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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (Dairy Free)

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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Don’t those four words just about make you swoon?

They definitely make me swoon. Hey, “salted caramel anything” makes me swoon!

What do you do if you’ve worked on a recipe for a while and still haven’t gotten it the way you want it and then another person comes up with the perfect solution and recipe? Do you keep plugging away at creating your very own recipe because it just has to be yours, you want to claim ownership, you want the glory, etc.?

Or do you bow gracefully to the other person, say “thank you!” and enjoy the wonderful recipe that you couldn’t quite get right no your own. I definitely do the latter.

What on earth am I talking about? Well, let’s backtrack a moment. Remember when I posted about Zoe (Z’s Cup of Tea) and her Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies that were inspired by Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars.

Well, it was Zoe—Starbucks’ aficionado that she is—who introduced me to Starbuck’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. I had never even heard of it, but the moment she mentioned it, I had to have it. (Important update: This beverage is now shown as containing gluten on Starbuck’s website.)

Never mind that I was really trying to avoid dairy (then and now). You know those chocolate-covered caramels with the sprinkle of sea salt. LOVE.

So last winter, after I had my very first Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks and that salty caramel flavoring made me so very happy, I made it a point to stop by Starbucks any time I was in the area.

I may have even re-routed my trip a few times. All told, I only enjoyed it about four times, but I loved each and every time.

And oh, how sad I was for winter season to end because it meant that Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate was off the menu. So to close out our Home for the Holidays … Gluten-Free Style event, I thought this would be a lovely recipe to share.

Fix a mug and sit and admire your Christmas tree, sip on some while visiting with family during Hanukkah, or share with your family while enjoying your favorite holiday celebration.

It sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Well, I have great news for you. Even though I wasn’t able to create the perfect recipe, thanks to my dear friend, Kim (Cook IT Allergy Free), you can enjoy homemade Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate!

Serendipitously, just the other day for the Desserts week of A Gluten-Free Holiday event, she shared her recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Pie. The Salted Caramel Sauce she created for that recipe is just perfect for making Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.

When Kim mentioned on Facebook the other day that she had added some of the sauce to her Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Tea (another new love that she introduced me, too) for a lovely dessert tea, I went Ah-Ha!

You can find Kim’s recipe for her Salted Caramel Sauce here in her post on her Salted Caramel Apple Pie. (I’m sure you’ll want that recipe, too!) The only change I made when using Kim’s Salted Caramel Sauce was to increase the amount of sea salt from ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon and I added a pinch to the top of my hot chocolate right before drinking, too. (Starbucks uses turbinado sugar and sea salt as their final topping so I may try a little bit of that mixture next time.)

For my mug of hot chocolate, I used from 2 to 3 tablespoons of Kim’s salted caramel sauce added to my mixture of milk and cocoa powder. The amount depends upon personal tastes and the milk used.

For example, vanilla almond milk overpowers the salted caramel sauce and more is needed, so I recommend using unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened rice milk, or even cow’s milk if you consume dairy. Use your typical amounts of milk and hot cocoa for making your hot chocolate, but leave out any sweetener as the salted caramel sauce will be your sweetener.

I urge you to make Kim’s sauce—again you can find the recipe here in her post—so you can safely enjoy Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from the comfort of your own home this holiday season!

Of course, I have some giveaways today. First, I have another copy of Dangerous Grains for one reader. As I’ve shared before, this book was the very first book that I read after being diagnosed with gluten intolerance (later through MyCeliac ID, I found out I was 16 times more likely to develop celiac disease).

I couldn’t put this book down. I greatly respect and admire its primary author, Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

He was the guest speaker at my support group’s annual open house event a few years ago. His knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge with others amazed me and everyone present.

Dangerous Grains covers a couple of hundred conditions and symptoms related to gluten issues, but it’s an easy read.

Next up, I have a copy of Dr. Stephen Wangen’s Healthier Without Wheat for another reader. Healthier Without Wheat addresses celiac disease, gluten intolerance/non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and wheat and gluten allergies.

