Healthy Homemade Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup for Kids

Looking for a healthy Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup recipe that your kids will love?  I’ve got one!  It’s SO easy.  It only takes 5 minutes. And I’ll share it with you!

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Why We Needed a Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

My search for a healthy version of the well-known Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup began when my family made the switch to raw milk.  Because I had concerns about conventional dairy consumption, my kids rarely drank milk.  As a result, they had lost their taste for it.  

When I gleefully brought home our first jugs of raw milk, I was met with disapproving reactions.  But I had read all of its many benefits, and I knew I couldn’t just give up…I had to win them over?  So, what’s a desperate mama to do?  I picked up some Hershey’s Simply 5 Chocolate Syrup from the grocery store, turned that raw milk into chocolate milk, and BOOM…they loved it!

But one look at the nutritional information, and I nearly fainted!  Though the ingredients were much better than traditional Hershey’s Syrup- no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup- it was still packed with sugar!  It contained 11 grams of sugar per tablespoon! According the Cleveland Clinic, children should have no more than 25 grams of sugar per day (source).  A cup of milk already has about 12 grams of sugar, so add the chocolate syrup, and you’re almost maxed out for the day!  

Now, if I thought my children would only enjoy the syrup as an occasional treat, I probably wouldn’t have sweated it too much. But I wanted a cup of raw milk to become a part of their daily diets. There was no way I could let them consume that much sugar in a single drink every single day. We clearly needed a better option!

The good news is that in just minutes and with just a few, simple ingredients, you can make a DIY chocolate syrup in the your own kitchen.  The ingredient list contains only real food, which is always the best way to feed your family.

• Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder– Believe it or not, Hershey’s cocoa powder only has one ingredient…natural cocoa!  Cocoa is actually a healthy food; it is high in antioxidants and minerals.  It’s only when we add in all of the sugars and preservatives that we turn it into junk food.
• Local Honey– Local honey adds to to sweetness of the chocolate syrup. Local, raw honey is packed with nutrients!  It contains 22 amino acids, 27 minerals, and 5,000 enzymes. (source)
• Stevia– It’s important to realize that all Stevia is NOT created equal.  Many popular grocery store brands of Stevia are not pure Stevia at all!  Truvia, Stevia in the Raw and Purvia all have other ingredients such as dextrose and natural flavors.  That’s why I stick with Organic Sweet Leaf brand Stevia.
• Vanilla- Real vanilla extract adds such a rich flavor to the syrup!
• Himalayan Pink Salt– Pink salt is one of the purest forms of salt you can buy.  It contains more minerals than regular table salt.  It ‘s also thought to help balance the body’s pH levels (source).
• Filtered Water- I have no idea what’s in the water used to make store-bought syrup.  I would guess fluoride and other contaminants may be present.  That’s why I feel much better using water than has been filtered through our ProOne filter. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
•  1/4 cup honey (local is best) 
• 2 tsp Stevia (look for high quality, like Sweet Leaf)
•  1 tsp vanilla
•  1/8 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
•  1 cup water (filtered is best)

Directions:

•  Add everything except vanilla to a small saucepan.
•  Whisk until smooth.
• Heat to a boil.
• Allow to boil 1 minute.
• Add in vanilla and whisk well.
•  Store in a mason jar or plastic squeeze bottle in fridge.

A Few Tips:

• Though I typically favor storing food in glass containers, my favorite way to store our yummy chocolate syrup in a plastic squeeze bottle.  It sure does make it less messy for kids to serve themselves! But as long as you’ve got an airtight container, it will be fine.
• You only need a small amount for big flavor, so add a little at a time!
• You can vary the amount of water slightly to thicken or thin out your syrup, depending on how you’re planning to use it.  You might want it thicker if you’re planning to top homemade vanilla ice cream.  You might want it thinner if you want it to easily mix into a glass of milk.

I hope your kids enjoy this delicious recipe as much as mine do!  And don’t forget, you can print a recipe card or recipe binder sheet for FREE in my Freebies Library!

If you want to try other recipes that are easy for busy moms and healthy for kids, don’t skip my Nourish with Diligence page!