The Perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate (Super Easy Recipe!)

If you’ve been craving some delicious Homemade Hot Chocolate, this delicious recipe is absolutely perfect for you! Not only is it the easiest recipe you’ll ever come across, but it features classic, delicious flavors with a rich and creamy consistency made of pantry staple ingredients!

This hot chocolate is made entirely from scratch for the perfect extra-flavorful combination! What’s best is that it’s ready in minutes and is a ton better than any store-bought mix you’ll ever try.

And since you’re making it at home, you can customize it however you like. In this post, I’ve mentioned many variation ideas to help you find the combo you enjoy the most and is personalized to your taste buds.

It’s the perfect comfort drink to make and have during the holidays and winter season along with a pile of mini marshmallows on top. Trust me, when you try this recipe once you won’t ever want to have another kind of hot chocolate again!

Want to learn how to make this homemade hot chocolate? Then keep on reading!

Table of Contents

• What is Homemade Hot Chocolate?
• What Makes this Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe Special?
• What You Need to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate at Home
• How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate (Step-by-Step)
• Recipe Variation Ideas for Homemade Hot Chocolate
• More Beverage Recipes You'll Love
• Recipe Card
• The Perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate (Super Easy Recipe!)
• Comments

What is Homemade Hot Chocolate?

Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is the most delicious, heated drink that’s made of shaved chocolate or chocolate chips, cocoa powder, warm heated milk, and a light sweetener to bring everything together.

It’s commonly served with mini marshmallows and whipped cream to make it extra rich and creamy. This warm chocolate drink is not only comforting but also feels nostalgic and wholesome. And the best way to have it is to make your own version!

This is seriously the one drink that not only kids love but so do adults! I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love this delicious drink so it’s the perfect one to surprise your family with during the holidays.

Trust me, I’m sure they’re going to absolutely love it!

What Makes this Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe Special?

This is not just any regular hot chocolate recipe! Instead, this is a healthy hot chocolate because of many reasons!

First of all, we’re only using real, pantry-staple ingredients. This means you won’t have anything processed in the mix to give you bold, delicious flavors in each sip. It’s seriously better than any hot cocoa mix you can buy in the stores.

Secondly, in this recipe, we’re actually not even using any sugar! Yes, you read that right! But you’re still going to end up with a drink that’s absolutely incredible.

So, what’s the secret? Maple syrup! It adds a beautiful, and absolutely incredible flavor to the hot chocolate but without any sugar!

The creaminess of this drink speaks for itself. It has a luscious feel but is still light and tasty enough to not be overwhelming.

And in this post, I’ve also written down all the ways you can easily customize this recipe to make it your own. You’re seriously going to want to bookmark this recipe!

What You Need to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate at Home

All you need are some simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious hot chocolate at home. Here’s what you need to make it:

• Cocoa powder: First, we’ll need some unsweetened cocoa powder, cacao powder, or Dutch-processed to add that hot chocolate flavor to our drink. It’ll add that chocolate flavor but with an added depth that’s exactly what we need in this drink.
• Milk: Next, we’ll need some milk. I’ve used organic milk here, but you can also use whole milk. This is way better than using water since it adds richness to the drink and improves the overall consistency.
• Cream: You’ll also need some heavy whipping cream to add extra creaminess to the flavor and make it absolutely delicious and one-of-a-kind!
• Maple syrup: We won’t be needing any white sugar in this recipe! Instead, we’ll use some maple syrup to add a beautiful flavor profile that works great with all the hot chocolate ingredients.
• Chocolate: For that added chocolate flavor and feel, we’ll be using a chocolate bar in this recipe as well. You can use any kind of chocolate you want, but bittersweet chocolate works best!
• Salt: In the end, we’ll also be adding a pinch of salt to really bring out all flavors and balance it all out.

Marshmallows: You’ll also need some mini marshmallows for this recipe. These are the best marshmallows you'll ever try! They’re seriously worth every penny!

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate (Step-by-Step)

Making this delicious homemade hot chocolate is easier than you think! Here’s what you need to do to make it at home:

Start by pouring milk into a medium saucepan at medium heat and bring it to a boil. Then reduce to medium-low heat and add heavy cream and maple syrup. Stir well.

Then add sifted cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and salt. Stir well together until combined.

Bring it to a boil stirring constantly to make sure the ingredients don’t settle at the bottom and burn. As soon as it begins to bubble, remove the mixture from the heat. 

Pour into mugs and top it off with some mini marshmallows and serve right away. If you’re serving this delicious homemade hot chocolate to kids, allow it to cool down a little before serving.

Your delicious and perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate is ready to be served!

Recipe Variation Ideas for Homemade Hot Chocolate

This delicious recipe is absolutely perfect as is, but if you’re looking to customize it according to your personal preferences, then here are some ideas you can try out:

Extra rich: If you’re looking to make a homemade hot chocolate that’s extra rich, consider adding some half and half to the recipe!

Less sweet: If you want your drink less sweet, then use some bittersweet dark chocolate and reduce the amount of maple syrup you add.

Healthier: For a healthier combination, you can substitute whole for some non-dairy milk or nut milk such as almond milk, or go for soy milk.

Flavored: You can add so many different ingredients to customize the flavor. Add a little peppermint extract, some spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon, or even some crushed candy canes on top!

How to Store Leftover Homemade Hot Chocolate

This delicious drink is so easy to whip up that I recommend making it fresh for the best flavor. But if you do have some leftovers, pour them into a mason jar and pop them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

When you want to have it again, reheat it in a saucepan over low heat until it's warm. Make sure to stir frequently when you’re doing so!

I don’t recommend freezing this drink since you’ll end up with a hot chocolate popsicle!

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This recipe was originally posted on December 21, 2018 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.