Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate

We should all have a small collection of warm, cozy drinks to get us through the cold winter months. If you've been looking for the perfect easy vegan hot chocolate, it's here!

This rich and creamy homemade hot drink is just what you need after being out in the cold or when you just want a nostalgic drink to enjoy with your favourite snack. You can even make it your special vegan Christmas hot chocolate, it's that good!

It's a quick and easy recipe to make and you don't need a lot of ingredients or time. Just five ingredients and five minutes. Plus, it has two different types of chocolate, so chocolate lovers, you're going to love this!

Sure, you can buy one of the pre-made hot chocolate mixes, add it to your dairy-free milk or hot water, and call it a day, but taking a few extra minutes to make it from scratch is so worth it.

Before you head down to read all the details, if you're looking for something to enjoy alongside your delicious non-dairy hot chocolate, try one of these:

• Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Gluten-Free Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Chocolate Donuts

Ingredient and Substitution Notes

Dairy-Free Milk - Any type of plant-based milk will work in this recipe. I usually use almond milk or oat milk, but use what you like: soy milk, rice milk, etc. Whichever one you use, make sure it's unsweetened and unflavoured, this will give you full control over how sweet your hot chocolate is and that it has the intended rich, chocolaty flavour.

To make your hot chocolate even creamier, you can use a barista blend of milk which is thicker and creamier than regular plant milk because it contains less water.

Coconut Milk - In addition to the regular dairy-free milk, canned coconut milk is also a part of this recipe to add creaminess and richness. It also helps to make this a thick vegan hot chocolate rather than a runny one. I use "lite" canned coconut milk but you can also use full-fat coconut milk.

If you don't have or can't have coconut milk, replace it with more dairy-free milk.

Cocoa Powder - Dutch-process cocoa powder will give you the richest most chocolaty flavour. Don't use a hot cocoa mix, it needs to be made with unsweetened cocoa powder, the type you would bake with. Cacao powder can be used in this recipe but the flavour will be different than classic hot chocolate. (Read this article to find out which cocoa powder brands are vegan AND Fairtrade)

Sweetener - The recipe calls for maple syrup, however, if you don't have any, you can use brown sugar, coconut sugar, regular sugar or any other natural sweetener to taste (make sure the sugar is vegan, organic cane sugar is always vegan). Sugar alternatives can also be used, adjust the amount as needed.

The recipe gives a range for the amount of syrup to add. Start with the smallest amount and adjust based on how sweet you like it.

Chocolate Chips - Chocolate is used to contribute to the richness of the hot chocolate, it also helps, just like the coconut milk, to make it a little thicker and more decadent. If you don't have chocolate chips, you can chop up a vegan regular or dark chocolate bar OR if you want to make vegan hot cocoa, you can leave the chocolate out.

Make sure the chocolate chips you use are vegan. Not sure which brands are vegan? Find a large list of brands to look for in this article: Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?

Make It In the Microwave! Add the milk and cocoa powder to a mug and whisk. Next, add the chocolate chips and microwave in 25-30 second intervals, whisking in between each interval, until it's steaming. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't boil. Add the sweetener, adjust as necessary and add any toppings you'd like.

TIP: Dandies, Yummallo, Sweets from the Earth, Ananda's, and Trader Joe's gelatin-free marshmallows are all vegan and for even more brands, read my article: "Are Marshmallows Vegan?"

Need great options for what to enjoy along with your decadent vegan hot chocolate? How about some of these vegan cookie recipes?

How to Make Large Amounts of Hot Chocolate

If you would like to make this hot chocolate recipe for a crowd or make a hot chocolate bar, it's easy! Simply scale the recipe up based on how many servings you'd like to make.

This recipe makes one serving, so multiply accordingly. You can make it in a large pot on the stovetop or one of these ways:

Slow Cooker

Add both types of milk and the cocoa powder to your slow cooker and whisk well. Next, add the chocolate chips and set the slow cooker to low.

Cook until the hot chocolate is hot, the chocolate has melted, and all the ingredients have combined well, this will take 2-3 hours. During the cooking time, whisk every 30 minutes. This is to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bottom of the crockpot.

After the cooking time has passed, add the sweetener, taste, and adjust as necessary. Turn the slow cooker down to warm and let it sit until you are ready to serve. Stir before serving and ladle the hot chocolate into mugs and garnish as you like.

Instant Pot

Set your pressure cooker to sauté, then add both types of milk and the cocoa powder and whisk well. Next, add the chocolate chips and continue to whisk until they have melted, the mixture is smooth, and the hot chocolate is steaming, this will take 2-3 minutes.

Once it is steaming, press cancel and set the Instant Pot to warm mode. Add the sweetener, taste, and adjust as necessary. While it's resting, give it a whisk now and then so the ingredients don't settle at the bottom.

When you are ready to serve, stir the hot chocolate, and then ladle it into mugs and garnish as you like.

NOTE: Don't use the pressure cook function to heat your hot chocolate, it does not need to be heated that high.

Tips for Success

• Use unsweetened, unflavoured milk. This will allow you to control both the sweetness and flavour.
• Sift the cocoa powder before adding it to the milk. This will prevent any stubborn lumps when whisking the mixture together.
• Heat the mixture only until it's steaming. Hot chocolate made with milk can scorch and boil over quickly, so remove it from the heat before it starts to boil.
• Adjust the amount of sweetener you add to suit your taste. A range is given in the recipe, use less or more depending on how you like it. If you will be adding a sweet topping like whipped cream or marshmallows, you may need less sweetener.
• Read through the recipe before getting started and read through this post from top to bottom for lots of tips to make the recipe perfect every single time.
• Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.