This ultra thick & creamy dairy-free hot chocolate recipe is for serious chocolate lovers. It’s made from scratch in 15 minutes with 6 ingredients! Truly is the best Paleo and vegan hot chocolate you will ever drink!

The temperatures are dropping, snow is falling, and Thanksgiving has come and gone, which can only mean one thing, hot chocolate season has arrived!

This dairy-free hot chocolate recipe is amazing. It’s rich and creamy and perfect for those of you who love hot cocoa but need to make it dairy-free, or vegan or Paleo!

Because nothing beats coming inside after playing in the snow, curling up with a blanket and a warm cup of cocoa (like this peanut butter hot chocolate) and watching a Christmas movie! And just because you can’t eat dairy doesn’t mean you should have to miss out.

Make a batch of these homemade marshmallows and you will be in serious hot-chocolate heaven!

Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate: Substitutions

As written, this dairy free hot chocolate recipe results in an extra-dark hot cocoa. There are a few substitutions you can make to adjust the sweetness and chocolate intensity to cater to your family’s tastes.

• Full-fat coconut milk. You can use coconut cream to make it extra thick. I do not recommend using almond milk because it is much less creamy than coconut milk. However, I have had great success with Silk’s almond/coconut blend!
• Chopped Chocolate. Any form of chocolate works well (chips, discs or a chopped bar). You can choose the darkness of the chocolate, I use 70% dark chocolate, but have also use 60%, semisweet, and even milk chocolate. If you use unsweetened chocolate, add 1-2 Tablespoons more sugar (or to taste).
• Granulated sugar. The amount and type of sugar used in this recipe can be adjusted to your liking. For a paleo version use coconut sugar, or honey or maple syrup.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder.  The only adjustment to make here is the amount. I use a full 1 TBS of cocoa powder to make a super dark, rich dairy-free hot cocoa. You can adjust the amount to your tastes.

How to make Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

Let’s walk through how to make dairy-free hot chocolate together!

Begin by combining the coconut milk, granulated sugar, sea salt and cocoa powder in a 3-quart saucepan.

Then, warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking often until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Once the mixture is smooth, add the chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate is melted. This takes about 5 minutes.

next, remove the pot from the heat and let the dairy free hot cocoa sit (covered) for 5 minutes before serving to thicken.

Note. The longer this recipe sits, the thicker it becomes. I have forgotten about it and it’s transformed into more of a super thick drinking chocolate than hot cocoa. If this happens, simply reheat it and add a splash of non-dairy milk.

Serve

 Pour into 4 mugs and serve warm with marshmallows. This recipe makes enough dairy-free hot chocolate for up to four people because it’s very rich.

Store

Leftovers should be stored in a glass jar with a lid for up to 5 days. I actually love putting leftover dairy free hot chocolate in my coffee in the morning!

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate Recipe FAQs

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Try these recipes

Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate Mix

Homemade Marshmallows

Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe (Hot Cocoa)

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate