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.
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.
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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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate 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.
4
drinks15
minutes450
kcal15
minutesPrevent 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!
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