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Winter is the perfect time of year to curl up with a cup of this delicious Christmas Hot Chocolate! Made with wholesome ingredients in just 15 minutes, this easy homemade hot chocolate is vegan, dairy-free, and sure to warm you up from the inside out.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
With the holidays comes cravings for all things warm and comforting, especially hot chocolate. But don’t resort to the powder that comes from a packet! You can make your own Christmas hot chocolate at home that’s more nutritious, more cost effective, and more flavourful. Even better, this hot chocolate recipe is vegan-friendly and dairy-free!
Best of all, even with it being made from wholesome ingredients like maple syrup and warm spices, this is a hot chocolate recipe the entire family will love — kids included! Make it with the milk of your choice and serve with some homemade cookies like my favourite Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies. You’re all set for a cosy night at home!
And if you love chocolate, then you’ve got to try my Vegan Chocolate Tart, Homemade Nutella or Chocolate Flapjacks or my show stopping Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.
Ingredients
- Milk — You can use any milk you prefer, dairy-based or dairy-free. I used unsweetened almond milk. If you’re looking for something more refreshing then try my Peanut Butter Milkshake recipe.
- Spices — Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg pack with homemade hot chocolate with classic Christmas flavors.
- Cacao Powder — This is different from coco powder. It’s less processed and contains no added sugar or allergens. I also use it to make my own chocolate in this Vegan Rocky Road recipe.
- Pure Maple Syrup — This is a great refined sugar-free sweetener option because it adds nutty maple flavour that compliments the cacao and spices.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- I used unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any dairy-based or dairy-free milk. Coconut, cashew, or traditional cow’s milk would work great.
- In addition to or in place of the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, you could use allspice or cloves.
- You could use a heavier milk option in combination with the regular milk, like half and half, heavy cream, coconut cream, or cashew cream to create a thicker Christmas hot chocolate.
- If you’re not sugar-free or if you don’t like the taste of maple syrup, you could use standard granulated sugar or even honey.
Variations
- Add some peppermint extract to make this perfectly minty drink (and even more Christmasy)! You can omit the spices when doing this if you don’t like that combination of flavor.
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to compliment the chocolate and spices.
- Even a little pinch of salt can help elevate these flavors.
- If you like your hot chocolate on the spicy side, you could add a pinch of cayenne pepper. (Similar to Mexican hot chocolate!)
Instructions
Step 1: Simply add all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Pour into a pot over a low heat and simmer until warm (making sure to stir).
Step 3: Simmer this Christmas hot chocolate until warm. Stir periodically to prevent any burning.
Step 4: Pour your homemade hot chocolate into your favorite mug, top with extra cacao powder, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- Garnish this dairy-free hot chocolate with a dusting of cacao powder, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg before serving.
- And don’t forget the cinnamon stick! It looks festive and adds great flavour.
- Or keep things traditional with some store-bought or homemade marshmallows and whipped cream. Coconut cream is a great dairy-free alternative that you can find in most grocery stores or use to make vegan whipped cream from scratch.
- Serve this homemade hot chocolate with one of my Chocolate Truffles for the full experience.
Leftovers
Store leftover Christmas hot chocolate in a sealed container in the fridge like a mason jar for up to 3 days. Give it a good shake or re-blend it before reheating this drink in a pot or saucepan over low-medium heat until simmering. Stir often so all of the ingredients can meld together without separating.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Or triple or quadruple it to serve a crowd. This Christmas hot chocolate recipe yields two servings, so just multiply the ingredient amounts by two, three, or four.
Yes! This is a great option for when you’re planning to make large amounts of this hot chocolate with cinnamon to serve a crowd, like at a holiday party. Just blend everything together before adding to the Crock Pot. Then, set it to cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2 hours. Or, cook it as instructed, then transfer to a slow cooker to keep warm for serving. Nothing really needs to cook in this recipe; the ingredients just need to be warmed and incorporated with one another.
Typically, no. But this Christmas hot chocolate is prepared with very few ingredients that are all wholesome and nutritious. You can get all of the comfort with none of the guilt!
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Christmas Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 600 ml milk of choice, (I used unsweetened almond)
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Simply add all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 30 seconds
- Pour into a pot over a low heat and simmer until warm (making sure to stir)
- Pour into your mug, top with extra cacao powder and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
This Hot Chocolate is the ONE! Although it requires 1% more effort than an ordinary hot chocolate, it makes ALL the difference and is 100% worth it! Can see myself making this time and time again. Great recipe, thanks James!