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All you need to make this rich, creamy, homemade oat milk hot chocolate is three ingredients and five minutes. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold day and it will fix any chocolate craving.
Top your dairy-free oat milk hot cocoa with coconut whipped cream, vegan marshmallows, and/or chocolate to make it extra special. Keep reading for all the details!
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There's no better way to warm up on a cold day than with a big mug of hot chocolate. There are many different types but oat milk hot chocolate may become your new favourite.
Why? Because when you make hot chocolate with oat milk, it turns out creamier since oat milk is naturally creamier than other plant-based milk. It's the perfect choice if you prefer creamy hot chocolate. It will also save you money since there's no longer a need to get it from Starbucks, you can now make your own at home!
It's also quick and easy to make and worthy of being served aboard the Polar Express! You can even make a big batch for a crowd and serve it as a special treat during the holiday season. See the recipe notes for more info.
Once you make this cream hot cocoa recipe, enjoy it with chocolate chip cookies, an oatmeal muffin, or a chocolate cupcake to make snack time even more delicious.
Ingredients You'll Need
There's no extensive list of ingredients like you would find in a store-bought mix! Just three simple ingredients are needed.
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Oat Milk - The best oat milk for hot chocolate is plain unsweetened, unflavoured oat milk since this type will allow you to control the sweetness and flavour. You can use one that is flavoured and sweetened if that's all you have, you'll just need to adjust the amount of sweetener and understand that the finished hot chocolate will have some added flavour. Plain homemade oat milk can also be used.
To make your hot chocolate even more creamy, you can use a barista blend oat milk which is thicker and creamier than regular oat milk because it contains less water.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - For the richest most chocolaty flavour that's similar to dark chocolate, use Dutch-process cocoa powder. If you don't have this type, make sure to use one without any added sugar. It's best to sift your cocoa powder before adding it to the milk to avoid any lumps. Don't use a hot cocoa mix, it needs to be made with cocoa powder that is unsweetened. (Read this article to find out which cocoa powder brands are vegan AND Fairtrade)
Sweetener - The recipe is made without sugar and uses maple syrup instead, however, if you don't have any, you can use brown sugar, coconut sugar, cane sugar, or regular sugar to taste. Sugar alternatives can also be used.
Chocolate Chips (Optional) - For hot chocolate that has an even more velvety and creamy texture, add chocolate chips to the mixture and stir until they are melted. Find more info in the recipe notes about this. (Read this article to find a list of vegan chocolate chip brands: Are Chocolate Chips Vegan? (These Brands Are!))
How to Make It
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
1. Start by adding the milk, and cocoa powder to a small saucepan.
2. Add the maple syrup and at this point, you can give it a taste. If it's sweet enough, you can move on to the next step. If you don't find it sweet enough, add more until you reach the level of sweetness you prefer.
3. Whisk the mixture together. At first, the cocoa powder will resist being mixed in, but keep going, it will eventually combine.
Heat the hot chocolate and whisk occasionally until you start to see steam coming off the top, you don't want it to boil, you just want to heat it until it's hot.
Carefully pour the steaming vegan oat milk hot chocolate into your mug(s) and you can serve it just as it is, or you can take it over the top with one or more garnishes, see some suggestions below!
MICROWAVE IT! Mix all the ingredients in a mug 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. You can also reheat it using this method.
Optional Toppings
You can enjoy it plain or add a few garnishes to make it extra special, here are some great options:
- coconut whipped cream (or any other type of vegan whipped cream (read this article to find brands that make dairy-free whipped cream: "Is Cool Whip Vegan? (No, But THESE Brands Are!)"))
- vegan marshmallows (I use and love Dandies brand regular-sized and mini marshmallows)
- shaved chocolate or mini vegan chocolate chips
- chocolate syrup / sauce
- maple caramel sauce
- crushed candy canes
Flavour Variations
If you want to change the flavour of your hot chocolate, try one of the following:
- Chocolate Peppermint - Add a drop or two of peppermint extract (a little goes a long way). Adjust as needed.
- Chocolate Orange - Add a drop or two of orange extract. Adjust as needed.
- Chocolate Spice - Add a dash of cinnamon and / or nutmeg. Adjust as needed.
- Spicy Hot Chocolate - Add a small pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick of spicy heat.
- Chocolate Vanilla - Add a little vanilla extract for extra flavour.
- If you would like a hint of coconut in your hot chocolate (and even more creaminess!), you can follow my creamy vegan hot chocolate recipe (it calls for a little canned coconut milk) and use oat milk as your vegan milk.
Tips for Success
- Use unsweetened, unflavoured oat 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 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. The amount provided in the recipe is not set in stone, use less or more depending on how you like it.
- Read through the recipe before getting started and read through this post from top to bottom for lots of tips to make this cozy drink perfectly, every single time.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results (but adding more or less sweetener is okay!).
If You Make This Recipe...
Let me know! Please leave me a comment and star rating below or you can post a picture on Instagram and tag me so I can see your homemade hot chocolate! (I’m @delightfuladventures on Instagram.)
If You Like This Recipe...
If you love enjoying a hot drink to warm up with, you may like these other recipes:
Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup (300ml) unsweetened oat milk
- 4 ½ teaspoons (8g) Dutch-process cocoa powder sifted
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup see note below
- dairy-free whipped cream, cocoa powder, vegan marshmallows, shaved chocolate, caramel sauce, or chocolate sauce for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Add oat milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup to a small pot and whisk until everything is combined. Taste for sweetness and adjust as necessary.
- Place pot over medium-high heat and heat for 2 ½ - 3 minutes until the hot chocolate is steaming. Whisk occasionally, don't allow it to boil.
- Pour into your mug(s) and serve plain or top with garnishes of your choice.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the helpful information above and below before making this recipe.
- This recipe makes 1 ¼ cups of hot chocolate but can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled if needed. If you need to make a larger amount, multiply the recipe by the number of servings required and it can either be made in a large pot on the stovetop or warmed slowly in a slow cooker / crockpot.
- For the best results, use unsweetened, unflavoured oat milk so you can control the flavour and sweetness. If you use sweetened oat milk, adjust the sweetener accordingly.
- Maple syrup is recommended, but any sugar can be used such as brown, coconut, or white. Feel free to adjust the amount of sweetener, the amount of sugar you add will depend on the level of sweetness you prefer.
- For an even creamier drink, add the chocolate chips after the cocoa powder has been whisked. Whisk continuously until the chocolate chips have melted so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. If the mixture starts to boil before the chocolate chips have melted, remove the pot from the heat and whisk until they are melted.
- Keep a close eye on it while it's heating, hot chocolate can scorch and boil over quickly, so only heat until it's steaming and remove it from the heat before it starts to boil.
- To make it in the microwave, mix all the ingredients in a mug 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. You can also reheat it using this same method.
- Nutrition info is for half of the recipe (¾ cup (180ml)) prepared as written using unsweetened, unflavoured oat milk, and without garnishes. The data below is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.
Heather Burke says
Sounds so delicious that I am going to make it for all of us tomorrow
Gwen Leron says
I'm happy you're going to give it a try, Heather! I hope all of you love it!