Dr. Wangen also addresses other food intolerances that often come into play when gluten is one’s enemy. Dr. Wangen is gluten free and dairy free himself. He’s a frequent and popular speaker at celiac and gluten intolerance conferences.

Finally, thanks to the folks from GlutenTox Home Detection Kits, I have two testing kits to give away.

Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom) did an outstanding job (as is always the case!) on discussing the science behind these testing kits and walking you through how to conduct testing. She summarized and shared results from testing that both she and Wendy (Celiacs in the House) had conducted.

Sometimes we suspect that we are getting “glutened” in our own homes. These testing kits are invaluable when it comes to determining the cause of such instances.

While it would be grand to be able to believe that any product labeled “gluten free” truly was gluten free and would be safe for us to eat, the reality is far from that. Case in point, the Gluten-Free Watchdog program just released the findings of their independent testing on Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas and Millet Bread.

Neither tested gluten free. Let me repeat that, with even more emphasis. Neither of those products tested gluten free.

Founded by Tricia Thompson—long-time gluten-free advocate, registered dietitian, and nutritional consultant—Gluten-Free Watchdog does not just do one test, or simply test one batch/one lot. The organization does testing on multiple lots and more than one test, to be able to share accurate, comprehensive findings.

Note that actual test readings are only available to Gluten-Free Watchdog subscribers, but what has been released to the public is that these products tested above 20 ppm, the level that is currently proposed as the “safe” level for gluten free.

I personally don’t agree with less than 20 ppm as being safe (that level is unacceptable to me), so I was especially pleased when Emily Kauffman, the representative for GlutenTox, told me that “the test can detect as low as 3 ppm, if you put 13 drops of extraction solution into the dilution vial.”

She went on to say that most people find that too limiting. However, again, I was thrilled to know that I could test to 3 ppm with GlutenTox if I simply added more of the sample when doing my testing.

I’ve done some testing using the GlutenTox kit, but plan to do more. I shared my Turkey Tetrazzini recipe right before Thanksgiving. What I didn’t share at the time was that it made me sick; i.e., I got “glutened.”

It’s a fabulous recipe that I’ve used many times before, but after just a few bites I was not feeling well at all. I was hosting Thanksgiving the next day and had to scratch several things off my “to do” list.  And Mr. GFE and Son had to step up to the plate and help out quite a bit to ensure that we had a successful Thanksgiving meal.

For the Turkey Tetrazzini, I had used two products that were suspect. In hindsight, that is. I never eat anything that I don’t believe is gluten free. Obviously, using gluten-free ingredients is always my goal.

The two products that were suspect in hindsight were a generic product from my local grocery and a gluten-free specialty item that was certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. The first—chicken stock—was labeled gluten free with no ingredients of concern on the label.

I had used this product before without issue, but since I was certain that it was not certified and sure that the grocery chain had not tested it in any way; that was my first suspect. So I used the GlutenTox test on it and checked it to the 3 ppm level.

Note that each test kit allows you to test two items for gluten. The testing is very easy to do and the instructions are clear.

The results of testing the store brand chicken stock? Negative. Because one of the vials arrived damaged, I had an extra test strip, so I applied the sample to that as well … somewhat of a double check, if you will.

Again, the results were negative. So my initial suspect has been ruled out. That’s proof that the likely culprit is not always the true culprit, and a reminder that guessing the source of gluten can be a very misleading exercise.

The kind folks at GlutenTox, who are sponsoring this giveaway and provided the first kit for my review, have sent me another complimentary test kit. However, I have not had time to use it on the other ingredient yet.

The truth is that even when I haven’t been glutened, I tend to have a deluded sense of time when it comes to what I can actually accomplish in a day that’s filled with holiday preparations!

Plus, Mr. GFE and I did some last minute shopping and enjoyed a meal out today. What a treat that was! We have a local place where I can enjoy a gluten-free crab cake (no filler, safe cornmeal for some minimal breading, and oven baked versus deep fried) and salad with the house dressing, lemon tahini.

