How to Make the Perfect Mocha at Home

Name: Easy Recipe: How to Make a Mocha at Home
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup of brewed coffee; 1/4 cup of chocolate shavings or cocoa powder; 1/2 cup cream or milk

Maryna Gray • March 22, 2021

If coffee and chocolate are the perfect pair, then mocha is a match made in Heaven.

What Is Mocha?

You've seen it listed on the menu at cafes, but what is a mocha? Often called a mocha latte, mocha is essentially a chocolate-flavored latte.

How to Make a Mocha at Home

While you might associate mocha coffee with those aforementioned cafes, making your own mocha at home is so much more fun—and it's pretty easy, too. Before you get started, read our best tips for making mocha at home.

1. Use Fresh Coffee

It's important to use freshly roasted beans to avoid a stale, burnt flavor. It takes a whole lot of chocolate and cream to hide the taste of coffee that’s gone bad. (Remember, coffee only has a two-week shelf life.)

2. Don't Skimp On Ingredients

Save the cheap chocolate syrup for your ice cream. Your homemade mocha coffee should have the good stuff! We recommend anything from Seattle Chocolates and Joe Chocolate Co., both of of which can be found in our Chocolate Collection Gift Box. You might also like our Coffee + Chocolate Tasting Box, which features four freshly roasted coffees and four artisan chocolates. Upgrade to the Deluxe Coffee + Chocolate Tasting Box for eight coffee and chocolate pairings.

3. Choose the Right Coffee for Your Taste

For a classic blend, try Cream and Sugar by Slate Coffee Roasters. This light roast is perfect for a mocha coffee.
Want to make a salted mocha? Try a combination of Lighthouse’s Roaster’s Choice and Seattle Chocolate’s San Juan Sea Salt.
If you’re dreaming about the holidays, Fonte’s Portofino Blend and Seattle Chocolate’s Mint Milk make a creamy cup that'll remind you of Christmas morning.
Fundamental Coffee Company's Kenya Kirinyaga and Jcoco’s Cayenne Veracruz Orange make a velvety white mocha with a spicy kick.

4. Experiment

Make it your own! Try adding chocolate or cocoa powder to freshly ground coffee for a chocolate-infused taste. For a classic mocha taste, pair a dark chocolate coffee with a simple dark chocolate or cocoa powder.

The Best Mocha Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Mocha Recipe Ingredients

You can make this work with any amount of milk or chocolate as long as you keep it roughly two parts milk to one part chocolate.

1 cup of brewed coffee
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of your favorite chocolate bar shavings or cocoa powder
1/2 cup of cream or milk

Mocha Recipe Directions

Step 1: Use your preferred brewing method to make 8 ounces of coffee.

Step 2: Combine 1/4 cup chocolate shavings or cocoa with 1/2 cup of cream or milk.

Step 3: Heat chocolate and milk mixture slowly using a double broiler or microwave. If melting in a microwave, heat the mixture for 30-second intervals. Stir until creamy and fully combined.

Step 4: Add the warm chocolate and milk mixture to your coffee.

Step 5: Enjoy!

Mocha Recipe Variations

Dessert: Add whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top.
Spiked: Add a shot of Baileys Irish Creme, whiskey, or your favorite liquor for a spiked mocha.
Caffè Mocha: If you have an espresso machine, the “traditional” mocha (called a caffè mocha) involves simply layering a shot of espresso, cold cream and shaved or melted chocolate on top—no mixing! Then you drink the espresso through a layer of cream and chocolate.

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Posted in: Coffee Recipes
Tags: Mocha

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