Have you been looking for a delicious homemade hot chocolate recipe to make on a cold day? One where the chocolate is smooth and doesn’t float to the top, the sweetness is not too intense, and the flavor of dark chocolate takes center stage? 

If so, today’s your day: this recipe is all of those things. I’m going to teach you how to make the best hot chocolate with a rich chocolate flavor and minimal effort—and only 3 ingredients!

The best winter treat

Today was one of the best days: we had a huge snow storm last night that caused a lot of road closures, bringing us piles of fresh white snow and allowing my husband to work from home! 

Once we were done our homeschool day and nap time, my sweet husband helped me bundle up the kids and get them ready to go outside for some fun. It was beautiful, and by the time we came in, our frosty cheeks, hands and toes needed something to warm us up. This recipe was just the thing!

Different kinds of hot chocolate

The best homemade hot chocolate recipe is certainly going to be a matter of opinion, depending on your experiences. 

Hot cocoa mix

Not all hot chocolate mixes are created equal, that’s true, and some are even made from scratch! Hot cocoa mix is primarily made with a mix of milk (powdered, to make it shelf stable), sugar, and cocoa powder, ready to be measured out and mixed with hot water or milk (to make it extra creamy). 

Hot cocoa

Made with unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar or brown sugar with milk, this is the old fashioned way to make real hot cocoa that is so delicious and simple to make! My Oma (Grandma) used to make her hot cocoa by measuring out everything to taste until she liked the amount of chocolate and sweetness. 

Hot chocolate

Made with real chocolate and milk, this is what this recipe is all about. Simple ingredients and great, smooth chocolate flavor!

Italian hot chocolate

I first tried Italian hot chocolate in Venice, and wow—it is incredible! Italian hot chocolate is almost like a thin, hot, chocolate pudding (much thicker than a typical cup of hot chocolate from North America, but definitely thinner than pudding). This delicious chocolate treat is unique, delicious, and very warming.

Flavored hot chocolate

You can make any cup of hot chocolate or cocoa special by adding a pinch of salt, spice, food grade essential oils, teas, or flavored milk (like coconut milk). One favorite of mine is Mexican hot chocolate, which is an extra warm, spicy/sweet treat.

Cocoa powder vs. real chocolate 

It’s true that the old fashioned way to make hot chocolate is with cocoa, and I love it made that way. However, it’s also true that when you make hot chocolate this way that the milk and cocoa tend to separate (the cocoa either floats to the top or settles on the bottom), which can change the experience a little bit.

My preference is to make hot chocolate the way I have it in this recipe; with real chocolate (or even chocolate chips). 

Ingredients

To make good hot chocolate, like all great recipes, you need to have great ingredients. 

Chocolate

For the best hot chocolate experience, you can use dark chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate. Just make sure that you’re using something with a quality that you enjoy. 

Personally, my favorite way to go is to use a good semi sweet chocolate for this recipe.

Milk

Whole milk is my favorite, but most often I just use 2% milk. If you’re looking for a milk alternative, you can try using almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk – you name it! 

Vanilla

To make my hot chocolate a little extra special, I always add a little splash of vanilla extract. The best kind of vanilla is to use real vanilla, but since that’s a little more expensive, you can use a simple vanilla extract as well.

Money saving tip

If you’re making hot chocolate for a crowd (as was common in my home growing up), you can also cut the milk with water partially (use 25% water and 75% milk), just to make it go further. 

If you want to dilute it even more, you can make this recipe with half hot milk and half hot water (50/50), provided that you are using a rich milk as the base (ie, I would not try this with skim milk or a nut milk, for example). 

Hot chocolate garnishes and flavor embellishments

Some of my favorite toppings for homemade hot chocolate are candy canes, mini marshmallows, heavy cream (made into homemade whipped cream), spray whipped cream, chocolate shavings, or chopped chocolate.

Candy canes make a fun stir-stick, and you can make those even more fun by dipping the ends of the canes in chocolate first!

Storing leftover hot chocolate

Keep your leftover hot chocolate in a covered container (any type of airtight container or jar is fine) in the refrigerator. Reheat by stirring the mixture thoroughly (it will separate as it sits), and then warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop on medium heat.

You will need:

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Small heavy bottomed saucepan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk
• Chef’s knife (for chopping the chocolate)
• Cutting board
• Small ladle, for serving
• Serving cups

How to make homemade hot chocolate

Heating the milk

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it begins to steam, whisking frequently to prevent burning.

Adding the chocolate

Add the chocolate and whisk until completely melted and well combined (there will be little flecks of chocolate at first; whisk until those are no longer visible and the mixture is very smooth).

Finish with vanilla & serve

Stir in the vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Pour into mugs, and serve with marshmallows or whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top. Serve immediately.

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• London Fog
• Chai Tea with Whole Spices
• Mulled Apple Cider
• Hot Chili Hot Chocolate

That’s it! If you like this recipe, leave me a comment below or tag me in your cozy hot chocolate photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. I always love to see that my recipes are being enjoyed!

Naomi

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