Learn how to make the BEST homemade hot chocolate! Rich, creamy, and deeply chocolatey, it's the perfect cozy treat for a cold winter night.
When the weather outside is frightful, there’s no better way to warm up than with a rich, creamy cup of homemade hot chocolate. Really, take it from us – last winter was a particularly snowy one here in Chicago, and we did a lot of shoveling. When our fingers and toes would start to tingle from the cold, I’d come inside and make this hot chocolate recipe. It’s thick and comforting, the perfect fortifying treat on a chilly winter day.
With the holidays right around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to share this recipe with you. Made with a melted chocolate bar and pure maple syrup, it’s far more flavorful than any hot cocoa mix. I’ll have it on repeat all winter long, and I hope you will too.
Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Dark chocolate – My #1 tip for making the best hot chocolate? Use a chocolate bar instead of cocoa powder! It gives this recipe a creamy texture and an extra-rich chocolate flavor. I like to use dark chocolate – 70% is my favorite. Choose a vegan chocolate bar to make this recipe vegan!
- Almond milk – Use store-bought, or make your own.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Maple syrup – For sweetness.
- And a splash of bourbon – Totally optional, but a really fun touch for a cozy grown-up drink.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Hot Chocolate
This recipe is SO simple to make!
All you have to do is warm the almond milk over low heat, add the chopped chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon…
…and whisk until smooth and warmed through, about 15 minutes.
Pour in the maple syrup and bourbon, if using, and stir to combine. That’s it!
Serve in mugs with your favorite hot chocolate toppings. I like coconut whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings, but regular whipped cream or marshmallows would be delicious too.
More Cozy Winter Treats
If you love this recipe, try one of these cozy treats next:
- Mulled Wine
- Hot Toddy
- Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, 70% cacao, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons bourbon, optional
- Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, optional, for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the almond milk over low heat. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon, and whisk for 15 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and warmed through.
- Add the maple syrup and bourbon, if using, and stir to combine. Serve hot with whipped cream or chocolate shavings, if desired.
My husband and I made this together, so was a fun and festive event! We enjoyed the addition of Bourbon and thought that the flavor (instead of the burn) really came through!
Delicious hot chocolate 🙂
Truly the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had! I used my local small business Woodblock chocolate and I think it really elevated the flavor. We took it on our annual drive around town to ooooh and ahhh at holiday lights. I’ll be coming back to this recipe for sure!
This was very yummy. So rich and delicious. Easy to make and WAY better than store bought hot chocolate mix. We made marshmallows (had gelatin) to add to it and it was the perfect addition.
Couldn’t use dark or milk chocolate since I am allergic to cocoa powder. So I used 1/2 Ruby chocolate 1/2 white chocolate. It was yummy!
We enjoyed this as dessert tonight (used cows milk). It’s certainly decadent. My husband loved it.
Delicious and perfect for the first snow of the season!
Any particular bourbon?
Hi Marianne, we have Bulleit in our house.
Sorry for the slow reply! We used Bulleit.
So, there’s your packet of cocoa mix, and then there is *this* hot chocolate. This is dessert-level hot chocolate. It’s rich and creamy and has a great flavor from the cinnamon. I’m not a huge fan of maple, so we used honey as a sweetener instead. We also used oat milk and it was decadent. Such a treat!!
Delicious hot chocolate! Great flavor and consistency from the dark chocolate bar. The hint of cinnamon is a nice addition too. I topped mine vanilla whipped cream + chopped chocolate and it was quite the treat. I’ll be making this all winter. Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe is absolutely AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing these delicious recipes.
This makes the best hot cocoa! I’ve made it with both almond milk and coconut milk, and both turn out great!
This hot chocolate was so good. The cinnamon and bourbon definitely added a lot.
Love the versatility of this, I used homemade coconut milk and 2 different kinds of chocolate I had sitting around from last year. Adding a splash of Baileys took it to another level!
A perfect cup of happiness! Loved it with and without the bourbon.
A perfect treat after playing in the snow! Maple and chocolate! Yum!
This was so easy and so yummy! We usually make hot cocoa but using actual chocolate makes it so much better!
I just made it this week. It was an excuse to get out my Bialetti hot chocolate maker which I haven’t used in at least 10 years to melt the chocolate and warm it without needing to whisk. DELICIOUS! I didn’t add the Bourbon this time but will remedy that when I make it again! Thank you for your recipes and inspiration!
Any reason I can’t just use dairy whole milk?
Hi Evelyn, no, you can use any milk you’d like here.
Where can I get a pot like that?
Hi Ilana, this is it: https://amzn.to/3rfWaHr