This homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate recipe is made with 6 ingredients in 6 minutes! It has two kinds of chocolate so it’s ultra-rich and creamy and it’s flavored with candy canes instead of expensive extracts. Watch the video to learn how to make homemade candy cane hot chocolate!

Today we’re going to be making a festive treat that will keep you warm this holiday season – homemade candy cane hot chocolate (also try this homemade hot chocolate and crockpot hot chocolate).

Kiss powdered mixes and packets goodbye, with this ultra-rich and creamy candy cane hot chocolate, that’s so easy to make in the Vitamix Blender!

This is not your average peppermint hot chocolate, because we use the Vitamix to blend real candy canes into the cocoa base, which is made with two forms of chocolate. You don’t need expensive extracts, just a a few of your favorite candy canes (plus a handful of other ingredients), which we all have an abundance of this time of year.

Serve it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and peppermint cookies or peppermint brownies for true hot cocoa bliss!

We like to serve this peppermint hot cocoa with our favorite Christmas cookies or a piece of homemade gingerbread.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate: Ingredients & Substitutions 

As always, let’s start by discussing the ingredients in this peppermint hot chocolate recipe, as well as possible substitutions. 

• Whole milk. Half and half, heavy cream, and 2% milk (or a combination of these) are good substitutes. Coconut milk is a good dairy-free option.
• Cocoa Powder. Use pure, unsweetened cocoa powder (not hot chocolate mix).
• Granulated sugar. organic cane sugar and coconut sugar are good substitutes.
• Chocolate. I recommend using semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. You can  use milk chocolate or white chocolate for a sweeter final outcome. For a dairy-free/vegan version, use dairy-free chocolate. You can also use bakers chocolate (100% cocoa) and increase the amount of sugar to suit your tastes. 
• Vanilla Extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• Candy Canes. Choose your favorite candy canes to use in this peppermint hot chocolate. I use Wholesome organic candy canes or Yum Earth Organic Candy Canes because both of these varieties have no food dyes or corn syrup. If you’d prefer, you can use ½ tsp peppermint extract instead of the candy canes. Or add it along with the candy canes for a more pronounced peppermint flavor.

How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

This homemade candy cane hot chocolate is so easy to make and so much more delicious than any powdered mix you can buy at the store! Let’s walk through how to make it step-by-step and don’t forget to watch the video.

Use a Vitamix Blender

To achieve the creamiest peppermint hot chocolate ever, as always, I recommend using a Vitamix Blender! In this recipe the Vitamix does all the work for you! It melts the chocolate, pulverizes the candy canes and heats up the gourmet hot chocolate so you can serve it straight from the blending container (no stovetop cooking required). It’s SO easy to make hot chocolate in the Vitamix! 

If you are looking to buy a Vitamix, check out my in-depth Vitamix buying guide and learn why I chose to blend with Vitamix 10 years ago and never looked back! 

Make the Candy Cane Hot Chocolate

Start by adding milk to the container of your Vitamix blender, followed by cocoa powder and sugar.

Secure the lid and blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high. Blend on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is warm.

Next, add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate), pure vanilla extract and candy canes to the warm mixture in the blending container.

Secure the lid and blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high. Blend on high speed for 3 minutes or until the mixture is hot and steamy.

Serve

Remove the lid, pour the peppermint hot chocolate into your favorite mugs, top with marshmallows (especially homemade marshmallows) or homemade whipped cream and some crushed candy canes and enjoy! 

Note: since the Vitamix is so powerful you will have some foam in your final product! Simply stir the foam into the hot chocolate to make it disappear, or enjoy it as part of the candy cane hot chocolate experience! 

Store

Store any leftovers in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to stir leftovers into my coffee in the morning for an extra special treat.

Toppings for Peppermint Hot Chocolate

This recipe tastes amazing 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, peppermint marshmallows would be delicious). 
• Crushed candy canes
• Chopped peppermint bark
• Shaved chocolate
• Holiday sprinkles

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe FAQs

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!

Try these recipes

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Best Christmas Cookie Recipes

Peppermint Brownies

Peppermint Bark Recipe

Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe (Hot Cocoa)

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate