Creamy Homemade Hot Chocolate {in 15 minutes or Less}
Homemade hot chocolate has never been easier! This rich and creamy hot chocolate is easily made on the stovetop and can be kept warm for hours (also, it is DELICIOUS made with almond milk in place of dairy milk)!
In a decade of blogging (can you believe my blog turns ten this month??) and almost four decades of living (yeah, I’m avoiding February), one thing has stayed the same.
And that’s my love for hot chocolate.
I love it. Fiercely.
And that’s probably no surprise, because I’ve told you that many times over the last ten years.
I’ve even posted a hot chocolate recipe or four:
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix (SO good)
Coconut Tres Leches Hot Chocolate (amazing)
Hot Chocolate Truffles (decadent)
White Peppermint Hot Chocolate
But what’s been missing is a really good, really classic, really delicious homemade hot chocolate recipe that isn’t fussy, isn’t weird, isn’t disgusting.
But that IS creamy, rich, ultra-chocolatey and perfect.
This is it.
Give yourself 10 minutes, and you’ll have a steaming mug of hot chocolate staring you in the face.
What I love about this recipe is that it is very customizable to your tastes.
Want it darker and even more decadent? Change up the brand or type of cocoa powder.
OR stir in a handful of chocolate chips at the end. No surprise that I tried that so fast.
Dairy-free? Sub the milk with almond milk or another non-dairy milk.
Want it minty? Add a smidgeon of mint extract to the finished cocoa.
Another bonus is that once you’ve whipped up the homemade hot chocolate, you can transfer the delicious nectar to a slow cooker to stay warm for hours.
Hot chocolate at your beck and call. Oh, yeah.
Perfect for all-day sledding bonanzas. Or family parties. Maybe Christmas tree trimming?
Or perhaps just because a Tuesday afternoon needs hot chocolate. That’s as good of an excuse as any.
I’m a self-professed hot chocolate snob, and I love this hot chocolate. I hope you do, too!
One Year Ago: Glazed Cranberry Lemon Cake
Two Years Ago: Holiday Pomegranate Guacamole
Three Years Ago: Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes
Four Years Ago: Fresh Cranberry Chutney {My Fave Cranberry Sauce}
Five Years Ago: Black and White Holiday Bark
Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (57 g) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 ⅓ cups (283 g) granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup water
- 6 cups milk, dairy milk or non-dairy milk, like almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Half and half or additional milk, if desired
Instructions
- In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, salt and water. Stirring constantly, bring this mixture to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, moderating heat, if needed, so it doesn’t burn.
- Stir in the milk and vanilla and heat until very warm without boiling or simmering. Serve immediately with additional half and half or milk to cool down the hot chocolate and add extra creaminess OR transfer the hot chocolate to a slow cooker and keep warm (warm or low setting) for several hours.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this popular recipe (reduced the sugar, altered the mixing method, reduced milk)
This weekend my son worked on his Eagle Scout project in our garage. On Saturday I baked Mel’s chocolate chip muffins and applesauce oatmeal muffins. We had a COSTCO pack of Swiss Miss hot cocoa that I used to make a big batch to serve in an airpot. I used 18 packets and didn’t have enough for the following day.
On Sunday morning, as Mel’s pumpkin chocolate chip muffins were baking I whipped up a batch of this hot chocolate and EVERYONE raved about it (boys and dads)!!
This hot was amazing. So rich with the Dutch processed cocoa even though I used skim milk.
Now that I am all out of Swiss Miss, I am going to make up a batch of the hot cocoa powder and we are never having store-bought hot cocoa ever again!
It is a no brainer that everything I make from Mel is a winner. Just last week we had Mississippi pot roast, and my son already asked me to “save the recipe for the pumpkin muffins”.
Thank you for helping me feed a bunch of hungry, hardworking teenage boys this weekend. They worked hard with full bellies and my son’s project is done!
You’re amazing, Rebecca!! So happy you loved this hot chocolate – and wow, you have been baking up a storm! Good job to your son for doing his Eagle Scout project. Two of my boys did that and it is not easy!
Hi Mel! This is so amazing you have a recipe for hot cocoa! I was wondering if it’s possible to just make this is as powder in bulk then add milk as I want to use it?
Perfect drink to warm a body up. So easy and delicious! Thank you ❤
Where has this hot chocolate been my whole life!? Powder has been forever ruined for me.