Homemade Hot Chocolate (2024)

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This recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate is so quick and easy to make. No more mixes! This recipe uses your milk of choice, chopped chocolate, spices and it’s topped with a delicious my Coffee Marshmallows or Mint Chocolate Chip Marshmallows.

When the weather hits even a little brisk, I love to transition from my Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes to warm Matcha Lattes to a Gingerbread Latte. Hello, I love a flavored drink!

I don’t think anyone would argue that hot chocolate is the coziest of cozy drinks. And since this is lil’ blog is called A Cozy Kitchen I think I’ve gone way too long without sharing a proper recipe for it. So, let’s talk about this perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Homemade Hot Chocolate

1. Milk – If you’re a dairy-free queen, feel free to use oat milk or almond. I love a nice low-fat dairy milk so it’s not too, too thick.
2. Sugar – I don’t use too much sugar; just the right amount.
3. Cinnamon stick – You can use some spices, if you like. I like simmering it with a cinnamon stick and a pinch salt. This adds a nice depth that isn’t detectable.
4. Vanilla caviar – I love using a scrape of vanilla. I usually use an already used up vanilla bean from my Homemade Vanilla Extract. You don’t need a ton just 1/4 of the beans from a pod. Feel free to use a splash of vanilla extract if you don’t have a vanilla bean.
5. Chocolate – I love a good rich bar of chocolate. I’m using semi-sweet but feel free to use bittersweet or dark chocolate. I would steer clear of milk chocolate because I fear it might be too sweet and if you do, you can leave out the sugar and add it to taste.
6. Cocoa Powder – Baking cocoa powder will make this hot chocolate not too thick.

For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below!

Hot Cocoa vs. Hot Chocolate!

Let’s talk about the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate.

• Hot cocoa is cocoa powder dissolved into milk or (God forbid) water. I have good memories of hot cocoa, actually.

But during the holidays, it was always hot chocolate. My mom would tell us stories about how in Peru, on Christmas Eve, right before midnight mass, a big pot of hot chocolate was made. They’d take big blocks of chocolate, melt it and then mix it into warm milk until it dissolved.

• Thick hot chocolate is just melted chocolate into milk. It’s what they also call drinking chocolate.

But sometimes it’s too rich for me; hence why I like this iteration: half melted chocolate and half cocoa powder. It makes the best combination of the best texture and viscosity, sweetness and spice.

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate!

1. Using a sharp knife, chop the chocolate into small pieces.

2. Add the cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, sugar, vanilla bean caviar (or extract) cinnamon stick and pinch of salt to a medium saucepan.

3. Warm it over medium-low heat until the chocolate has melted. Serve it immediately.

Recipe Tip

• Milk Chocolate – If you want to use milk chocolate (say that’s all you have), feel free to eliminate the sugar in the recipe.
• Stir regularly – Stir it regularly to avoid a skin from forming on the top.
• Dairy-free – If you’re looking for a healthier hot chocolate/less indulgent, check out my Oat Milk Hot Chocolate. It’s made with cacao powder, maple syrup and collagen powder.

Hot Cocoa vs. Hot Chocolate!

Let’s talk about the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate.

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• Hot cocoa is cocoa powder dissolved into milk or (God forbid) water. I have good memories of hot cocoa, actually.

But during the holidays, it was always hot chocolate. My mom would tell us stories about how in Peru, on Christmas Eve, right before midnight mass, a big pot of hot chocolate was made. They’d take big blocks of chocolate, melt it and then mix it into warm milk until it dissolved.

• Thick hot chocolate is just melted chocolate into milk. It’s what they also call drinking chocolate.

But sometimes it’s too rich for me; hence why I like this iteration: half melted chocolate and half cocoa powder. It makes the best combination of the best texture and viscosity, sweetness and spice.

Recipe FAQs

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