Instant Pot Crio Bru is a deep, dark, healthy chocolate drink that you can drink multiple times a day and feel amazing. Making a habit of drinking chocolate each and every day is now very highly advised! This recipe is for the most basic version of Pressure Cooker Crio Bru and an essential for your kitchen.
For 10% off your Crio Bru order, use the code TIDBITS10.
For those of you that like to sleep in, I’ve got a secret for you. Early, EARLY mornings are the best time of day.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the time of day full of funny kid comments, cuddles, laughing, etc., but do you even know what you’re sleeping through when you wait for the sun to come up?
Peace, total peace and quiet.
The home is quiet, the world is quiet, my phone is quiet.
It’s in those serene quiet moments, I can breathe freely. I can start a thought, and actually finish it.
It’s heaven, my secret piece of heaven, that I’ll sacrifice extra sleep for, any day.
You know what makes it even better? The smell of dark chocolate and a mug full of steaming hot Crio Bru.
Before we go any further, let me answer the question I suspect is on so many minds:
WHAT IS CRIO BRU?
Crio Bru is roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be brewed like coffee, but is absolutely nothing like coffee.
Crio Bru contains little to no caffeine so you will not experience jittery side effects and sleeplessness.
What it does contain is theobromine which works with your body to provide a gentle boost that won’t lead to a crash later in the day.
Crio Bru is also free of gluten, dairy, cholesterol, soy, sodium and sugar. On the Crio Bru website you can read about other benefits such as immune system support, weight loss, and much more!
But most importantly to me, Crio Bru is chocolate in its purest form and is absolutely delicious!
When I decided to take a course several years ago called Go Sugar Free, Crio Bru is what got me through. I drink it unsweetened with almond milk and my kids drink it with just a touch of maple syrup.
For years, I brewed it in a french press, which was kind of a pain and waiting fifteen minutes to drink it was torture.
On one of those quiet mornings, I got the idea to brew it in my pressure cooker, and you know what? I haven't touched my french press ever since.
I make a big batch, strain it, store it in glass jars in my fridge and my Crio Bru is now only two minutes away from being ready.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE, CHERISH, AND ADORE CRIO BRU IN THE INSTANT POT
- Dump everything in, push a button, and walk away. The Instant Pot's got your back.
- Even with using less Crio Bru grounds than recommended on the package, the depth of flavor and color is far richer than you can achieve from a french press.
- Did I mention it’s healthy? Yes, good for you dark chocolate in a warm, cozy, drinkable form.
WHAT DOES CRIO BRU TASTE LIKE?
If you take your first sip expecting cloyingly sweet hot chocolate you will be disappointed. This is not birthday cake people.
This is deep, dark, unsweetened chocolate in its most pure and natural form and it is bitter in the most heavenly way.
I appreciate that not everyone appreciates chocolate as dark as I do, which is why I enjoy mine simply with a splash of almond milk, and my kids (and everyone else I beg to try it) gets almond milk, a touch of cream (or a Frozen Whipped Cream Dollop) and maple syrup.
I’m not very familiar with the taste of coffee, but I imagine it is very similar in consistency and bitterness.
HOW TO MAKE CRIO BRU IN AN INSTANT POT
- Pour water, milk, and maple syrup (if using) into the pressure cooker pot
- Add Crio Bru grounds
- Whisk to combine
- Pressure cook 10 minutes (or 5 works if you’re in a hurry)
- Pour through a strainer to filter out the grounds
- Enjoy a cup and then pour the rest into mason jars
- Once cooled, top with a pourable lid and store it in the fridge to enjoy all week
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
WHAT CRIO BRU FLAVOR SHOULD I BUY?
There are several varieties of Crio Bru, and I’ve tried them all. Here are my suggestions:
- If you’ve never tried Crio Bru before, go with a light roast flavor like Ghana or Ecuador. The Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice flavors are also a light roast, but I prefer to buy Ghana and then flavor it how I want to.
- If you like spicy, you must try out Maya. It’s not overly spicy, but it leaves a wonderful, gentle burn in the back of your throat.
- If you’re a coffee drinker and used to a deep, dark, bitter roasted flavor, my all time favorites are Ghana French Roast and their newest flavor Mocha.
MORE CRIO BRU PRODUCTS YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE
Criosa Chocolate Covered Cacao Beans are straight up the best chocolate treat I’ve ever had in my life. That is no exaggeration whatsoever. They are the only treat I’ve ever hidden from my family, and after you taste one, you will completely understand why. CA-RAY-Z good!
