Classic Vegan Hot Chocolate (+ make your own mix)
Nothing beats drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate (a classic vegan one no less) to ring in the holiday season. Smooth and creamy chocolatey goodness in a mug! This post includes 2 ways of making vegan hot chocolate, both easy and delicious!
The first recipe is to make a rich and indulgent one directly in the mug (so no dishes!). And with the second recipe you’ll see how simple it is to make your own homemade mix so you can have a cup ready in no time.
how to make a classic vegan hot chocolate
These recipes could not be simpler. And even with their simplicity, they don’t sacrifice on flavour. Cocoa powder intensifies the chocolate flavour while the dark chocolate makes it rich and creamier. You can also use chocolate chips, it will just result in a slightly thicker and maybe sweeter drink.
All you’ll need to do if you’re making the first one is combine all the ingredients in your mug and heat it in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted and smooth. It will look strange and lumpy initially, but don’t worry it will all come together.
And as mentioned, there are no dishes involved! Except the mug and teaspoons obviously. If you’re making more than one portion, it’s the same process but in a saucepan (sorry, that’s where the “no dishes” stops).
Once it’s heated and creamy, you can top it with whatever you like. Vegan marshmallows, meringue, store-bought vegan whipped cream or homemade coconut whip, etc. I opted for some grated dark chocolate cause you can never have enough chocolate, let’s be real.
DIY vegan mix
As for the homemade vegan hot chocolate mix, whisking all the ingredients together is all there is to it. Then you can store it in a jar indefinitely. As easy as that!
When you’re ready for some liquid gold, combine 1 tbsp of the mix with 250g (1 cup) of hot plant based milk and stir until smooth. Then the same topping options apply. It tastes the same as any store-bought hot chocolate but without any additives or artificial flavours!
It also makes for a great gift or stocking stuffer (or peace offering if you had a heated holiday season). This amount makes 8 mugs of hot chocolate but you can easily up the quantities to make as much mix as you want.
In both cases, you can customize your hot chocolate once it’s made by adding some rhum, bourbon, vegan Baileys, peppermint extract, coffee, etc. You could even add coconut milk or store-bought vegan cream if you like it extra rich. Or perhaps some pumpkin purée to make a pumpkin hot chocolate? So many possibilities, have fun with it! And if you’re not a chocolate person, maybe you’ll prefer this caramel earl grey.
If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!
Classic Vegan Hot Chocolate and Homemade Mix
Ingredients
One mug hot chocolate (1 serving)
- 15 g dairy-free dark chocolate
- 1 ½ tsp cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract or paste
- pinch of salt
- 170 g plant based milk, I used cashew milk
Hot chocolate mix (8 servings)
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 10 g finely grated dairy-free dark chocolate, or one extra tsp of cocoa powder
- 40 g white granulated sugar, make sure it’s vegan
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
One mug hot chocolate
- Stir the ingredients together in the mug then microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring with a spoon or fork between each one, until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain. Mine took 1 minute and 30 seconds, this will depend on your microwave.
Hot chocolate mix
- Whisk together the ingredients then store in a jar (away from heat if you made it with grated chocolate).
- When you want to make a cup, combine 1 tbsp of the mix with 250g (1 cup) of plant based milk and heat in the microwave in 30 second bursts until it’s smooth.
Notes
- You can use chocolate chips if that’s all you have, your hot chocolate will just be slightly thicker and a bit sweeter.
- If you don’t want to finely grate some chocolate, you can just add an extra tsp of cocoa powder as mentioned or add about 3 chocolate chips (or one small piece of dark chocolate) to your mug every time you make your hot chocolate.
- The brown sugar in the first recipe can be replaced with the sweetener of your choice (maple, coconut sugar, date sugar, etc.)