Vegan Hot Chocolate

This Vegan Hot Chocolate is so creamy and chocolatey, you’d have no idea that it’s dairy-free. A warm and cozy drinkable treat!

In these colder months, I find myself always looking for delicious hot drink recipes to keep me cozy and warm. I love treating myself to a gingersnap cookie steamer drink or some hot apple cider on a chilly day, and who doesn’t love an aromatic chai latte after coming home from a long afternoon walk? My favorite cold-weather drink, however, is a rich and velvety hot chocolate.

For some reason, the drink always reminds me of those unexpected snow days, which meant a whole day off from school, playing in that thick blanket of white that made our yard look like a postcard. When I could no longer feel my fingers and toes, I would run inside for a cup of hot chocolate, only to dash back out as soon as I finished, ready to play in the snow again. I’d repeat this cycle all day—playing until I was nearly frozen, warming up with hot chocolate, and then going right back out again.

This thick and luscious vegan hot chocolate is pure wintertime bliss and one of the best drinks to sip on when those temperatures really drop. Snow or no snow, with a cup of this and a good book, I can see why they say that winter is such a magical time of the year.

Is This Vegan Hot Chocolate Healthy?

To be perfectly honest, healthy is not what I’m going for when the craving for this vegan hot chocolate hits. Sipping on a mug of hot chocolate is supposed to be an indulgence, and I’m not making any compromises on that. You could leave out the sugar, but I find that doing so will make the drink less decadent, if not a bit bitter. And that’s not what we’re going for here. But feel free to use other sweeteners, such as maple syrup or coconut sugar instead.

Vegan Hot Chocolate Variations

If you love this vegan hot chocolate recipe but want to take it up a notch and mix things up to suit your needs and preferences, I say go for it! There are so many ways to make this recipe your own. Here are some of my absolute favorites.

Peppermint: If you want to serve it up as a peppermint hot chocolate, you could add in a drop or two of peppermint extract and add a candy cane and some shaved chocolate on top when serving it.

Milk: You could also switch up the milk you use. I recommend oat milk as a substitute for the almond milk.

Nut butter: Another fun idea would be to add in some nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew) along with the chocolate, and it will melt to create peanut butter hot chocolate.

Coffee: This hot chocolate would also be delicious with a splash of coffee to create a mocha-type effect! The sky’s the limit with this recipe, so feel free to get creative and let me know how your vegan hot chocolate turns out! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tablespoons mini dairy-free chocolate chips
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar or sweetener of choice, to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• Tiny pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend 

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

Simmer

Turn up the heat, and whisk until the chocolate has melted.

Adjust

Taste and add more sugar if necessary.

Devour!

Serving Suggestions

A cup of vegan hot chocolate all on its own is quite the treat, but if you’re really in the mood to spoil yourself and satisfy that sweet tooth, I suggest pairing it with a chewy Vegan Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie, a thick slice of Banana Bread, or a slice of Coffee Cake. And for the ultimate chocolate extravaganza, these Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies will definitely hit the spot.

Recipe