Criosa Dark Chocolate Cacao Chips are just slightly larger than mini chocolate chips and actually taste like real, pure chocolate (compared to other store-bought brands I know). I have never tried it, but on the package it gives directions for adding the chips to a cup of Crio Bru to make it sweeter and more creamy.
TIPS TO BREWING THE BEST CUP OF CRIO BRU
- Five to ten minutes results in great flavor, with ten being the darkest and most rich taste (my favorite)
- You have a choice of milk. I’ve used skim milk over a hundred times without any issues of curdling, but cows milk does tend to foam more than others. I like unsweetened vanilla almond milk or lite coconut milk (full fat coconut milk will harden once refrigerated).
- To sweeten it, I highly suggest real maple syrup. My second choice is agave or regular ol' white sugar. Honey tastes very strange, although I believe a very light honey would work fine.
- As you can imagine, drinking poorly filtered Crio Bru with leftover grounds in it is not pleasant. You will need a very fine mesh strainer.
BEST PLACE TO BUY CRIO BRU
I get asked this often, and hands down, ordering straight from the Crio Bru website is the best way to go. You'll find the most variety and best prices there compared to anywhere else online or in-store.
Bonus: After talking to you about Crio Bru for 5 years now, Crio Bru has decided to give me a discount code for TIDBITS readers! I may or may not have squealed and jumped up and down when I told my husband this exciting news!
I am so honored to give you the code TIDBITS10 so you can all get 10% off your order and drink Crio Bru every day of your life with me.
It will be the tie that binds us all together . . . virtually anyways. Well, that and Instant Pot-ing everything.
Be sure and subscribe to their newsletter as well. They come out with new, limited flavors of Crio Bru all the time and you better believe I order each and every one of them.
Now it’s your turn!
I’ve talked about Crio Bru countless times on the blog. If you’ve been around here long you know my love for it runs deep.
If you’ve tried it, can you let me know your thoughts in the comments? Love it, hate it, live for it, die for it . . . I want to know what you think!
I’ve been drinking a cup every morning for nearly ten years. TEN YEARS!!! I am so excited for you to experience it too!
And as for early mornings, well, if I haven’t convinced you of its glory, that’s just fine. MORE QUIET FOR ME!!!
Just don’t be mad when I send you a text at 4 a.m. and ignore your text during my 10 a.m nap time. #HOWISURVIVE
MORE WAYS TO BREW AND ENJOY CRIO BRU
- Instant Pot Golden Crio Bru (my personal favorite)
- Instant Pot Coconut Orange Crio Bru
- Instant Pot Strawberry Crio Bru (my daughter’s creation)
- Instant Pot Peppermint Crio Bru
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice
- Crio Bru Smoothie (loaded with protein and hidden veggies!)
- Chilled over ice – so refreshing!
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CRIO BRU
- Instant Pot
- Crio Bru – use the code TIDBITS10 for 10% off your order
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Pourable Mason Jar Lids
- Real Maple Syrup (Amazon has a great price, especially with subscribe and save)
Instant Pot Basic Crio Bru Recipe
Instant Pot Crio Bru is a healthy, piping hot cup of chocolate heaven. So many possible flavor combos, but here's the basic recipe to start with.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup Crio Bru (any variety)
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (can substitute with any milk)
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Add Crio Bru, water, milk, and maple syrup (if using) to the pressure cooker pot. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour Crio Bru through the sieve to filter out the grounds. Be careful! The Crio Bru will be VERY hot.
- Serve immediately with a Frozen Whipped Cream Dollop or pour into 2 quart size Mason jars, top with a pourable lid, and store in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy cold or pour into a microwave safe mug and warm for 1-2 minutes.
Notes
- Cow's milk will foam more than almond and coconut milk. If using cow's milk, I suggest adding it after the Crio Bru has been cooked and strained.
- To sweeten, I suggest pure maple syurp. Agave and white sugar are good alternatives.
- For a less intense flavor, pressure cook for five minutes.
- Strain through a FINE MESH strainer to collect all of the grounds.
- Nutrition facts do not include maple syrup
Keywords: hot chocolate, crio bru, hot drink, coffee
From reading the comments, my guess is many of the commenters did not do their reading. I just received a bag and will try it soon. I am not expecting it to be like coffee (I don’t drink coffee), I am not expecting it to be like typical hot chocolate, and I am not expecting it to be rich and thick. I am expecting to drink a few glasses before making a decision whether or not to buy another bag.
