A steaming mug of hot chocolate is so pleasing. My plant based vegan version is rich, chocolatey, easy and fast to make. What more could you want? I’ll provide the recipe and you provide the warm fire and a good book.
Simple ingredients make a smooth, creamy, delicious hot chocolate. You can add a variety of different ingredients to change the flavor if you wish. The Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookie recipe pairs nicely with the hot chocolate.
These are the basic ingredients that I like to use. You can use your favorite unsweetened cacao powder or cocoa powder. The Maca is optional but does add a lovely malt – caramel flavor.
Options:
Non Dairy Milk – use your favorite plant milk. I like to use unsweetened Almond or Soy milk. The soy milk has more fat so it makes a richer tasting hot chocolate but both work well. You can use oat milk, hemp milk or any plant milk.
Cacao Powder – unsweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder. Wondercocoa or carob powder are good for those wanting to avoid caffeine. Wondercocoa is low caffeine but not completely caffeine free.
Maca – adds a bit of caramel or malt flavor which is really nice in hot chocolate. Optional but very tasty.
Vanilla – Just a dash of vanilla powder or a tiny drop of vanilla extract adds a touch of sweetness.
Date Syrup – or date paste, pitted dates, maple syrup. or Date Powder from Well Your World. Adjust the quantity depending on your personal preferences.
Cinnamon – ground and or freshly ground nutmeg – just a pinch.
Peppermint Extract – orange, maple, almond, coconut – just a tiny drop for a different flavor profile.
Mocha – use a little decaf instant coffee substitute like Dandy Blend. (There is a link in this post.)
Chocolate – for a little more decadent hot chocolate add some unsweetened chocolate when blending in the blender or heating the mixture on the stove top. I find that 1/2 – 1 tablespoon is plenty when making 2 servings.
If you want to avoid caffeine you can use carob powder or Wondercocoa which is very low in caffeine.
After we made the video I discovered that if you want to make it extra decadent you can add 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of unsweetened chocolate chips. These are the two brands I have. Trader Joe’s has the organic completely cacao chips unsweetened chocolate. You can order the Santa Barbara unsweetened chocolate chips directly from the company. Add the unsweetened chocolate chips when heating the hot chocolate ingredients either in the blender or on the stove top.
This short video shows how easy it is to make.
If you would like to make the Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies they go nicely with the hot chocolate.
Vegan Hot Chocolate
Equipment
- High speed blender or sauce pan on the stove
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened plant milk – any kind
- 2 tbsp heaping unsweetened cacao, cocoa or carob powder
- 1/2 tsp Maca powder – optional
- 1 tbsp Date syrup or to taste see options below
- 1 tbsp unsweetened chocolate chips – optional
- any optional flavorings see options below
Instructions
- If using a high powered blender like a Vitamix put all of the ingredients in the blender container and starting out on low power to get everything blended. Then increase the power to high and let the blender run until the milk is steamy hot.
- For stove top – use a medium sized sauce pan and add all plant milk, cacao, maca and any optional spices to the pan, use a wire whisk or a batter powered milk frother to blend the ingredients together. Once it is well blended add the chocolate chips if using and stir frequently over low heat until the milk is hot and the chocolate has melted.
- Pour into mugs and enjoy!
Notes
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Lauren Meyer
Hi Tami, You have a typo in the description of the cocoa powder. “Cacao Powder – unsweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder.”
Tami Kramer
Hi Lauren,
I sure do make some spelling errors and always appreciate people finding them for me. In this case cacao powder and cocoa powder are actually two different products. Here is a link to an article that explains the difference. https://navitasorganics.com/blogs/navitaslife/whats-the-difference-between-cocoa-and-cacao
Please feel free to let me know about corrections in the future as I often miss them myself!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Jane
Fantastic! I love the froth from the Vitamix! Now I have my chocolate fix.
Tami Kramer
Hi Jane!
I am so glad you like it!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Karen Harris
I just tried the hot chocolate recipe tonight for the first time. It was great! It was very chocolatey and decadent tasting. I loved it and plan to make it again soon. I need to try your cookie recipe so I can have one with my hot chocolate. Thanks for adding healthy, enjoyable recipes to our lifestyle!
Tami Kramer
Hi Karen,
I am so glad you liked the hot chocolate.
Happy Healthy New Year!
Tami
Rose
I’ve tired to so many homemade vegan hot chocolates and yours is the best! Even better than the $5 raw almond milk hot chocolate at my local natural food store. I look forward to exploring your website. Thank you for sharing and for your generosity!
Tami Kramer
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. Have a beautiful day!