This meal is a real treat and I decided to forego additional testing right now to enjoy that with Mr. GFE. But I will test the second ingredient and share the results later.

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.  

Originally published December 23, 2011; updated January 31, 2023.

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Comments

  1. Dana says

    I’ve always wanted to try salted caramel hot chocolate or latte. I think I will make some to serve tomorrow after we go look at Christmas lights.

    Reply

  5. Pamela Zeringue says

    Hi there! I’ve been following your blog and am grateful for everything that you share! Thank you for the wealth of knowledge!

    Reply

  7. Michelle @ Gluten Free Vegan Journey says

    I definitely will try this with unsweetened almond milk as you suggest! Also I want to thank you for the idea to have this series of wonderful bloggers with Home for the Holiday recipes, I have really enjoyed them all! And a chance at wonderful prizes, well that’s a real Christmas spirit! Thanks Shirley!

    Reply

  8. Janell says

    Thank you (and all the bloggers) so much! This was such a Christmas treat! I am lovin all the new recipes that I’ve added to my “to try” list 😉

    Reply

  15. Christy M says

    Love the blog! The gluten tox test would be really interesting to use around the house on things you think are gf. I know we have eaten something before that was gf, only to have a reaction and find out later that they were manufactured on lines where wheat was also processed.

    Reply

  16. Christy M says

    Shared the giveaway on FB and tagged you in the post. Thanks so much for this wonderful opportunity. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

    Reply

  19. Megan R says

    Thank you for doing this contest! 🙂 I now have some awesome recipes for my cookbook! Can’t wait to see who won! 🙂

    Reply

  24. Brandae says

    What a great post. I’m really curious how your next test for the suspect ingredient goes. I’m so thankful for all of the education, recipes, encouragement, and fun that bloggers like you bring to all of us. This series has been spectacular, and I appreciate the time and energy you’ve invested.
    The salted caramel hot chocolate sounds wonderful…I’ll have to add it to my ever-growing list. 🙂

    Reply

  25. Andrew says

    I’m not usually a big tea or coffee drinker, but anything with salt, caramel and chocolate in the title has to be good. Thanks for putting this whole event together. It’s been great!

    Reply

  28. Heather says

    I can’t wait to give this hot chocolate a try. I’ve never tried the original. Alas I am sorry that this event is ending! But thank you for putting it together and for all the posters. I can’t wait to see who won!

    Reply

  30. Julie says

    I’ve been collecting all these salted caramel recipes from all over, but I have yet to try one out. I think this one might get the honor of being the first. I do love me some hot chocolate, you just can’t go wrong.

    Reply

  31. Shaina says

    That sounds absolutely DIVINE! I’ve never had the original Starbucks one but this sounds like it must be just as scrumptious! Thank you for sharing and, thank you so much for hosting this giveaway! It has been so much fun discovering all the great new recipe blogs, I have so many new recipe’s to try now!

    Reply

  34. Christa says

    Thanks for sharing! I wonder if the caramel sauce can be made sugar-free…maybe with coconut sugar? I would love to be able to eat dairy-free, sugar-free caramel. 🙂

    Reply

  35. Catybakes says

    That recipe for the Dairy Free Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate looks incredible. I had always intended to try some at Starbucks, but procrastinated a little too long and missed my opportunity. Ha! Now I plan to relax with a mug of that a couple of days after the holiday! As long as I don’t procrastinate again! ; )

    Reply

  38. Mary says

    This sounds yummy! I am going to try this beverage!

    I am also sharing the drawing on my Facebook page.

    Happy Holidays! May we all stay healthy and un-glutened over the coming week or so.

    Reply

  42. Lisa says

    Brilliant! A couple weeks ago, my husband and I attended a party with friends that included a white elephant gift exchange. My husband ended up with two boxes of Starbucks hot chocolate mixes…one peppermint and one salted caramel. I took just a little taste of the salted caramel one and wished I could make an equivalent version that I could really drink! I look forward to trying this version…
    Thank you for hosting this event; I’ve enjoyed the amazing recipes!

