Rich, creamy peppermint hot chocolate that’s vegan (if you use dairy-free milk, of course!). No packets are needed for this cozy homemade festive drink that you can have ready in 5 minutes. Make just one mug or make a big batch in a crockpot to warm up with on a cold day or to celebrate the holidays. Top with candy canes, marshmallows, whipped cream, or whatever you like!
coconut whip, marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, or crushed candy canes to garnish(optional)
Instructions
Add dairy-free milk and coconut milk to a small pot.
Add the cocoa powder and whisk the mixture until there are no lumps and the cocoa powder has fully incorporated into the milk. Place the pot over medium-high heat.
Add the chocolate chips and continue to whisk until they have all melted.
Continue heating until the mixture is steaming, don't allow it to boil. When it's steaming, remove the pot from the heat.
Add the maple syrup and carefully taste it (be careful, it's hot!). If it's not sweet enough, add more until you reach the level of sweetness you prefer.
Add ⅛ teaspoon of the peppermint extract, whisk again and taste. If it needs more, add another ⅛ of a teaspoon.
Add toppings (optional).
Notes
Please read all of the information and FAQ info above, as well as the notes below before making this recipe.
This recipe makes 1 ¼ cups of mint hot chocolate but it 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 stove top or warmed slowly in a slow cooker / crockpot or pressure cooker. See the info above for more information on making a large amount.
For the best results, use unsweetened, unflavoured dairy-free milk to control the flavour and sweetness. If all you have is sweetened milk, you will need to adjust the sweetener you add accordingly.
If you don't have maple syrup, sugar can be used such as brown, coconut, cane, or white. Sugar alternatives can also be used.
Keep a close eye on the chocolate mixture 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.
Whisk continuously until the chocolate chips have melted so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
To make it in the microwave, add the milk and cocoa powder to a mug and whisk, and then 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. Proceed with step 5.
Nutrition info is for the full recipe prepared as written using unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk, lite canned coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and without any toppings and garnishes. The data below is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is determined on this website.