Tips to Save Calories and Craft Awesome Mochas at Home

I still remember my very first mocha experience. I ordered a medium sized one at Starbucks, not knowing that by default (at the time) they would use whole milk and put on tons of whipped cream. It was delicious, but so rich I couldn’t even finish it. Then I saw the calorie count and was like….wow, there went any splurges for the rest of this week! That started me on a quest to craft awesome mochas at home which kept the calorie count down.

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Craft Your Own Awesome Mochas at home and save calories in the process

When we were married, one gift we received was a espresso machine. This gal was in heaven as I could make my own mochas at home relatively easily. After a while the machine had issues and could no longer froth milk. Broken glass containers were replaced a few times. But then it stopped pushing through the water correctly and just went away.

Thankfully, I had a few gadgets which entered my life as product reviews which took the place of my cappucino machine and I have NOT looked back. Even better, they are more portable and can travel with me in the RV for a long trip! To make the espresso component of awesome mochas I use the AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker. And, to both warm and froth my milk I use the MIRA Electric Milk Frother.

Gather Ingredients and Tools for Making Awesome Mochas at Home

The process is simple:

Pick your flavor. I typically use a mixture of Special Dark cocoa powder along with a tsp or two of NuNaturals Nustevia Cocoa Syrup which is placed in the bottom of my cup. The Nustevia is 0 calories and the special dark cocoa powder it around 10 calories for the amount I use. I used to use Starbuck’s Cocoa Powder purchased at Costco, but they non longer offer it. If you don’t mind the 40 calories per serving, you can purchase Starbuck’s Mocha Powder.

Heat Water for the AeroPress. Add 1 scooper of espresso coffee into the maker and add your water (I use just over 1 cup.) Put in the Plunger to stop the flow of liquid through the filter and allow to rest for at least 10 seconds before plunging all the way down.

In the electric milk frother, add 1/2 cup of milk of your choice. I usually add a bit of flavored sugar free syrup to add sweetness and flavor to the milk. I find that 2% or whole milk creates the best froth and keeps me from wanting whipped cream.

Decant all but the froth into your cup, stir well, then using a spatula add the froth to the top. In the photo below, my froth was NOT spectacular as the milk I used had been frozen and the fat had not fully distributed well during the thawing process. (It still had ice crystals when I measured out my 1/2 cup.)

Minimal Foam on an Awesome Mocha made at home
And, there you have an awesome mocha you crafted for yourself at home!

Specific tips to save calories and still have awesome mochas:

Forgo the whipped cream. Use an electric milk frother to give you a nice ‘top’ for your mocha.

Use almond milk instead of regular milk. Almond milk is anywhere from 30 (unsweetened) to 120 calories per cup. If you use the dark chocolate almond milk (120 calories per cup), then you’re only at 60 calories when using 1/2 cup in your mocha. Downside to almond or soy milk is that they do NOT froth up very well. And, I’ll admit that I only like the chocolate almond milk (so no extra chocolate needed) as the unsweetened almond milk with the other products has a different feeling that I do not enjoy like regular milk.

Consider using zero calorie flavor enhancers. Many syrup options are available as sugar free. However, some (e.g. chocolate) may not be nearly as tasty and it is worth the calories from cocoa powder, etc.
What flavors would you pick for your mocha?