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This easy homemade hot chocolate is the perfect way to end a long day in the snow, sledding, skiing, or making snowmen! It’s so rich and creamy that you’ll never want to go back to the powder!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comfort: There’s nothing better than coming home and relaxing with a warm cup of chocolatey goodness.
- Customizable: I use a mix of milk, sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and milk chocolate chips. It’s nice and simple! If you’re looking for a deeper chocolate flavor, you can swap out the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate!
- Cute: Top this delicious hot chocolate with some homemade marshmallows, or marshmallow whipped cream and some festive sprinkles!
Ingredients for Homemade Hot Chocolate
Five super simple ingredients are all you need to make the best hot chocolate ever! This recipe is easy to customize, so I’ve got you covered on substitutions. Exact measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Milk: Use your favorite kind. Anything from 2%, whole, half & half, almond, soy, or nut milk works. Remember that the higher the fat content, the creamier your homemade hot chocolate will be.
- Cocoa Powder: I like using Dutch process cocoa for a smoother chocolate flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: A little white sugar is all you need to sweeten your hot chocolate!
- Milk Chocolate Chips: I add milk chocolate chips because I love the creaminess they add, but feel free to swap these out for dark or white chocolate chips instead.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla helps to give your hot chocolate more delicious flavor. It’s subtle, but makes all the difference in how it tastes!
Making Your Hot Chocolate
Making hot chocolate from scratch is just as easy as making it from a premade mix! The only difference is that homemade hot chocolate is a million times more creamy and indulgent! Your family is going to go crazy over it this winter.
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and milk chocolate chips. Whisk to combine.
- Whisk: As the mixture heats up, continue to whisk until the chocolate chips melt. Heat for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a desired temperature.
- Add Vanilla and Toppings: Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Serve immediately, and top with your favorite hot chocolate toppings!
Tips and Variations
Toppings and flavor additions are what make hot chocolate great! Here are some of my favorite tips to help you make that perfect cup of creamy goodness. You’ll love how your homemade hot chocolate turns out!
- Syrups: For double the chocolate, add a little homemade chocolate sauce to your drink. You can also add salted caramel sauce for some salty sweet flavor!
- Make it Minty: Add a little peppermint extract or even melt down Andes chocolates into your batch for mint hot chocolate.
- Spices: For a flavor fit for the holidays, add a little pumpkin pie spice to your hot chocolate! The cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger gives it a cookie-like flavor. Add cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne for Mexican hot chocolate!
Storing Leftover Hot Chocolate
Now that you’ve made the best batch of homemade hot chocolate, here’s how to store it and enjoy it later!
- In the Refrigerator: Once your hot chocolate has cooled, you can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: I recommend reheating your hot chocolate over the stove since you have a little more control over the temperature than if it’s in the microwave. Only heat it until it’s warmed through- don’t let it boil! You don’t want your milk to burn.
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Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk (2%, whole, half & half) (any milk works, higher the fat makes it creamier)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- As the mixture heats up, continue to whisk until the chocolate chips melt. Heat for about 5 minutes, or until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Remove from heat, and whisk in the vanilla. Serve immediately, and top with your favorite hot chocolate toppings!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can this be made in a crockpot?
Yes, you can cook the hot chocolate on low for 1.5 to 2 hours in the slow cooker.
Delicious! Rich and sinfully good, particularly on a snowy day. I added a pinch of salt and a shot of Bailey’s.