Brace, let me know what you think!
I just got 2 bags of Crio Bru; 1 french roast and 1 caramel (thanks for the discount). I make my own vanilla and copy cat Monin Vanilla Syrup. I made the caramel and vanilla. WAY YUM!
Love your blog and emails. Thanks so much
Judy
★★★★★
Judy, Oh wow, that sounds amazing. I’d have given anything for a seat at your table today 🙂
Hi! Just got my bags of Crio tonight! QQ before I make using the IP in the morning: if I’m making a large batch, does the cold Crio refrigerated for later still taste great if heated up? I’m partial to warm beverages.
Madiha, Yes! That is how I do it. I make up 8 cups of it and store it in mason jars in the fridge. When I want some, I just warm it up in a mug for a minute or 2. It tastes amazing 🙂
Hello – thanks so much for sharing this. I have been using my french press and I love the outcome. I will try with insta pot shortly. Have you tried it without milk or other milk substitute? I am wondering what it would be like black and add milk later if needed. Thanks!
Dawn, you will be blown away at how much better it is with the IP! It’s amazing! I’ve used almond milk, coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, and cows milk. I like them all. You can definitely brew it with just water and add creamer/milk after. Enjoy!
In this recipe, you say in the instructions to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Then in the notes you say “For a darker flavor, pressure cook for ten minutes.” Is that an additional 10 minutes? I cooked for 10 minutes and it was pretty intense. I looked at your other recipes for crio bru in the instant pot and most of them say cook for 5 minutes. Is this supposed to start at 5 minute cook time as well? I’m super grateful for this recipe by the way! Thank you!
Rachelle, Sorry about that! I adjusted it recently because I like the 10-minute flavor better, but I didn’t realize I missed a few details! I used to do it for 5 minutes, now I do it for 10 minutes to make it stronger. Thanks for the catch!
Never heard of this til read here. DELICIOUS. I added sugar… shouldn’t have. After I drink this batch I will try it without. Used my goat milk for the milk. Thanks for the 10% off!
★★★★★
Karen, I’m so glad I helped you discover it! It really is one of my favorite things everyday!
After experimentation I’ve finally settled on 2 Tbsp of sugar to the pot 😊. 1/2c was too much as was 1/4c, and I didn’t care for it with zero. Thanks a lot Marci for giving me another addiction 😂
Karen, that’s the level of sweetener I’m trying to get my kids accustomed too 🙂
I like giving people addictions to things that will make them happy AND healthy!
Ok, I bought some and made a cup with my French press. 😕 Meh! What’s all the hoopla about? This morning I made a half batch, 10 min., in my 3 qt. and that was the game changer. It’s going to be nice having this chilling in my fridge this summer.
★★★★★
Lin, RIGHT!? It’s soooooo much better in the pressure cooker. I threw my french press away after it cracked and never went back.
This is quite tasty…it tasted like mocha coffee to me with just a subtle sweetness. I used half and half for the milk because that’s all I had on hand. I can see how the Vanilla almond milk would taste good, too. I cut the recipe in half and put in my 3 qt Instant Pot Duo. Before it ever came to pressure, it started making a loud hissing, boiling sound, I guess because the liquids were boiling. I turned it off before it came to pressure because I’d never heard that sound before. Maybe it was bubbling so much due to the half and half. I Just let it sit there and do an NPR – probably took about 10 mts. When I opened the lid, the liquids were very hot even though it did not pressure cook for the 10 mts. I used a fine mesh strainer but still had to end up using a piece of cheesecloth placed over the strainer to get it completely strained. I can also see how the chilled Crio Bru would be good in a smoothie thickened with a banana. This won’t replace my morning coffee but it will be a good addition to my afternoon when I want something hot but no more coffee. Thank you for sharing this delicious drink with us!
★★★★★
Glinda, I agree, it has a similar taste to a roasted coffee. I’ve never tried making it in a 3 quart, but I would think a half recipe would work great. I’m not really sure what happened there! I’m glad it still worked and you got to experience my favorite drink ever 🙂
Marci, I ordered the Sample Starter for Christmas and tried it today with my McGyver’d DIY French Press. Next I want to try it in my IP. Would your recipe work minus the addition of milk or almond milk. Hoping to be a Crio Bru purist
★★★★★
Kathy, yay! I hope it becomes a wonderful part of your life as well. You can for sure make it without the milk. I’ll drink it that way too, but I feel like the addition of almond milk cuts the bitterness nicely without me wanting to add sweetener.
