specialty sundaes, milkshakes, hot chocolates, and more. For big chocolate lovers, the shop offers a Treasure Island Warm Brownie Sundae, made complete with half a chocolate brownie, homemade hot fudge, almonds, and whipped cream.