The BEST Vegan Hot Chocolate (4 Ingredients)

This is the BEST vegan hot chocolate you'll ever try! It’s rich, creamy, and delicious, needs just 4 ingredients, and only takes 5 minutes.

Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? It’s the best comfort food for when you’re having a bad day. Its smell can change your mood within seconds, and when you taste it you’ll feel better right away!

This drink has just the right amount of sweetness, and it's also healthier than the classic recipe as is made with plant-based ingredients.

It’s the perfect plan for a cozy lazy Sunday, but also for Christmas, from Christmas Eve to Christmas morning, and a tasty treat for kids, but also for grown-ups!

I like to serve it with some toppings like vegan whipped cream, coconut whipped cream, or vegan marshmallows, and with some dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate on top.

🧾 Ingredients

• Unsweetened non-dairy milk: I used almond milk, but any type will do as long as it's unsweetened.
• Dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Granulated sugar.
• Vanilla extract: homemade or store-bought. This ingredient is optional, but it gives the recipe a very good taste.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the chocolate is completely melted, whisking frequently.

Step 2: Serve with your favorite toppings.

📋 Substitutions & variations

• Almond milk is my favorite one for this recipe, but please feel free to use any milk you have on hand.
• If not using almond milk, I would go for a type of non-dairy milk with a high content of fat like soy milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.
• I prefer to use unsweetened milk and add the sweetener I want, but if you like to use sweetened milk just add less sweetener or omit it.
• Instead of chocolate chips, you could use chopped dairy-free semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate and add more or less sugar if needed. Make sure they're vegan.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder can be used instead of chocolate chips, about 2-4 tablespoons, or even a combination of both.
• All kinds of sweeteners work for this recipe (brown, coconut, or cane sugar, or even maple or agave syrup). Make sure the sugar you're using is vegan.
• Try it before serving and add more sugar if needed.
• If you like spiced chocolate, add a little bit of cayenne powder, some peppermint extract, or even cinnamon.

🍽 Equipment

To make this recipe you'll need:

• Measuring tablespoons and measuring cups (or a scale) to weigh your ingredients.
• A saucepan and a whisk.

❄️ Storage

• Refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• Reheat on the stove: transfer it to a saucepan and heat it up over medium heat until it’s warm enough. If it’s too thick, add more milk until you get a perfect consistency.
• Reheat in the microwave: you can reheat it also in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until hot.

💭 Expert tips

• Make it sweeter for kids. Just try it before serving and add more sugar if necessary, then cook 1-2 more minutes until the sugar is dissolved and serve.
• Another way to add extra sweetness is topping it with sweet toppings like vegan whipped cream or marshmallows.
• Make sure the chocolate chips are fully melted to get a super creamy and chocolatey drink.
• It will thicken quite a bit as it rests and cools, so after 10 minutes the texture will be thicker.
• Avoid burning it by cooking it over medium heat and stirring frequently. Also, ensure it never comes to a boil, you want little bubbles to begin to form around the edges.

❓Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe

The BEST Vegan Hot Chocolate

This is the BEST vegan hot chocolate you'll ever try! It’s rich, creamy, and delicious, needs just 4 ingredients, and only takes 5 minutes.

4.73 from 11 votes

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Course: Christmas, Dessert, Drink

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Author: Iosune

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Ingredients 

½x1x2x

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk, I used almond milk
• ▢ ⅔ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the chocolate is completely melted, whisking frequently.
• Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

Substitutions:

• Almond milk is my favorite one for this recipe, but please feel free to use any milk you have on hand.
• If not using almond milk, I would go for a type of non-dairy milk with a higher content of fat like soy milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.
• I prefer to use unsweetened milk and add the sweetener to taste later, but if you want to use sweetened milk just add less sweetener or omit it.
• Instead of chocolate chips, you could use chopped dairy-free semisweet chocolate or dark chocolate and add more or less sugar if needed. 
• Unsweetened cocoa powder can be used instead of chocolate chips, about 2-4 tablespoons, or even a combination of both.
• All kinds of sweeteners work for this recipe (brown, coconut, cane sugar, or even maple or agave syrup).
• Try it before serving and add more sugar if needed.
• Make sure the sugar and the chocolate chips or chocolate you're using are vegan.

Storage:

• Refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• Reheat on the stove: transfer it to a saucepan and heat it up over medium heat until it’s warm enough. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk.
• Reheat in the microwave: you can reheat it also in the microwave in 30-second increments (stirring after each) until hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 35g | Calcium: 378mg | Iron: 4mg