    Reply

  43. Shelby says

    Shirley- Thank you so much for putting together this wonderful resource for healthy (mostly) holiday recipes! This event has been so helpful to me. I now have a list of things that I am going to try- and I can’t wait. Thank you also for the opportunity to win these great prizes!!

    Oh, the salted caramel hot chocolate sounds heavenly, too!

    Have a wonderful Christmas!

    Reply

  44. Annette says

    Thank you for hosting the Home for the Holidays event. It’s been fun reading new blogs and discovering new recipes!!!

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  47. Megan Holder says

    I’ve always loved caramel and hot chocolate, so this is the perfect recipe to try! 🙂 I never even knew Starbucks made their own version, but that is neat to know too.

    Thanks again for hosting such an incredible event. It has opened my eyes to MANY gluten-free (and dairy-free) recipes that I’m sure will soon become a holiday favorite. 🙂

    Happy Holidays!!
    Megan

    Reply

  49. Isabel says

    Thank you for hosting this whole event – half of the blogs featured, and the recipes on them, I’d never seen before, so this has been a wonderful way to gather more gluten/dairy/etc free recipes. I’m so glad to have found it!

    Gluten seems an awful lot like meat – it shows up everywhere it’s not supposed to (meatless soups/marinades in restaurants are obnoxious beyond all belief…). It’s a shame, because it isn’t as though it’s always just a novelty; people really do get sick from missing those kinds of things.

    Reply

  54. Andrea M says

    Please sign me up! Also, please know that all your effort in putting this Hone for the Holidays with 25 days of giveaways is so appreciated and really fun. I’ve never been apart of something like this and it is great! so thanks so so much!!!

    Reply

  55. Heather says

    That hot chocolate sounds AWESOME!!! I’ve actually never heard of salted caramels before..but I’ve never drank at Starbucks either (I’m not a coffee person). But any hot cocoa sounds great to me..it’s chocolate!! ha ha! So I’ll definitely have to give this one a go. I continued reading though and was surprised by the gluten tox kit…and finding ‘certified gf’ items that were contaminated w/gluten. I kinda feel like i can’t trust anything now, especially if something that’s supposedly ‘certified gf’ is glutenated. I get the Food for Life english muffins for my kiddos all the time and now…dangit…just ticks me off that it’s probably glutenated. The gluten tox kits sound awesome in testing to see if there’s gluten…but impractical if you need to test a whole bunch on your grocery list.particularly if the kits are expensive. And by the way that gluten watchdog group makes it sound…there’s a LOT more glutenated stuff out there than I previously thought. Probably a lot more on my own grocery list. Ugh. Just depressing. It amazes me that there’s a kit out there though that tests down to 3 ppm. That’s awesome! Why doesn’t gf food producers use THIS kit?!! Would save us all a lot of trouble, wouldn’t it? Thanks for the contest and the eye opener on the products GFE! I’m posting this to my FB page right now. Enter me in this contest…i’d love to give one of those kits a go! ;D

    Reply

  57. Gloria B says

    Thanks so much for the recipes! I am new to GF and am amazed at two things. One is how many great recipes there are out there. Two is how misleading so much packaging can be. Thank you for all of the helpful info. Sharing this on FB as well!

    Reply

  58. Ina Gawne says

    Shirley, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate sounds divine! Thanks for sharing all of the wonderful recipes. Actually I say yes – been there done that. One time I tasted a bakeries delicious Lemon Poppyseed cake, and asked if they would share the recipe. No they most certainly would not! It took me one year, but I did it – and mine was better than theirs to boot! Then there is Bette Hagman’s dream pastry…you can’t mess with perfection – the best pastry I have ever had!
    Happy Holidays to you and yours Shirley, and thank you for sharing your wonderful blog! 🙂

    Reply

  61. Kristine says

    Salted caramel hot chocolate? Yes, Please!!! Sounds absolutely wonderful. Of course, I’ll have to test it to be absolutely sure. heeheehee

