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Oat milk hot chocolate isa creamy, rich, decadent hot drink, perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth. Made with a delicious combination of simple ingredients, and filled with deep chocolate flavor, this oat hot chocolate will be your new favorite indulgence! It also happens to be vegan, plant based, and dairy free!
If you're looking for a healthy hot cocoa recipe to enjoy this holiday season, this homemade oat milk hot chocolate is it!
Hot chocolate is usually high in dairy fat and refined sugars. But this tasty oat milk hot cocoa has healthy fats, less sugar, and creamy oat milk instead, making it a healthier option that's just as delicious as the traditional version.
You can enjoy this drink knowing that it's a better-for-you, vegan friendly variation of that classic drink you've always loved! The best part? It's ready in less than 10 minutes! I promise this will quickly become your favorite cozy drink all year round!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- A healthy alternative to traditional hot chocolate
- Contains healthy fats
- Made with all natural ingredients
- Less sugar than other hot cocoa recipes
- Easy to make, takes less than 10 minutes!
- Can be made vegan
- Perfect drink to warm up on a cold day, but great all year round!
- Plant-based recipe
- Kid-friendly
- Best oat milk hot chocolate recipe ever!
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
This recipe only requires four simple ingredients! These are easy to find and can be bought at any grocery store or even online. For the detailed instructions and nutritional information, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Unsweetened Oat Milk: Dairy-free oat milk is in all grocery stores these days as it has grown greatly in popularity. It's a great alternative to whole milk, as it's creamy and rich but totally dairy-free. Any brand will do, but the best oat milk for a really creamy texture is one that has a higher fat content (check the nutritional label). This will give your cocoa oat milk a thicker and frothier texture. Make sure the milk has no added sugar (again, check the nutritional label before purchasing!)
- Cinnamon Sticks: Cinnamon sticks can be found in the spice aisle of your grocery store or ordered online.They add warm spice to this vegan hot chocolate.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder can be found in the baking aisle of any grocery store. If you want your recipe to be vegan, make sure you get cocoa powder and not hot cocoa powder which may contain dried milk or milk powder.
- Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup is the healthiest option and is vegan friendly, so go for that if you can. Most grocery stores have at least one pure maple syrup option. You can adjust the amount of sweetener based on your preferences!
📖 Variations
- Add More or Different Toppings: Toppings like peppermint, vegan marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate syrup, dark chocolate chips, vegan whipped cream, shaved chocolate, or butterscotch chips can add more fun and flavor to your hot chocolate oat milk recipe.
- Substitute A Different Type Of Milk: There are lots of different kinds of plant milk and many of them would be great options for this recipe. Some of the most common plant-based milk types are almond, coconut, soy, rice, hazelnut, sunflower, and cashew milk. The list actually goes on, but those are the most common. Of course, you can always use cow's milk if you prefer as well.
- Add Different Flavors: Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, a candy cane to stir your hot cocoa, peppermint extract, or even a pinch of cayenne pepper, if you're feeling spicy, will give your cup of hot chocolate a unique taste.
🔪 Instructions
Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make hot chocolate with oat milk:
Add The Milk And Cinnamon Stick: In a small saucepan, heat oat milk and cinnamon stick together. Bring the two to a gentle simmer, but be careful not to let the oat milk boil.
Make Chocolate Paste: While your milk and cinnamon stick simmer, add the cocoa powder to a small bowl. Remove ¼ cup of the heated milk and stir it and the maple syrup through the cocoa powder to form a paste.
Combine Paste With Remaining Milk: Whisk the paste into the saucepan of heated milk along with the maple syrup.
Simmer, Adjust Sweetness, Serve: Allow the mixture to simmer gently for 2 minutes. Sweetness can be adjusted to suit by adding more maple syrup if you want extra sweetness. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick, and pour this healthy hot chocolate with oat milk into your mug of choice. Your oat hot chocolate can be served as is or top with whipped coconut cream, mini marshmallows, a dash of cinnamon, or any of the variations mentioned above.
❓Recipe FAQs
CAN YOU MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH OAT MILK?
Yes, warm oat milk is delicious and a great option for a milk substitute in many hot drink recipes, especially creamy hot chocolate! It's creamy, mild, and also happens to froth up really nicely!
BEST NON-DAIRY MILK FOR HOT CHOCOLATE?
The best non-dairy milk option for dairy free hot chocolate is actually oat milk! It's the creamiest of all of the plant based milks, and is only slightly thinner than regular milk. Other good options would be unsweetened soy milk or full fat coconut milk (as long as you don't mind the coconut flavor along with your hot cocoa). Almond milk, cashew milk, and other plant milks will work but will give you a thinner, less creamy hot cocoa.
IS HOT CHOCOLATE VEGAN?
Typically no, traditional hot chocolate is not vegan. But hot cocoa can be made vegan by substituting with plant milk, using cocoa powder instead of hot chocolate powder, as well vegan-friendly marshmallows, vegan chocolate chips and other vegan toppings!
IS OAT MILK HOT CHOCOLATE HEALTHY?
The answer is - it depends on how much sugar you add! Traditional hot cocoa is more like a dessert since it's calorically dense, high in fat, and higher in sugar than what you would want to be drinking on a regular basis.
But, if you add sugar in moderation, then making plant-based or vegan oat milk hot chocolate is definitely healthier than traditional hot chocolate recipes. Oat milk is lower in fat than whole milk, is dairy free (so it reduces inflammation) - making it a healthier milk option for hot cocoa. When paired with less sugar, it can be a healthy hot drink to enjoy!
This hot chocolate made with oat milk has only about 150 calories and 6 grams of sugar per serving, making it much healthier than regular hot cocoa!
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH OAT MILK?
Any leftover hot chocolate can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
HOW TO SERVE HOT COCOA WITH OAT MILK?
Use one of the variations listed above for serving or get creative. If you have kids, let them use their imaginations and come up with their own flavor options to make their own personalized cozy drink. Try crumbled gingerbread cookies or anything sweet or salty that sounds good to you! Even a pinch of salt in this sweet drink will give it great flavor.
💭 Expert Tips
- For best results, whisk the warm milk through the cocoa powder to form a paste - this helps to eliminate lumps in the hot cocoa.
- To give the hot cocoa extra rich chocolate flavor, try adding some dairy free dark chocolate to the saucepan when adding the cocoa powder paste.
- To reheat leftovers, gently bring to a simmer for 2 minutes in a small pot on the stove, stirring continuously.
- Any sweetener can be used such as brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey or agave nectar. Keep in mind, honey isn't vegan. You can also use monk fruit to make this a sugar-free hot chocolate recipe.
