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    Home » Recipes

    Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate

    Dec 11, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This dairy-free hot chocolate is just the right level of sweet, super creamy, and the perfect comforting drink. It's easy, fast, and totally customizable based on your dietary needs and preferences.

    Dairy-free hot chocolate in a mug topped with whipped cream and peppermint.

    This dairy-free hot chocolate is perfect for holiday gatherings, movie nights, and Christmas strolls through the neighborhood. It tastes a lot like Starbuck's Hot Chocolate, but you get to control what goes into it.

    If you're not dairy free, you can use regular milk, and if you're nut-free, you can swap out the almond milk base for oat milk. You can even add some crushed up candy canes to make peppermint hot chocolate--the possibilities are endless!

    Looking for other holiday recipes? Try our vegan maple sugar cookies, candied almonds and pumpkin seeds, or pomegranate margarita.

    Jump to:
    • Key Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe

    Key Ingredients

    • Almond milk- If you're nut-free, swap this out for oat milk. If you're not dairy free, you can use regular milk.
    • Unsweetened coconut cream (sometimes called cream of coconut)
    • Cocoa Powder
    • Granulated sugar
    • Semisweet chocolate chips- Make sure you buy dairy-free chocolate chips if you're following a dairy-free diet. I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

    Instructions

    Step 1: Combine almond milk, coconut cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook until the mixture is combined and warm, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

    Hot chocolate cooking in a saucepan.

    Step 2: Add the chocolate chips and continue stirring until they are melted.

    Step 3: Serve! We like ours with some crushed candy canes and whipped cream. Mini marshmallows are great too!

    Hot chocolate in a mug topped with whipped cream and crushed peppermint.

    Variations

    • Make peppermint hot chocolate- Add about a tablespoon of crushed candy canes to the bottom of the mug before you pour the hot chocolate in. The candy canes will melt and the peppermint flavor will remain.
    • Make it regular hot chocolate- Swap the almond milk out for regular milk and use regular semisweet chocolate chips. I'd recommend 2% milk.
    • Make it sweeter- Add a few extra tablespoons of sugar or use sweeter chocolate chips. Adding sweetened whipped cream or mini marshmallows also makes it sweeter!
    • Make boozy hot chocolate- Add 1 ounce of Irish cream or ½ an ounce amaretto to each mug of hot chocolate.

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I make this hot chocolate boozy?

    Yes! Add 1 ounce of Irish cream or ½ an ounce amaretto to each mug of hot chocolate. Irish cream adds a vanilla flavor, whereas amaretto gives it a nice almond flavor.

    Can I use other dairy-free milks?

    Yep! This recipe uses almond milk, but oat milk would also work. We haven't tested it, but coconut milk would probably work as well.

    Is this hot chocolate super sweet?

    Nope! It's a really good balance between too sweet and not sweet enough. However, if you want it to be less sweet, decrease the sugar, and if you want it to be sweeter, add more sugar.

    Two mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and peppermint.
    Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe

    Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate Recipe

    Recipe by Mollie

    This dairy-free hot chocolate is just the right level of sweet, super creamy, and the perfect comforting drink. It's easy, fast, and totally customizable based on your dietary needs and preferences.

    Course: DrinksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
    5 from 1 vote
    Pin
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    Servings

    4

    drinks
    Cook time

    15

    minutes
    Calories

    450

    kcal
    Total time

    15

    minutes
    Cook Mode

    Prevent your screen from going dark!

    Ingredients

    • 2.5 cups 2.5 almond milk

    • 13.5 ounce 13.5 can coconut cream

    • ¼ cup ¼ cocoa powder

    • ¼ cup ¼ granulated sugar

    • ½ cup ½ dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips

    Directions

    • Combine almond milk, coconut cream, cocoa powder, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook until the mixture is combined and warm, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Add the chocolate chips and continue stirring until they are melted.
    • Serve! We like ours with some crushed candy canes and whipped cream. Mini marshmallows are great too!

    Notes

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    hi, we're Michael and Mollie

    Welcome! We are Michael & Mollie, a hangry economics enthusiast and her husband. Our goal is to provide you with delicious, accessible, and healthy-ish recipes that are both time- and money-efficient.

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