    Reply

  63. Laurel says

    Salted Caramel Sauce? Is that in her book? I bought it a month back but saw so many oat recipes I just put it down and didn’t look further. Stupid me.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Laurel–I’m not sure whose book you are referencing. This recipe comes from Kim at Cook IT Allergy Free. She is the creator of the wonderful Cook IT Allergy Free app. 🙂 She doesn’t have a cookbook out and since this is a new recipe I am pretty sure that it’s not on her app yet. But you can follow the links to her blog to get the recipe! 🙂

      Enjoy!
      Shirley

      Reply

  68. Suzanne H says

    Thanks so much for all the giveaways! All the recipes during this event have looked amazing and the giveaways have been so great. Thanks for all your work!

    Reply

  71. Joanie H says

    Merry Christmas Shirley! What a fun and tasty way to finish this wonderful event. May we all lift a mug of salted caramel hot chocolate and “toast” good cheer toward you and all the food bloggers for sharing so many delightful recipes. Abundant blessings!

    Reply

  77. Mary S says

    This recipe for Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate sounds wonderful as have all of the other recipes in Home for the Holidays.

    Reply

  81. Sharon says

    This caramel hot chocolate sounds wonderful. This has been a terrific event. Thank you for introducing us to so many dedicated and special people

    Reply

  89. Venessa says

    Thanks for such great recipes and info.! I am really interested in the Gluten Tox Kits. Thank you for the lovely giveaways! 🙂

    Reply

  96. sj guetthoff says

    Inever had thisdrink before but boy does it look yummy..I’m just sorry its to late for me to make it up this year..But I will make it mid-week when the rest of the family getsto town…
    I also want to thank you for all you give of yourself & your time to help all of us have a happy holiday…
    I’ve enjoyed this so much. And I have never won a thing so I would be excited about any of the gifts….

    Merry Christmas

    Reply

  97. Debbie says

    Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous and merry Christmas, Shirley. Enjoy each moment.

    Your gluten detecting experiment is very interesting. I will look forward to hearing more later.

    Merry Christmas!

    xo Debbie

    Reply

  98. Renee S says

    Just came across your blog and have learned a lot just from this one post! Didn’t know there was such a thing as “watchdog” testing or the home testing kits. I have friends who will benefit from this info. Thanks!

    Reply

  103. Sharon McD. says

    Merry Christmas, Shirley! Hugs! Hugs! Hugs!Interesting about the brown rice tortillas. You know I had a funny feeling about those. I just threw away what I had left in my fridge as the result of this post. Thank you for helping me stay healthy and reminding me to listing to that inner voice.
    Sharon M.

    Reply

  106. Shelly says

    Thank you so much for all the hard work you have put into Home for the Holidays! What an awesome bunch of bloggers and recipes! Trying some new ones this year, and have saved them all! I have had so much fun reading the posts and getting the recipes, it has been like unwrapping a present each day this month! 🙂 I wish you the very merriest of Christmases, thank you, thank you for everything you give!

    Reply

  110. Cindy Dickens says

    Very excited to try some new recipes-great event! Me and my two boys are gluten free. Very informative site and the first I’ve heard of glutentox kits! I could have used these many times over-thinking about my mother in law’s dinners throughout the years probably would have been a test subject LOL! I could use a prize this year more than any and would love to be entered in the contest! Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  111. Amy says

    That hot chocolate sounds yummy! I’m always excited when I find something we all can try with our various allergies. I had never heard of the testing kits – thanks for sharing them!

    Reply

  113. Jessie P. says

    Love your site! We are recently on the SCD and sites like these help make things more manageable (eating real, whole foods, etc.) Would LOVELOVELOVE to win the vitamix! 🙂

    Reply

  114. Amani says

    This sounds yummy. I love caramel + chocolate but avoid dairy (for the most part) and never buy those drinks from Starbucks, so I’d really like to try this! Mmm mm! 🙂

    Reply

  115. Amani says

    I shared this on fb (I like encouraging others to make things themselves versus buying it from retailers who use God-knows-what as ingredients. 🙂

    Reply

  116. dawn says

    Merry Christmas! We’ve been making our own hot chocolate lately and this gives me more ideas for expanding and experimenting with different flavors. Thanks.

