Creamy, dreamy, and totally dairy-free! This vegan hot chocolate is rich, decadent, and guaranteed to warm you up this winter. The best part: it whips up in about five minutes!
I've had so many requests for a vegan hot chocolate recipe, and I'm sorry to say that I've been holding out on you guys. I've had this recipe in my head for years. I've made it again and again. I've told people how to make it again and again.
It took me forever to get around to sharing it, and I'm sorry about that, because it's the best hot chocolate I've ever had. You'd never believe it was dairy-free!
So here it is, at long last.
Want to know the secret to a killer cup of vegan hot cocoa? Chocolate chips. They work so much better than cocoa powder. Seriously, melt those babies up in some non-dairy milk and you'll end up with something that's a zillion times richer and creamier than any dairy-based hot chocolate you ever drank.
I've got to warn you: this stuff is super easy to make. You can whip it up in about five minutes, and if you're someone who has all the ingredients on hand most of the time (like me), you'll be tempted to make it again and again throughout the cooler months.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Non-dairy milk. Pretty much any variety works, as long as it's unsweetened. I typically use almond milk, but soy milk, rice milk, oat milk, and cashew milk all work just fine! The only variety I'd avoid is canned coconut milk. Check out my guide to dairy-free milk for more guidance.
- Vegan chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life brand. Mini chips work particularly well for this recipe since they melt quickly, but regular chips will do just fine.
- Maple syrup. You can sub another liquid sweetener like agave, or even organic granulated sugar or coconut sugar to taste. I like a hint of maple flavor in my vegan hot chocolate though!
- Salt. It's a flavor enhancer, so adding a pinch of salt to your hot chocolate will make it taste better.
- Vanilla extract.
- Vegan marshmallows or vegan whipped cream. These are totally optional! Dandies makes great vegan marshmallows (the contain no gelatin!), and Reddi-wip makes a dairy-free whipped topping.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
This stuff is incredibly easy to make. Ready for this?
- Stick everything except the vanilla and toppings into a saucepan.
- Heat it all up on the stove until the chips are melted and the liquid is hot. Whisk the mixture as it heats.
- Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Always add vanilla last in recipes like this one, as it evaporates and loses flavor during cooking.
That's it!
Tip: Stop cooking your hot chocolate as soon as it's fully heated (just about when it starts to simmer). It's easy to burn!
Pour your homemade vegan hot chocolate into cups and top it with marshmallows or whipped topping.
Variations
- Spiced vegan hot chocolate. Add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and optionally a pinch of cayenne pepper to the mixture. You also experiment with other warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Peppermint hot chocolate. Add ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract at the same time as the vanilla extract. It's also fun to garnish each mug with a candy cane or sprinkle your whipped topping with crushed peppermint candies!
- Vegan white hot chocolate. Substitute vegan white chocolate chips for dark chocolate. King David brand white chocolate chips are vegan and available on Amazon.
- Vegan caramel hot chocolate. After topping your hot cocoa with marshmallows or vegan whipped cream, drizzle each mug with a bit of vegan caramel sauce.
Leftovers & Storage
Store any leftover vegan hot chocolate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat it in a saucepan, whisking the entire time, or in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few brands out there, but I like Enjoy Life. If you're lucky, your regular supermarket will carry them. If not, try places like Whole Foods or Amazon.
Reddi-wip makes a dairy-free whipped topping. You can also whip coconut cream following the method in this strawberry shortcake recipe.
I buy Trader Joe's Brand or Dandies, which are available at Whole Foods-type places and Amazon.
It is, as long as your vegan chocolate chips are gluten-free (Enjoy Life brand are).
More Vegan Chocolate Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Rich & Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Creamy, dreamy, and totally dairy-free! This vegan hot chocolate is rich, decadent, and guaranteed to warm you up this winter. The best part: it whips up in about five minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ⅓ cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup or to taste
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Vegan marshmallows or whipped topping, optional
Instructions
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Place the milk, chocolate chips, maple syrup, and salt into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat.
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Heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it's hot and the chips are completely melted. (See note)
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Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vanilla.
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Divide into mugs and top with vegan marshmallows or whipped topping.
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Serve.
Recipe Notes
Make sure you don't overcook the hot chocolate, as it can burn easily.
This looks so yummy but I love the music you chose for the video! Made me so happy! :)S
Have you found that one non-dairy milk works better for this recipe?
I've made it using Almond Breeze and Milkadamia, both unsweetened and unflavored, and both worked great! I'd just stick with something without sweeteners, thickeners or added flavors. :)
Yay! It's your sister in law here.... SO grateful for your recipe. It's AMAZING. Thank you Alissa for being sooooo incredible at what you do. xo
Yay!! I'm glad you tried it, and SO glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much Sally! :)
Tried this out with cashew oat milk and it was so decadent and delicious. Thank you!
So glad you like it!
This seriously looks incredible AND VEGAN MARSHMELLOWS??? I HAD NO IDEA!
I love that the recipe is also all things I already have!
So yummy!!! Made this for a drink for breakfast and everybody loved it! I used vanilla flavored almond milk and it tasted delicious!
Yum! I just made it with oat milk and it’s delicious!
Hi Alissa! This recipe looks amazing. I will definitely try it when I am making cookies because nothing is better than hot chocolate and cookies. Thank you.