This homemade hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and velvety. It’s the perfect cozy drink for cold days, offering a smooth, chocolatey flavor that’s far better than any store-bought mix.
Pair this rich hot cocoa with some hot chocolate cookies for the perfect winter treat!
HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE
Skip the store-bought hot cocoa mix and make this simple homemade hot chocolate recipe instead! The warm hot chocolate is thick, rich and packed with chocolatey flavors. Top it with whipped cream or marshmallows for the most comforting drink! This warm drink recipe is perfect during the holiday season.
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Cocoa Powder– You want to use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder, my go-to is Hershey’s cocoa powder.
- Sugar– This recipe uses granulated sugar to sweeten the chocolate hot cocoa! You can use any other sweetener if you prefer, you can also adjust the sweetness level to desired taste.
- Salt– Adding salt enhances the flavor in this warm drink.
- Cream– When adding half and half creamer, this gives you a thick and creamy cocoa. For an even thicker cocoa, you can even use heavy whipping cream.
- Milk– Whole milk is the key ingredient to get you the best hot chocolate! Although for the best results you want to use cow milk, you can also substitute it for any plant-based milk.
- Vanilla– Adding vanilla extract to hot chocolate enhances its flavor by providing a warm, subtle sweetness and depth!
- Chocolate– I love to add chocolate chips or chunks to the mixture to give extra rich chocolate flavors. You can use either white, milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. Regular morsels, mini morsels, or chopped chocolate will work.
HOW TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE
This creamy hot cocoa can be made in under 10 minutes, an effortless drink idea!
- Add all the ingredients for the hot chocolate into a saucepan, whisk to combine.
- Heat the mixture on medium heat, stirring frequently, until all the chocolate melts and the milk comes to a slight boil.
- Remove from heat and with a ladle, pour the hot cocoa into serving cups.
- Top with desired toppings and serve warm.
CROCKPOT HOT CHOCOLATE
You can totally make this a crockpot hot chocolate! This is perfect when having a party, you can keep it warm for longer.
- Add all the hot chocolate ingredients to your crockpot bowl. With a whisk, stir vigorously to combine the ingredients, making sure cocoa powder is no longer floating on top, unmixed.
- Close the lid and cook on low for 2-3 hours or on high for 1 hour or until the chocolate melts and milk is hot. Be sure to whisk occasionally to avoid the chocolate from sticking to the bottom before it melts.
- Serve warm with desired toppings.
| Party Tip– If you are having a large party, keep the hot cocoa on the warm mode if your crockpot has it. That way you can enjoy a warm drink throughout the entire party! |
COCOA VARIATIONS
There are so many ways that you elevate your hot chocolate! Here are some ideas:
- Boozy Hot Chocolate– For a spiked drink, add your favorite liquor to the entire batch or your cup! Baileys Irish cream, peppermint schnapps, dark rum, Kahula, or even Irish whiskey can be used.
- Spiced Cocoa– Make it more of a Mexican hot chocolate and add a cinnamon stick to the mix for a spiced cocoa.
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate– Add peppermint extract or crushed candy for a minty peppermint hot chocolate, perfect for Christmas!
- Coffee Cocoa– Add instant coffee powder to the mix! This totally enhances the chocolate flavor and gives a slight coffee flavor. So GOOD!
TOPPING IDEAS
Although this hot chocolate is perfect just as is, it is even better with the right toppings!
- Marshmallows– Regular, mini, or jumbo marshmallows can be used! You can even use dried mini marshmallows. This is a classic hot chocolate topping you don’t want to skip out on!
- Whipped Cream– Using whipped cream or a dollop of cool whip is another classic topping.
- Chocolate– Chocolate morsels, chocolate shavings or chocolate syrup is another great topping idea. Either dark, milk, semi-sweet, or white chocolate is great.
- Caramel– You can never go wrong with caramel drizzle!
- Peppermint– Crushed peppermint or candy canes makes for a great topping. It also adds a fresh minty flavor.
- Cinnamon– Dust the top of your drink with ground cinnamon.
- Sprinkles– Make it fun and top the hot cocoa with sprinkles! For the holidays, top with Christmas sprinkles.
- White Chocolate– Top with white chocolate syrup, shavings or morsels.
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder and hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate! This recipe has both, so it is a mix of both!
No, I do not recommend using water for this hot chocolate recipe.
You can use either whole milk or any dairy-free milk, such as almond milk, coconut milk or your other preferred drink.
If you prefer to just use whole milk, leave the creamer out and add more milk instead.
No worries! Just add more chocolate chips or chunks for a rich hot cocoa.
Yes, you can totally substitute the chocolate chips for Nutella.
Once the hot chocolate is cooled, store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat the drink in the microwave or on the stove top.
OTHER DRINK RECIPES
Check out all my other delicious drink recipes:
Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cups half and half creamer
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips or morsels milk, semi-sweet, or dark
- pinch salt
Instructions
Stovetop Hot Chocolate-
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add all the ingredients for the hot chocolate: cocoa powder, sugar, milk, creamer, vanilla, chocolate chips, and salt.
- Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients until cocoa powder is mixed and not floating on top of the milk.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture frequently to prevent the milk from scorching or the chocolate from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue heating until all the chocolate has fully melted, and the milk begins to gently simmer or comes to a slight boil around the edges (do not let it come to a rolling boil).
- Once the mixture is heated through and smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Using a ladle, carefully pour the hot chocolate into individual serving cups or mugs.
- Top your hot cocoa with your favorite toppings, such as whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Crockpot Hot Chocolate-
- Add all your hot chocolate ingredients to the bowl of a slow cooker: cocoa powder, sugar, milk, creamer, vanilla, chocolate chips, and salt.
- Use a whisk to vigorously stir everything together, ensuring that the cocoa powder is completely dissolved and no longer floating on top.
- Cover the crockpot with its lid and set the heat to low for 2-3 hours, or set it to high and cook for 1 hour. Stir the hot chocolate occasionally, especially as it begins to heat up, to ensure the chocolate doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep an eye on the mixture—once the chocolate has fully melted and the milk is hot, it’s ready to serve.
- Once the hot chocolate is smooth and steaming, give it a final stir. Ladle the hot cocoa into mugs or cups.
- Add your favorite toppings, like whipped cream, marshmallows, crushed candy canes, or a drizzle of caramel.
- Serve while warm.
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