    Reply

  117. Christie B. says

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. It looks yummy. And thank you for hosting this event! I’ve been introduced to some new blogs that I really enjoy.

    Reply

  122. Sarah L says

    This has been a wonderful event! I have learned a lot and have gotten some wonderful recipes to boot! And I love hot chocolate and to add a touch of salted caramel…sounds like heaven.

    Reply

  123. Laurie Hetherington says

    Sounds great. I missed the actual recipe on your page so I’m assuming I go to Kim’s blog to find it?
    Thanks for introducing me to so many GF blogs. I’d love to win something but if I don’t I’ll certainly “prize” all these new sites & their recipes.
    Merry Christmas to you!

    Reply

  125. Joy says

    Oh, that does look phenomenal! I can’t wait to try the salted caramel sauce–I’ve been wondering if there were a tried-and-true dairy-free caramel sauce available! It would be good in coffee, too…

    Reply

  127. Ricki says

    This sounds so intriguing, Shirley! I have only recently begun to appreciate the “sweet/salty” combination of flavors, as I didn’t use salt at all for many years. But I think I’ll have to give something like this a try!

    It’s been such a great event. Thanks again for putting it all together and for taking on the Herculean task of keeping it all straight and running smoothly. I hope you, Mr. GFE and your whole family have a wonderful, relaxing, happy and healthy Christmas! Big hugs! xo

    Reply

  128. Charity Austin says

    I just found out that I need to start eating gluten free, this site is amazing!! My husband is starting to have some of the same stomach problems as me and I think he’s going to need to start going GF when he gets back from his deployment! Fingers crossed for winning the Vitamix, my Mom had one growing up and I’ve wanted one forever!

    Reply

  129. AJ says

    This hot chocolate recipe looks so good! I LOVE cocoa and will definitely give this one a try.

    Thanks for coordinating all the bloggers for this event and for the wonderful prizes.

    Happy Holidays. 🙂

    Reply

  132. Eileen Cooper says

    Salted hot chocolate sounds yummy. I love sweet and salty. Like others have said, this has been a great give away. I have enjoyed finding new blogs are recipes, I feel like a winner just from that.

    Reply

  134. Amy LeTourneur says

    Thank you so much for such a fun and informative month of giveaways! I got some great new recipes to try out, and I have SO many awesome new GF blogs bookmarked now.

    Reply

  137. Sally says

    I’ve been loving your blog … all the info and the delectable recipes… and the giveaways! Wow. Thank you for all you do here! Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  147. Sharon Baridon says

    Shirley, thanks for making this Holiday so tasty and fun! The Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate sounds yummy. Yesterday I just made a batch of Gingersnap Latte Syrup from this month’s Vegetarian Times. I had it last night with warmed almond milk. Yum!! Merry Christmas Shirley and to everyone else who delights in Shirley’s blog!

    Reply

  148. Audrey J says

    I too have found somethings that should be or are labeled GF to aggravate my symptoms. Luckily for me it is Fibromyalgia pain, not a normal being glutened feeling.

    I am going to try the Pie. I think I could get my son, who doesn’t like apples to try it. He does love caramel!

    Reply

  149. Jane says

    I did not know that the Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas were not gluten free! Yikes! Thank you for everything you do! Love reading your blog!

    Reply

  154. Elise S says

    Yikes, think I missed the deadline to enter? I’m very interested in these detection kits tho, thanks for sharing. And thanks for hosting this 25 days of giveaways!

    Reply

  157. Alfred says

    I have to admit, the test kit intrigues me. I’ve gotten ill many times from products that seem “gluten free”, but had no definite way to make sure what the culprit was.

    Reply

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