Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
Posted Nov 28, 2016, Updated Jun 23, 2024
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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
Full-fat coconut milk is definitely the best choice.
Here are some of my favorite paleo/vegan/dairy free chocolate options.
Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems. This is my favorite paleo chocolate. These gems are delicious and easy to toss into cookies (no bar chopping required).
Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate Bars. You can also buy dark chocolate bars and chop them up to toss into these paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Lily’s Dark Chocolate. They make chips and bars that are stevia sweetened, low carb, keto, etc.
Enjoy Life Foods Dark Chocolate Chips are a good option that are vegan, dairy-free but not fully paleo.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 15 oz coconut milk
- 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder*
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate (about ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine coconut milk, granulated sugar, sea salt and cocoa powder in a 3-quart saucepan.
- Warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking often until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
- Add chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cocoa sit (covered) for 5 minutes before serving to thicken.**
Video
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Best hot chocolate that I have ever had!
Hot chocolate is one of my favorite comfort foods. I have tried countless GF & DF recipes but they all left me disappointed UNTIL NOW! Dreams do come true and yes — they can be DF AND GF!! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
LOL Danielle I’m SO glad you enjoyed this recipe! You must have my taste in chocolate treats…bold, rich and dark! 😉