Mocha recipe: chocolate, espresso, and steamed milk
Jack Donnell
At a glance
Make a hot mocha with espresso, cocoa, and milk. This home recipe explains how to dissolve cocoa smoothly and adjust chocolate flavor without extra syrup.
A mocha combines espresso, chocolate, and milk. This version uses unsweetened cocoa and a measured amount of sugar, so you can adjust the chocolate and sweetness separately. Dissolving the cocoa before adding milk keeps the drink from becoming powdery.
Chocolate sauce is convenient, but different sauces vary in sweetness. Making a small cocoa paste gives you a clear starting recipe using pantry ingredients.
Mocha recipe
Yield: 1 drink · Prep: about 2 minutes · Cook/brew: about 3 minutes · Total: about 5 minutes
Use these quantities as home starting points and adjust to taste. Times are estimates; allow extra time for an espresso machine to warm up. US volume measures are approximate metric conversions.
Equipment
Espresso maker, small bowl or mug, spoon, milk pitcher or small saucepan, frother, and a 12 fl oz mug.
Ingredients
- 1 double espresso, about 2 fl oz (60 ml)
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
- 1 tablespoon (5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) hot water
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream, optional
Instructions
- Make a cocoa paste. Mix cocoa and sugar in the mug. Stir in the tablespoon of hot water until no dry powder remains.
- Add coffee. Prepare the espresso and stir it into the cocoa paste until the mixture looks evenly combined.
- Warm the milk. Warm and lightly froth the milk using your equipment instructions. If using a saucepan, stir over gentle heat and do not boil.
- Finish. Pour the warm milk into the chocolate coffee and stir. Add the optional whipped cream just before serving.
Tips and adjustments
Powder floating on top?
Make the paste first and press out lumps against the mug with a spoon. Cocoa stirred directly into a full cup of milk is harder to disperse.
Want more chocolate?
Increase cocoa by 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Taste before adding sugar, because cocoa intensity and sweetness are separate adjustments.
Using sauce instead?
Replace the cocoa, sugar, and hot water with 1 tablespoon of chocolate sauce to start. Taste and add more as needed; sauces are not equivalent spoon for spoon.
Common questions
Can I use brewed coffee?
Yes. Substitute 1/4 cup of concentrated brewed coffee for the espresso. It will change the coffee strength, so adjust milk after tasting.
Can I make it iced?
Dissolve the cocoa in the hot coffee first, let it stop steaming, then add cold milk and ice. The dedicated iced mocha recipe gives measured cold-drink quantities.
More coffee recipes
- Iced mocha recipe with cocoa, espresso, and milk
- White chocolate mocha recipe with real white chocolate
- Peppermint mocha recipe with cocoa and peppermint extract
Browse all coffee recipes or return to our recipe collection.
Further reading: Mocha format. The measured preparation above is a Chroma home starting version.
Illustrative stock photo: Pexels, used under the Pexels license.