Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate

Name: Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 2 cups of non-dairy milk (I tested this with almond and oat milk and both were great!); 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder; 3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (vegan as desired); 3-4 tablespoons of coconut sugar or other sweetener of your choice (maple syrup would also be great!); 2 tablespoons almond butter; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract*; optional fro serving: vegan marshmallow

Jump To Recipe // November 29, 2021

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This EASY Vegan Hot Chocolate comes together in under 10 minutes, all in one pot, and requires just SIX simple ingredients! There’s nothing that I love more on a cold day than a nice hot cup of hot chocolate and THIS has quickly become my new favorite recipe.

I’ve been on a HUGE hot chocolate kick the past few months. I’m kind of a huge baby about the cold and don’t do very well throughout winter (I really should just move to a perpetually warm and sunny place already). But you know what always makes winter a little more bearable?

This HOMEMADE VEGAN HOT CHOCOLATE!

vegan hot chocolate in a clear glass with a stick of marshmallows on top of them. more hot chocolate in the background

I posted these Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs a few weeks ago and while they’re truly delicious and so fun to make, they do take a while to put together. So, I love having this option for dairy-free hot chocolate recipe that I can throw together in under 10 minutes.

Let’s quickly walk through this…

side by side shots. Left: ingredients for vegan hot chocolate laid out including milk in a pot, a whick, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, dark chocolate chips, vanilla Right image: stainless steel pot filled with vegan hot chocolate ingredients: milk, dark chocolate, and cocoa powder

Okay, let’s go over the simple ingredients we’re working with:

Non-dairy milk– I tested this with both almond milk and oat milk and they both turned out great. I’m a huge fan of the thick and creamy texture that oat milk provides and highly suggest giving that a try. I also tried it out by mixing together oat milk with a little but of dairy free creamer to create an ultra-thick texture.
Cocoa powder– whatever you have is perfect but I highly recommend a good quality cocoa powder.
Vanilla- I tried this with almond extract as well and LOVED it. For a holiday spin on this recipe, you could also use peppermint extract but I suggest starting with just a couple of drops as it’s very strong.
Sweetener– The recipe as written calls for coconut sugar but really any sweetener works from brown sugar to maple syrup. You could also try leaving this out all together and adding it in at the end and sweeten to desired taste.
Chocolate– a love a dark chocolate in this but really anything works. Make sure it’s vegan chocolate it that’s important to you.
Almond butter– adds a delicious creaminess to the drink but you could also leave this out if you don’t want the extra fat.

How to make Vegan Hot Chocolate:

This is SUPER easy but we’re going to walk through it.

In a small-medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and set over medium heat. Stir continuously as the mixture begins to bubble around the edges, about 4-5 minutes. Cook until the chocolate is fully melted, combined, and the liquid reaches your desired temperature.

Pour into 2 mugs, top with mini marshmallows or whipped cream, and ENJOY!

I’ve found vegan mini-marshmallows at most stores recently but if all else fails, Trader Joes has some really good ones so check there!

Okay, that’s all for today!

As usual, PLEASE let me know if you make this vegan split pea soup and how you like it! You can come back here and leave a comment or tag me on instagram (@foodwithfeeling).