Desserts, Drinks · January 14, 2015

Coconutty Vegan Hot Chocolate

Name: Coconutty Vegan Hot Chocolate
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk; 1 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (I’ve made it both ways); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup shredded coconut (for garnish)

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Creamy coconut milk makes this easy vegan hot chocolate even better than the packaged stuff. Best of all, it’s ready in just 5 minutes!

I wasn’t really sure if we had bypassed hot chocolate season, or if it still felt like an all around winter drink. I feel like hot chocolate goes all gang busters around Christmas, but then it gets neglected right away after all the lights and decorations are long gone. Me? I’ll drink vegan hot chocolate anytime during the cooler months, especially if it isn’t the powdered stuff.

Honestly, I used to LOVE the hot chocolate with the tiny marshmallows in the package. We didn’t get it all the time, but when we did, it was the hot chocolate I always made a beeline for. Not only are you drinking a mug of piping hot melted chocolate (ok chocolate powder thing), but there were also a mess of cute little marshmallows floating around and getting all melty at the same time. Who can beat that?

Now that I know how easy it is make homemade vegan hot chocolate, I will abandon the packaged stuff for the cup of real deal chocolate anyday! Ever since I got this baby, which is now my favorite kitchen appliance, I can’t stop finding recipes to use it for, including this hot chocolate. If you don’t have a Vitamix, this is just as easy to make on the stovetop and takes just as long.

My favorite vegan chocolate to use in this recipe is the big bar of dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s, which ends up being pretty good quality and fairly cheap (although we burn through them like nobody’s business around here). Since I made mine in the blender I added a handful of shredded coconut to the hot chocolate itself, but feel free to leave that out if you are cooking on the stovetop. Also, word to the wise, this is just as good piping hot and after it’s chilled in the freezer for a bit, so either way, this dessert-y drink is perfect!

How to make vegan hot chocolate

Because this coconut vegan hot chocolate uses so few ingredients, it’s important that you buy the best quality that you can. For this coconut hot chocolate recipe, I used light coconut milk (make sure your coconut milk is free of weird additives and thickeners!), real chocolate, and pure vanilla extract. That’s it!

To make vegan hot chocolate, simply combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and warm until the chocolate is fully melted. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate like white chocolate or flavored chocolate bars. You can also use different non-dairy milks for this vegan hot chocolate recipe, but I personally love the flavor of chocolate and coconut. Although now that I’m thinking about it, a vegan hot chocolate made with almond milk and a tiny bit of peanut butter would make for a heavenly Reese’s-like drink…

If you want to be extra cute, you can keep this vegan hot chocolate warming in a slow cooker whenever you have guests over. Put some shredded coconut in a bowl next to the mugs and let guests serve themselves. (Bonus points if you’ve whipped up a batch of vegan marshmallows to go with your cocoa!).

More vegan drink recipes on Heart of a Baker: