Healthy chocolate milk powder: Nesquik, Ovaltine and magic milk compared by the label

By Heather Young, co-founder of magic milk

The short answer

A healthier chocolate milk powder has little added sugar per scoop, an ingredient list that does not start with sugar, and ideally something in it beyond flavor. By their own labels, Nesquik Chocolate Powder and Ovaltine Rich Chocolate are both mostly sugar: 10 grams and 9 grams per serving, all of it added, with sugar as the first ingredient. Unsweetened cocoa has almost none but is not sweet. magic milk sits in between on sugar, at 3 grams per scoop, and is the only one of the four with grass-fed colostrum and collagen in it. We make magic milk, so read the comparison knowing that, and check every number against the source we link.

Chocolate milk powders, side by side

Per serving of powder, as each label lists it. Nesquik, Ovaltine and cocoa figures are from the USDA FoodData Central database (food IDs in brackets), which carries the label data the brands submit. magic milk figures are from our label.

Powder, per serving	Serving	Calories	Sugar (added)	Protein	Sugar listed first?
Nesquik Chocolate Powder [USDA 2672259]	2 tbsp (13 g)	50	10 g (10 g)	0 g	Yes
Ovaltine Rich Chocolate [USDA 2484776]	2 tbsp (11 g)	40	9 g (9 g)	0 g	Yes
Unsweetened cocoa powder [USDA 169593]	1 tbsp (5.4 g)	about 12	about 0.1 g (0 g)	about 1 g	No
magic milk	1 scoop (11.5 g)	45	3 g (organic cane sugar)	4 g	No

Mixed into an 8-ounce glass of 1% milk, which brings about 12 grams of its own natural lactose and about 105 calories (USDA 746772), that works out to roughly 22 grams of sugar for Nesquik, 21 for Ovaltine, 15 for magic milk and 12 for plain cocoa.

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What to look for in a chocolate milk powder

1. Added sugar per scoop

Chocolate milk powders were mostly built for kids, and sweetness is the point of them. Read the added sugars line. Total sugar in a finished glass will always include the milk's lactose, but the added number is the recipe.

2. What comes first on the ingredient list

Ingredients are listed from most to least. When sugar is first, there is more sugar in the powder than anything else, cocoa included. That is true of both Nesquik and Ovaltine, by their own labels.

3. Whether it does anything besides taste good

Some powders add vitamins and minerals. Ovaltine Rich Chocolate does. Others carry protein, colostrum or collagen. A powder that is part of your routine is easier to justify than one that is only a treat.

4. Whether you will actually drink it

Plain cocoa wins on sugar and loses on taste for most people, because unsweetened cocoa is bitter and clumps in cold milk. The healthiest powder is the one that is low in added sugar and that you still look forward to.

Where magic milk fits

This is what we make, so weigh it accordingly. magic milk is grass-fed New Zealand colostrum and collagen made to taste like chocolate milk, with organic cacao, organic coconut milk, a little organic cane sugar, sea salt and a touch of stevia leaf. Seven ingredients. One scoop is 45 calories, 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of sugar, before the milk you mix it into.

It is not the cheapest glass. A jar is $39.95 for 20 servings, about $2.00 a serving, and Nesquik and Ovaltine cost far less. You are paying for the colostrum and collagen in the scoop, not for the chocolate.

Mix it cold, at room temperature or warm. Colostrum is heat sensitive, so keep it warm like a cup of hot chocolate and never hot: high heat breaks down the good stuff, and then it's just very good chocolate milk. A frother gives the smoothest glass.

FAQ

What is the healthiest chocolate milk powder? The one with the least added sugar that you will still drink. By label, unsweetened cocoa has the least sugar but needs sweetening. Among sweetened powders, compare the added sugars line: Nesquik Chocolate Powder lists 10 grams per serving, Ovaltine Rich Chocolate 9 grams, magic milk 3 grams.

How much sugar is in Nesquik chocolate powder? 10 grams per 2-tablespoon serving, all of it added, according to the label data in USDA FoodData Central (food ID 2672259). Sugar is the first ingredient.

How much sugar is in Ovaltine Rich Chocolate? 9 grams per 2-tablespoon serving, all added, according to USDA FoodData Central (food ID 2484776). Sugar is the first ingredient.

Is there a chocolate milk powder with protein? Nesquik Chocolate Powder and Ovaltine Rich Chocolate list 0 grams of protein per serving. magic milk has 4 grams per scoop, and chocolate protein powders carry much more if protein is your main goal.

What is a low sugar alternative to Nesquik? Unsweetened cocoa with a sweetener you choose, or a lower-sugar powder. magic milk has 3 grams of organic cane sugar per scoop, and mixing it into an unsweetened milk alternative keeps the whole glass low.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If you want the chocolate milk you grew up on with less sugar and something more in the scoop, magic milk is 3 grams of sugar a serving with grass-fed colostrum and collagen. For the whole glass, see low sugar chocolate milk alternatives, and for the bigger picture, healthy chocolate milk for adults.