OMG! I can’t believe I never knew CrioBru existed! Thank you for exploding my world with this delicious drink. I drink my coffee in the wee hours too and have been searching for a Warm midday beverage without caffeine. This. Has. Everything! I ordered my first bag using your code (thanks) and have made 2 Instant Pot brews so far. I even had left over whipping cream from thanksgiving pie and froze it as a topping. I can see this drink in my future forever.
★★★★★
Steph, I get giddy just reading that. I love it so much too!
dark chocolate & orange zest are a fantastic combination!
Oooooo, that’s going to be next.
Sounds yummy. You inspired me to make chocolate milk in my instant pot! I’m trying to do no sugar. I love, love, love cacao powder. You can now get it is a big bag at Costco. It isn’t raw but that’s okay, it still has way more health benefits that more processed cocoa powder. It is hard to blend into your “milk” though. I usually add it to a little hot water to make a liquid then add my “milk” and ice. I decided to do a big batch in the instant pot today after seeing your post. I just used unsweetened almond milk, cacao powder, pinch sea salt and a little vanilla. I didn’t really measure anything. It’s my favorite drink.
Wendy, Oh I would love that. You don’t add any sweetener at all?
I love chocolate and cherry!
Lisa, Me too! That is the makings of my favorite smoothie actually.
Blend it with banana and freeze it in popsicle trays. Great healthy snack.
Jeanne, now that is a fantastic idea!
Do you stir it all once you put it in the pot ? Or just dump and go?
Michelle, it wouldn’t hurt to stir, but typically I just dump it and start it.
The first time I just dumped, but a lot of the grounds ended up the sides of the pot. So since then I’ve been thoroughly whisking them in before starting.
Just made my first batch and I loved it!! My friend Lyn told me how good it was and I had to try. I sweetened with 1/4c maple syrup but I think I can cut that back even more. I’m so excited…it’s delicious!! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Page, I love Lyn! I’m glad you got to try the Crio Bru, it makes my mornings better always:). Are you the Page that suffers from migraines?
She loves you too! Yes, I am the one. They are better in general but the pollen the last week or so is giving me fits.
Also, I made a smoothie yesterday and used Crio Bru instead of water and it was great! Helped cover up the kale and moringa! I had a friend over last night and had her try my Crio Bru and she loved it and asked for more!
I thought your name was familiar! I’ve told you before, but I haven’t had a single migraine since going sugar free. If you ever do Go Sugar Free with Lyn, let me know if it helps yours. I’ve tried to get some of my patients to take the challenge so I could observe their response, but there are not many people interested in giving up all sugar cold turkey, go figure 😉
Yes! I love using it to make smoothies. I love bananas and almond butter, I’ve never been able to handle kale in smoothies so I use spinach. I’m glad your friend loved it too, a lot of times people are expecting hot chocolate and don’t really love it at first taste.
I had it as is and it was so good! Now I can’t wait to try it with my favorite chocolate combination, raspberry!
Michelle, I’ve tried to figure out that combo but it always tastes a bit off. I won’t give up though!
Did I do something wrong? Or were my expectations just thinking it would be like hot chocolate? It tasted very watery to me. I was expecting a rich, chocolaty taste and it really just seemed…watery. I used a total of 8 cups of liquid (6 cups water, 2 cups almond milk). As well as half a cup of the Ghana Crio Bru.
Lisa, it’s definitely not like classic hot chocolate that is really sweet and thick. You could make it that way by adding more sweetener and cream, but for me this is a drink that is healthy enough that I can drink it all day. I wouldn’t consider it a treat, just a very comforting, good for you, hot drink to sip on when I’m cold. Give it a few more tries and I believe you’ll fall in love with it too!
I’m always drawn to chocolate with orange or raspberry.
So I am sold on trying this. Going sugar free has been amazing but I do miss chocolate something fierce. Hoping this will replace my unhealthy mounds. Thinking of trying it with coconut milk.
Jen, I drink it without any sweetener. I wouldn’t say everyone would love it like that, but I adore it this way! Coconut milk and almond milk are my favorite milk to brew it with. My kids love it with a bit of maple syrup.