The Best Vegan Hot Chocolate!

Best vegan hot chocolate in mug with whip cream

4.99 from 50 votes

The Best Vegan Hot Chocolate!

Learn how to make the BEST Vegan Hot Chocolate EVER! Even readers agree! Just 6 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes! This is better than the dairy versions I used to drink. Semi-sweet chocolate and cocoa powder are what gives a rich chocolate flavor!

Prep Time5

Cook Time4

Total Time9

Servings: cups/mugs

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Brandi Doming

Ingredients

One 13.5 oz can "lite" coconut milk (this truly is the best milk to make hot chocolate, I would advise against subbing as others I've tried were not good. Lite leaves NO coconut taste!)
2 tablespoons (12g) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 heaping tablespoons (40g) semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
1-2 tablespoons (20g) maple syrup, depending on your sweet-o-meter, I did 2
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground espresso or instant coffee
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Optional: whipped cream, shaved chocolate, marshmallows, etc.

NOTE

I recommend Thai Kitchen brand for the lite coconut milk. It is amazing and always so smooth and creamy, not watery. Many brands can be rather watery and not smooth.

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend for a few minutes on high until completely smooth and frothy.
Add the mixture to a pot over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, whisk continuously for about 4 minutes until well heated, the chocolate has completely melted and has thickened just a bit. You don't want to overcook it, or it will get too thick.
I found this to be the perfect level of sweetness, but if you want yours a tad sweeter, add a little more maple syrup. Remove and pour into mugs and add whipped cream, shaved chocolate, marshmallows, cinnamon, etc. Enjoy!
This makes enough for 2 mugs. If you are just wanting 1 serving, then place the rest in the fridge and when you are ready to use it, give it a good whisk and reheat on low.

Notes

COCONUT MILK: Using lite coconut milk yields the perfect creamy texture and taste. It is neutral in flavor (the lite leaves no coconut taste) and it is neither too thick or too thin of a milk. However, if you are allergic, I would suggest to try a high quality really creamy oat milk instead. Other milks like almond and rice milk will be much more watery and less rich, and will not taste nearly as good in both flavor or texture.

Nutrition