recipe
Vegan Hot Chocolate
Rich, deeply chocolatey, perfectly creamy vegan hot chocolate. Five minutes from start to mug. The trick: real chocolate, not just cocoa powder.
Recipe stats
- Prep: 15 minutes
- Cook: 25 minutes
- Total: 40 minutes
- Serves: 4
You’ll need
- 2 cups Plant milk (oat works best)
- 3 oz Vegan dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp Cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Sugar (or maple syrup)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Whisk plant milk and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- When milk is hot but not boiling, add chopped chocolate and sugar. Whisk constantly until chocolate fully melts.
- Add vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Heat through but don’t boil — boiling makes chocolate grainy.
- Pour into mugs. Top with vegan whipped cream, marshmallows (vegan brand), or grated chocolate.
Notes + tips
- Real chopped chocolate (not just cocoa) makes this rich and silky. Use 70%+ dark vegan chocolate.
- Oat milk gives the smoothest result; almond milk works but is slightly thinner.
- For Mexican-style, add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne.
- Make a base concentrate (3x the chocolate, no milk) — keep refrigerated, just heat with milk to serve.
Why this works
This recipe is intentionally simple. The technique stays out of the way of the ingredients. Plant-based cooking generally rewards clean execution over elaborate technique — the flavours are fresher, the texture cleaner, and the result more satisfying when you let good ingredients do most of the work.
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Recipe by the Stay Healthy Vegan editorial team. Tested in our home kitchens before publication.