This homemade hot chocolate is creamy, thick, and flavorful, made with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder. It's a perfect cozy treat for a cold day!
This hot chocolate recipe is so much better than a powdered mix! Made with two types of chocolate—a chopped bar and cocoa powder—it’s deliciously rich, creamy, and just the right amount of sweet. It’s super easy to make too—it comes together with 5 simple ingredients in under 10 minutes.
We’ve already made this homemade hot chocolate a few times this December, and I have a feeling that it’ll stay on repeat all month long. It’s the perfect warming treat for a cold winter night, especially if you have a kid (like ours) who loves cozying up under the Christmas tree with a mug to sip.
Enjoy it plain, or top it with whipped cream, marshmallows, and/or shaved chocolate. I hope you love this hot chocolate recipe as much as we do!
Homemade Hot Chocolate Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Milk – Any kind! Whole milk will create the thickest, richest texture, though I’ve also had great results using a plant-based milk like almond milk or oat milk.
- Chopped dark chocolate – The key ingredient that sets this recipe apart from a hot cocoa mix! It makes this hot chocolate thick, creamy, and intensely chocolatey. I typically use a 70% dark chocolate bar, but feel free to use whatever level you like best. The lower the percentage, the sweeter the hot chocolate will be.
- Cocoa powder – It deepens the chocolate flavor without adding extra sugar.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness. If you’d like to sweeten it naturally, replace the sugar with 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
- And vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Hot Chocolate
This recipe is super easy to make!
- First, dissolve the sugar and the cocoa powder in the milk. Combine all three in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until smooth and heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Then, add the chopped chocolate. Reduce the heat to low and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
- Pour in the vanilla and season to taste. Stir in a little more sugar if you’d like it to be sweeter, or add a tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
That’s it!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t let it come to a boil. My #1 tip for making hot chocolate from scratch! If it comes to a boil at any time, the chocolate can separate, giving it a grainy texture.
- Variations are fair game. Try adding a drop of peppermint extract instead of vanilla, or stir in a little cinnamon (or cayenne!) along with the cocoa powder. You could even add a shot of espresso for a richer flavor!
Ways to Serve Hot Chocolate
You don’t need to serve this cozy drink with anything extra—it’s decadent and delicious on its own.
But toppings are really fun here, especially around the holidays or if you’re making this with kids. Here are some of our favorites:
- Whipped cream
- Marshmallows or mini marshmallows
- Mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings (just peel the edge of a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler!)
- Candy canes
- Cinnamon sticks
How do you like to serve homemade hot chocolate? Let me know in the comments!
More Cozy Drinks
If you love this recipe, try one of these cozy drinks next:
Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Serving Options
- Whipped cream or marshmallows
- Chocolate shavings
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, cocoa powder, and sugar. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth and heated through. Be careful not to let the mixture come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the dark chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth, then add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
- Pour into mugs and serve topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.
My husband and I made this together, so was a fun and festive event! We enjoyed the addition of Bourbon and thought that the flavor (instead of the burn) really came through!
Delicious hot chocolate 🙂
Truly the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had! I used my local small business Woodblock chocolate and I think it really elevated the flavor. We took it on our annual drive around town to ooooh and ahhh at holiday lights. I’ll be coming back to this recipe for sure!
This was very yummy. So rich and delicious. Easy to make and WAY better than store bought hot chocolate mix. We made marshmallows (had gelatin) to add to it and it was the perfect addition.
Couldn’t use dark or milk chocolate since I am allergic to cocoa powder. So I used 1/2 Ruby chocolate 1/2 white chocolate. It was yummy!
We enjoyed this as dessert tonight (used cows milk). It’s certainly decadent. My husband loved it.
Delicious and perfect for the first snow of the season!
Any particular bourbon?
Hi Marianne, we have Bulleit in our house.
Sorry for the slow reply! We used Bulleit.
So, there’s your packet of cocoa mix, and then there is *this* hot chocolate. This is dessert-level hot chocolate. It’s rich and creamy and has a great flavor from the cinnamon. I’m not a huge fan of maple, so we used honey as a sweetener instead. We also used oat milk and it was decadent. Such a treat!!
Delicious hot chocolate! Great flavor and consistency from the dark chocolate bar. The hint of cinnamon is a nice addition too. I topped mine vanilla whipped cream + chopped chocolate and it was quite the treat. I’ll be making this all winter. Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe is absolutely AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing these delicious recipes.
This makes the best hot cocoa! I’ve made it with both almond milk and coconut milk, and both turn out great!
This hot chocolate was so good. The cinnamon and bourbon definitely added a lot.
Love the versatility of this, I used homemade coconut milk and 2 different kinds of chocolate I had sitting around from last year. Adding a splash of Baileys took it to another level!
A perfect cup of happiness! Loved it with and without the bourbon.
A perfect treat after playing in the snow! Maple and chocolate! Yum!
This was so easy and so yummy! We usually make hot cocoa but using actual chocolate makes it so much better!
I just made it this week. It was an excuse to get out my Bialetti hot chocolate maker which I haven’t used in at least 10 years to melt the chocolate and warm it without needing to whisk. DELICIOUS! I didn’t add the Bourbon this time but will remedy that when I make it again! Thank you for your recipes and inspiration!
Any reason I can’t just use dairy whole milk?
Hi Evelyn, no, you can use any milk you’d like here.
Where can I get a pot like that?
Hi Ilana, this is it: https://amzn.to/3rfWaHr