If you have spotted mushroom hot chocolate on UK shelves and thought "why would anyone put mushrooms in a mug of cocoa?", fair question. We asked it too, before we made one. This is our straight guide to mushroom hot chocolate in the UK: what it actually is, what separates a good one from a dusting of powder and a lot of marketing, what it tastes like and how to make a proper cup. No hype and no promises. Just what goes in the pouch and how to drink it.
Key takeaways
- Mushroom hot chocolate is a cocoa drink powder with dried, finely ground mushrooms blended in. It should taste like cocoa.
- Check which part of the mushroom is used. Fruiting body is the mushroom itself; mycelium is often grown on grain.
- A good label names each species, says how much of each is in there and lists allergens clearly.
- Shroom Riot is four mushrooms in equal 25% parts, bought to a fruiting-body specification and folded into cocoa with whey, so it contains milk.
- The method: 10 g in 200 ml, stir for 30 seconds, rest for a minute, stir again.
What is mushroom hot chocolate?
Mushroom hot chocolate is a cocoa drink powder with dried, finely milled mushrooms blended through it. You make it the way you would make any mug of cocoa: powder in, hot water or milk on top, stir.
Strictly speaking, most of these drinks are hot cocoa rather than hot chocolate. Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, which has had most of its cocoa butter pressed out, while hot chocolate in the stricter sense starts from bar chocolate. Almost nobody in Britain bothers with that distinction, so we won't either.
The mushrooms are not the button mushrooms in your fridge. The four you will see most often in this category are Lion's Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps and Chaga. Each is a separate species with its own Latin name, its own look and its own history in the kitchen. In a well-made powder they are dried and milled fine enough to disappear into the cocoa, so what you drink is still, unmistakably, a cup of cocoa.
What's in a good mushroom hot chocolate
This is where products in the same aisle start to look very different. Four things are worth checking on any pouch, ours included.
Fruiting body, not mycelium
A mushroom is the fruiting body of a fungus: the part that grows above ground. Below it sits the mycelium, a mass of fine threads that makes up the rest of the organism. Some powders are made from mycelium grown on grain, and that grain carries through into the finished product. Fruiting body means the mushroom itself. If a label doesn't say which one it is, ask.
Named species and stated shares
A label should name every mushroom, ideally with its Latin name, and tell you how the blend is split. Ours is Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) and Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), in equal 25% parts. It is a whole-mushroom powder, not a concentrated extract, and we say so because the two often get sold as if they were the same thing.
A grind fine enough to dissolve
Mushroom powder that sits on top of the mug like pond scum is a texture problem, not a personality trait. Our blend is milled so that at least 98% passes an 80-mesh screen, which is why it dissolves instead of floating.
An honest label
Look for a full ingredient list in order, clear allergen information and, if you want to go further, a written specification for contaminants. Our about page sets out the limits our mushroom blend is bought against, from heavy metals to a 539-item pesticide screen. Be wary of any pouch that tells you what a drink will do for you. Under UK rules a food can only carry a health claim that appears on the authorised register, and we make none. We tell you what is in the pouch, how much of it is in a serving and how it tastes.
What does mushroom hot chocolate taste like?
Ours tastes like cocoa. Rich and chocolatey, with none of the bitterness people tend to expect from a mushroom drink. That is down to the build: cocoa powder is the second ingredient on the list, the mushrooms are blended into it rather than sprinkled over the top, and the whole thing is finished with sucralose as the sweetener.
Here is the full ingredient list, in order, exactly as it appears on the pouch: whey powder (milk), cocoa powder, maltodextrin, 4-mushroom blend (lion's mane, chaga, reishi, cordyceps), sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, sucralose. Nothing hidden behind a "proprietary" label.
Each of the four mushrooms has its own story. If you want the detail on the headline act, our guide to lion's mane hot chocolate covers what the mushroom looks like, where it grows and how it is eaten.
How to drink it
One heaped tablespoon, about 10 g, into 200 ml of hot water, milk or a milk alternative. Then:
- Stir for 30 seconds.
- Leave it for one minute. This is the step people skip, and it is the one that stops the powder settling at the bottom.
- Stir again for 30 seconds and drink.
It mixes cold too. Use cold water or milk, follow the same steps, but give it two minutes of rest before the final stir. A milk frother or a shaker gives the smoothest result, and is worth it if you are making it cold or you are the sort of person who notices texture.
Want it thicker? Use more powder in the same liquid and you get a richer cup, with fewer servings per pouch. Want it lighter? Add more liquid. Neither is wrong. Morning, mid-afternoon or last thing at night, drink it whenever you fancy a proper cup of cocoa. Our usage guide has the method in full, and how to make mushroom hot chocolate goes further, with milk choices and four variations to try.
Buying mushroom hot chocolate in the UK
Some practical numbers, because you should know them before you buy anything.
- Price: a 300 g pouch of Shroom Riot is £19.99 and makes 30 servings at 10 g, so about £0.67 a cup. Subscribe and save is available.
- Delivery: UK one-off orders are £3.99, or free on orders of £30 or more. UK subscriptions ship free. Orders are dispatched within 1 to 2 working days and UK delivery takes 3 to 5 working days.
- Where it's made: in the UK.
- Allergens: contains milk (whey). It is not suitable for vegans or for anyone with a milk or dairy allergy, and it is made in a facility that handles other allergens. Cows' milk is one of the most common food allergens listed by the NHS, so if that is you, this one isn't.
- Storage: keep the pouch in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children, and reseal it after each use. It is a powder and it will take on moisture if left open.
And if your first pouch isn't for you, email us within 30 days of delivery and we'll refund it. No need to send back an opened first pouch.
FAQs
What is mushroom hot chocolate?
It is a cocoa drink powder with dried, finely ground mushrooms blended into it. You make it like any hot cocoa. Shroom Riot uses four fruiting-body mushrooms in equal parts, folded into cocoa with whey.
Does mushroom hot chocolate taste of mushrooms?
Ours tastes like cocoa: rich and chocolatey. The mushroom blend is milled so fine that at least 98% passes an 80-mesh screen, so it dissolves into the drink rather than sitting on top.
Is Shroom Riot suitable for vegans?
No. Shroom Riot contains whey, which is milk. It is not suitable for vegans or for anyone with a milk or dairy allergy.
How much does a cup cost?
A 300 g pouch costs £19.99 and makes 30 servings at 10 g, which works out at about £0.67 a cup. UK delivery is £3.99, or free on orders of £30 or more.
That's mushroom hot chocolate, minus the noise: real cocoa, four named mushrooms, a label you can read in one go. If that sounds like your kind of mug, try Shroom Riot Cocoa and riot against the ordinary.
