Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe (Hot Cocoa)
Posted Nov 01, 2020, Updated Jun 23, 2024
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The best homemade hot chocolate recipe. This hot cocoa is smooth, creamy and made with two forms of chocolate for a rich, deep chocolate flavor. It’s easy to make in 5 minutes with 5 ingredients.
Say hello to the most delicious hot chocolate recipe – seriously it’s the absolute best. This hot cocoa is rich, creamy and so intensely chocolatey it will make you say, “goodbye” to powdered mixes once and for all.
This recipe is easy to make in 5 minutes with only 5 ingredients (including two forms of chocolate) on the stovetop, so you can quickly whip up a batch to warm up after a day outside skiing or sledding, to enjoy with a side of cookies of course!
Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
This hot cocoa recipe is best when made as written. If you’re looking for an allergy-friendly hot chocolate recipe, try this Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate – which can be Paleo and vegan!
- Whole milk. Any milk, dairy or non-dairy, should work very well in this recipe. Just remember, the higher the percentage of fat in your milk, the creamier the final product will be. Use whole or 2% milk for the best results. Or you can make it with half whole milk and half heavy cream or half and half. For a dairy-free version I recommend full-fat coconut milk.
- Cocoa Powder. Use pure, unsweetened cocoa powder. For a dark chocolate cocoa, use dark cocoa powder.
- Granulated sugar. white sugar, organic cane sugar and coconut sugar are all good choices.
- Chocolate. I recommend using semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. You can use milk chocolate or white chocolate, just be aware that the end result will be sweeter. For a dairy-free/vegan version, use dairy-free chocolate! You can also use bakers chocolate (100% cocoa) and just increase the amount of sugar to suit your tastes.
- Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How to Make Hot Chocolate
So many people wonder, “How do you make hot chocolate from scratch?” Well, this hot cocoa recipe is so easy you’ll forget about store-bought mixes once and for all.
It only takes 5 minutes to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by measuring the milk, sugar and cocoa powder into a medium saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture just begins to bubble but does not boil.
When the mixture just begins to bubble, turn off the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Serve
This homemade hot cocoa recipe makes either 2-4 servings depending on the size of servings you’d prefer. Since this hot chocolate recipe is so rich, I usually pour it into 4 mugs and it’s plenty for us.
Add Toppings
This homemade hot cocoa recipe is perfect on its own. But if you’re looking to jazz it up with some fun toppings, here are some suggestions:
- Homemade Whipped Cream (obviously)
- Marshmallows (any variety, homemade marshmallows are delicious).
- Shaved chocolate
- Dusting of cocoa powder
- Holiday sprinkles
- Crushed candy canes
- Chopped peppermint bark
Store
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container (glass jar) for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe FAQs
Homemade Whipped Cream (obviously)
Marshmallows (any variety, homemade marshmallows are delicious).
Shaved chocolate
Dusting of cocoa powder
Holiday sprinkles
Crushed candy canes
Chopped peppermint bark
Yes, use dairy-free chocolate and coconut milk. Try this dairy-free hot chocolate recipe.
Milk! I always make hot chocolate with milk.
I have so many hot cocoa recipes on my site! Try these:
Making hot chocolate for a crowd? Try this crockpot hot chocolate!
This peanut butter hot chocolate recipe is like drinking a warm peanut butter cup – YUM!
As I mentioned before, this dairy-free hot cocoa is paleo and vegan! I also have a recipe for Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa Mix, which you can keep on hand in the pantry and just add water to serve.
For a fun twist, make this Peppermint Hot Chocolate in your blender!
This mocha latte is another fun, warm drink that’s healthy but sweet.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe (Hot Cocoa)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate (or semisweet, milk, etc.)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Homemade Whipped Cream for serving
Instructions
- Add milk, sugar and cocoa powder to a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture just begins to bubble but does not boil.
- Add chocolate and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Pour into 4 small mugs and serve with homemade whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- Whole milk. Any milk, dairy or non-dairy, should work very well in this recipe. Just remember, the higher the percentage of fat in your milk, the creamier the final product will be. Use whole or 2% milk for the best results. Or you can make it with half whole milk and half heavy cream or half and half. For a dairy-free version I recommend full-fat coconut milk.
- Cocoa Powder. Use pure, unsweetened cocoa powder. For a dark hot chocolate use dark cocoa powder.
- Granulated sugar. white sugar, organic cane sugar and coconut sugar are all good choices.
- Chocolate. I recommend using semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. You can use milk chocolate or white chocolate, just be aware that the end result will be sweeter. For a dairy-free/vegan version, use dairy-free chocolate! You can also use bakers chocolate (100% cocoa) and just increase the amount of sugar to suit your tastes.
- Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. You can also add other extracts like peppermint, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for the recipe. I made it with “no sugar added” chocolate chips, and stevia. So I got to enjoy a fresh homemade hot chocolate with my it all the sugar. Made me very happy.
DELICIOUS!!! SO thick. SO creamy. You really do just need a small serving, as the recipe provides.
Yes, as another commenter said, it IS very sweet. But that’s what we’re here for, right??
Pour in a little coffee afterward, and you’ve got a fantastic mocha!
Thank you for this indulgent recipe.
I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and found it to be way too sweet. I actually added probably a whole extra cup of milk just to help balance it and it was still too sweet. I will try again, but I’ll use baker’s chocolate and probably up the milk amount significantly. Over all this was a great recipe with some adjustments it will be added to my book!
This was absolutely amazing, thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much Lola!
This recipe was easy and delicious! The only thing I would change would be to use milk chocolate instead of semi sweet chocolate. The semi sweet made it more bitter!
This was delicious. My son said this is the best hot chocolate he has ever had. This is so much better then the instant ones. L
Thank you, Holly!
Great hot chocolate! Thanks for sharing.❤️
How do you just make it for one
You can cut the recipe ingredients in half!
It was good. I need new recipes for Christmas drinks.
I made it! I did tweak it a bit instead of two and a half cups of regular milk I used two cups of almond milk and a half cup of coconut cream. It was so delicious and I topped it with marshmallows. Great recipe!
This was DELICIOUS!
I tried this recipe and think it was delicious.