Skip to Content

5 Cool Ways to Use Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Beyond Hot Chocolate) | Healthy Kitchen Hacks

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor!

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

It’s Healthy Kitchen Hacks Wednesday – the day we share our favorite time-saving kitchen tricks and cooking shortcuts to help you make healthy and delicious meals.

We share kitchen shortcuts and tricks on how to cook more healthfully and deliciously in the kitchen. Teaspoonofspice.com

You can see all our Healthy Kitchen Hacks here. To get exclusive healthy kitchen hacks – only available to our email subscribers – sign up HERE.

Now…onto today’s featured Healthy Kitchen Hack:

5 Cool Ways To Use Cocoa Powder

For years and years, I really only used unsweetened cocoa powder for baking and making chocolate pudding.

Until I whipped up this Banana Mocha Frappe one day and made it just about every day for a year straight. Then it quickly became my go-to to add a hint of chocolate flavor to many everyday things like:

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

1) Cocoa Oatmeal – I usually mix in about 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder per 1/4 cup of uncooked oatmeal (after it’s cooked) along with a drizzle of maple syrup. And if you are feeling extra fancy (and want to impress the kids), try these Berry Chocolate Oatmeal Parfaits.

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

2) Chocolate Peanut Butter – Grab a jar of your favorite peanut butter and mix in 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder for every 3/4 cup (so for a typical 16-ounce jar, that’s about 2 1/2 tablespoons.) Sometimes, I’ll mix in a tablespoon of honey, too. YUM.

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

3) Chickpea Snacks – In a previous Healthy Kitchen Hacks’ post, Serena showed how easy it is to make Crispy Chickpea Snacks and they were so delish, we decided to include them in our 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook (affiliate link!) One of my favorite variations is mixing them with 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika.

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

4) Mocha Spice Rub (for Chicken, Pork, Salmon, Scallops and Tofu) – This is a riff on my 3-Ingredient Coffee Spice Rub – with an additional 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder added to the mix of ground coffee, brown sugar and black pepper. SO good and SO easy.

Add unsweetened cocoa powder in these everyday type of recipes like oatmeal, peanut butter, spice rubs and more for a hit of chocolate flavor! Healthy Kitchen Hack at Teaspoonofspice.com #cocoapowder

5) Chocolate Smoothies – Here’s the recipe that started it all. It’s so simple and these days I also throw in some peanut butter powder for some protein and because – well, once again – peanut butter + chocolate.

How do you use unsweetened cocoa powder in your kitchen?