Canada’s Best Hot Chocolate Mix: A Definitive Ranking

A mug of velvety hot chocolate is the textbook definition of a small pleasure during the coldest months of the year. It’s a sweet, warming, hug-in-a-mug. Above all—it’s chocolate. Few things in life can really compete. It’s only a matter of choosing which tin to stock up on when the temperature starts to dip.

To find out, we sipped our way through 10 widely available instant hot chocolate brands. We prepared each drink according to package instructions before pouring small amounts into our mugs for tasting. Instead of milk, we mixed the products with hot water to better identify the flavour profile of each one.

Chatelaine’s Picks For Best Hot Chocolate Mix Canada

Great Value, $5 for 450 g

The least favourite option from the lineup, with an off-putting salty, minty, powdery taste.

Carnation Simply, $5 for 400 g

Rich, sweet, and creamy with an intense vanilla flavour that one editor found “slightly jarring.” If you like vanilla more than chocolate, this one’s for you.

Selection, $5 for 500 g

“Officially too sweet,” wrote one editor. Not a single taster found the level of sweetness in this drink palatable, but it did have a smooth texture and a decent kick of chocolate.

Compliments, prices vary by location

Most editors found this option too sweet and too salty for their palates. A few noted that it’s an option kids would enjoy, but perhaps in moderation. The texture was pleasantly smooth and thick, like milk chocolate.

Tim Hortons, $5 for 500 g

Although Tim’s formula tasted more sugary than chocolatey, it did have a velvety texture that went down smoothly. The hints of salt and bitter, slightly acidic cocoa powder managed to even out the sweetness—but overall it lacked the depth you would look for in a good cup of hot cocoa.

President’s Choice The Decadent, $5 for 450 g

Inspired by the brand’s iconic chocolate chip cookies, this hot chocolate is undoubtedly the most divisive drink on our lineup. While it had a rich, creamy texture and a bold chocolate flavour, it also had strong notes of coconut which some editors loved, and some… strongly disagreed with.

Our Finest, prices vary by location

Right off the bat, this drink had a very dark colour compared to the rest. Although the label described it as “extra rich,” it had a very watery consistency that suggested otherwise. That said, most editors found the dark chocolate taste quite pleasant, although not as flavourful as expected.

No Name, $5 for 500 g

This option had a thinner consistency than the rest, but surprisingly held a good amount of flavour. It was sweet and creamy with a “classic hot chocolate taste,” as one editor described. The only bone to pick was the film that formed on the drink’s surface minutes after mixing, which suggests that the formula separates easily.

Farm Boy, $5 for 500 g

True to its “chocolate truffle” flavour, this drink had a distinct smoky taste you would typically get from a good dutch-processed cocoa powder. Although a few editors found it a tad too bitter, the smooth and creamy texture ranks it pretty high on our list.

Camino, $6 for 336 g

Most of us had never tried this brand prior to the taste test, which made the novelty of sipping a full-bodied chocolate drink from an unassuming tin all the more satisfying. One editor said it was “real chocolate” in liquid form. Another described it as “gourmet hot chocolate,” while another immediately said it was her favourite. At first sip, the strong earthy flavour of dark cocoa powder hits the palate. Next comes sweetness, hints of salt and floral notes of vanilla. While it might be too sweet for some, the overall taste and consistency—like table cream—is worth every penny. This hot chocolate drink is organic, gluten-free, and, to quote another editor: “Delicious!”

How we select our products. We’re committed to finding the best and most accessible pantry ingredients, and that means being able to test and judge them fairly: in the same place, at the same time, under the same conditions. This means not every single brand available on the national market is going to make it to our Toronto-based kitchen. Some items are only regionally available in a specific province, while others are priced well out of the average grocery budget. Here’s what we guarantee: at least half of our picks will always be available nationally, we will always include selections from major grocery store chains. And if there’s a pick you really think we missed, we’d love to hear about it: letters@chatelaine.com.