With winter officially here, nothing can be warmer than curling up by the fireplace with a mug of your favorite drink and a warm blanket. I’m not a winter girl. But since I live in a place with insanely cold and harsh winters, I opt for hot, healthy drinks to keep me warm and cozy when it’s frosty outside.
When it comes to winter beverages, dieters tend to avoid them. Whether you count calories or crave something delicious to tickle your taste buds, these eight winter drinks are sure to satisfy you.
1. Hot Maple Apple Cider
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 10 min;
- Cook time: 2 hr;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 226;
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds organic sweet apples
- water
- 2 teaspoons stevia extract
- 1 teaspoon pure maple extract (or vanilla)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- low calorie whipped topping and maple syrup, optional
Directions:
Start with apples. Clean them, cut and remove the seeds and the core. Put the apples, stevia, cinnamon stick and maple extract into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, let simmer for 2 hours or until the apples can be easily smashed. Pass through a sieve, and serve warm with topping and maple syrup.
2. Skinny Hot Cocoa
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 2 min;
- Cook time: 5 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 292;
Ingredients:
- 2 cups plain water
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon raw maca powder
- 1/4 teaspoon organic stevia extract
- cinnamon
- almond or coconut milk, optional
Directions:
ring water to a boil in a saucepan and pour it into a tall mug with cacao and maca powders. Stir thoroughly for 20 seconds. Then add a bit of almond milk, cinnamon and stevia and stir it again. Drink it while it’s hot.
3. Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 2 min;
- Cook time: 5 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 323;
Ingredients:
- 3 shots espresso or 16 ounces brewed coffee
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 drops liquid stevia (or 1 teaspoon powder extract)
- sprinkle of cinnamon, optional
Directions:
ix pumpkin and almond milk in a cup and cook in your microwave for 35-45 seconds. Add in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and stevia, and foam the milk using a frother or blender. Pour your coffee into a mug, add the foamy milk mixture and sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon. Your skinny pumpkin spice latte is ready.
4. Peppermint Mocha
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 2 min;
- Cook time: 5 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 440;
Ingredients:
- 2 cups brewed organic coffee
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tiny drop pure peppermint extract
- ½ teaspoon pure stevia powder extract
- 1/2 tablespoon raw cocoa powder
Directions:
Pour almond milk into a big mug. Brew coffee as usual. Once your coffee is fully brewed, add it to your almond milk and stir in peppermint extract, raw cocoa powder, and stevia. Keep stirring for 40 seconds or until your mocha is ready.
More: 7 Amazing Starbucks Drinks You Should Definitely Try
5. Chai Tea Latte
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 5 min;
- Cook time: 15 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 240;
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 chai tea bags
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure stevia extract
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat your almond milk with chai tea bags, vanilla and stevia. Once it begins to bubble, remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour into mugs. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add a foamy milk. It takes a few minutes to make.
6. Hot Cranberry Ginger Punch
Even though this winter drink contains sugar, one mug of Hot Cranberry Ginger Punch won’t ruin your weight loss plan and won’t make you put on weight instantly. It’s delicious, cozy, and simply inspiring. If you are on a strict diet, you can use stevia instead of sugar.
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 5 min;
- Cook time: 20 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 335;
Ingredients:
- 1 quart cranberry juice
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup sugar
Directions:
In a saucepan mix together ginger and cranberry juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 18-20 minutes. Add lime juice and sugar to it. Simmer for another minute, stirring thoroughly until sugar is fully dissolved. Serve hot.
7. Matcha Latte
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 5 min;
- Cook time: 7 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 186;
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
- ¼ teaspoon pure stevia extract
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat almond milk until it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and pour into a big mug. Stir in matcha green tea powder and stevia extract. Place the milk mixture in your blender and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!
8. Hot Toddy
- Cuisine: American;
- Category: Drinks;
- Serves: 2;
- Prep Time: 5 min;
- Cook time: 10 min;
- Nutrition Per Serving: 149;
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup boiling-hot water
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon mild honey
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
In a 6-ounce mug, put lemon juice, bourbon, and honey. Top off with 1/4 cup boiling-hot water and stir for a minute or until honey is fully dissolved. What can be easier or quicker?
More: 9 Healthy and Tasty Green Tea Recipes to Try Today
These are my go-to warm drinks that my partner and I love. I believe there’s something special about these hot beverages. Not only do they make the winter season warmer, but they are also diet-friendly as well. All these recipes are versatile so feel free to add your favorite ingredients and share your own ideas in the comments section.