Now is the season of holiday parties, nights curled up by the fire (or at least under a warm blanket), and hot chocolate. For the upcoming holiday season with all the cookie parties, dinners, and events for the kids I really wanted to develop a creamy dairy free hot chocolate that everyone could enjoy, myself included. I wanted a recipe that was creamy and rich because that is what people expect with hot chocolate.
Many milk alternatives tend to be the opposite of creamy, or in the case of coconut milk, extremely creamy with a hint of coconut flavor. I decided to try a blend of my two favorite milks and see what I could come up with. What I came up with was a rich and creamy hot chocolate all at Thanksgiving dinner enjoyed.
I made this version in a crockpot but you could easily do it stovetop as well. I combined two 14.5 oz cans of full fat coconut milk with 8 cups silk brand unsweetened almond milk with 1 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 1/2 teaspoons of real sea salt. When it comes to chocolate, salt really enhances the flavor and I definitely do not recommend skipping it. Salt is good for you and with 16 servings, you will not consume a whole lot of it, so enjoy your hot chocolate!
As with any recipe, your taste buds might be different than mine. Some people prefer a more savory chocolate so less sugar would be better and a bit more salt. Some people prefer something sweeter, and you should feel free to add 1/4 cup more at a time to taste.
Once all the ingredients are in your pot of choice, use a whisk to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. A spoon won’t get the job done since the cocoa powder sits on top. If you are using a crockpot, heat on high for two hours, stirring occasionally. Once warm, keep on the warm setting otherwise it’ll become too hot and might burn. Taste the chocolate once warmed to make sure you still like the flavor, adjust if necessary and enjoy!
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, vegan and vegetarian friendly.
Creamy Dairy Free Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 14.5 ounce cans of full fat coconut milk
- 8 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 3 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a large crockpot or soup pot, add in all ingredients.
- Mix together with a whisk until cocoa powder has mixed in completely.
- In a crockpot, heat on high for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Once hot, reduce to the keep warm setting. Keep covered until ready to serve.
- Stovetop, heat on medium until hot with the lid on, stirring occasionally. You do not want it to boil. Reduce to the lowest setting your stovetop will go and keep covered until ready to serve.
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This sounds delicious Marian! I can’t wait to try it with my grandchildren. Although, Pennsylvania hasn’t been very cold so far this winter to crave Hot Chocolate, we were sitting at 60 degrees Thanksgiving Day! But I know it’s just a matter of time before we will all be out sledding and coming in for a delicious cup of hot chocolate! Thank you!
Hi Mary,
Here in Phoenix it’s rarely cold enough so we just enjoy it anyways haha 🙂 I would love to know how your grandchildren like the recipe though whenever you do try it.
This is very similar to the one I make at my house – I use organic cacao powder, and honey for the sweetener (sometimes stevia). You’re right about adding the sea salt to enhance the chocolate flavour – it really does work!
I’ve also started adding organic cacao butter or coconut oil – both make a really creamy drink.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Patricia,
I thought about using honey in this recipe and it would definitely work. I wanted something that tasted a bit more mainstream for this recipe but honey is definitely my sweetener of choice in my day to day life.
oh wow Mariam! LOVE this! the coconut milk and vanilla..what great mix! I never thought about using a crock pot but what a great idea for a group- I will try this out when I go home for the holidays!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
I would love to know how everyone likes it!
I love hot chocolate. I never thought of putting it into the crockpot, great idea! Thanks for posting. I really appreciate the dairy free option.
It is nice to have a dairy free option. I always miss out on party hot chocolate because it’s always cows milk.
Here in New England we look forward to hot chocolate after a skating party on the pond in winter. We love your dairy free option. Sea salt is a fabulous idea! Sometimes we sweeten with maple syrup, Grade B. We used to use Grade A but have found Grade B to have more nutrients. Thanks for the post!
This is a delicious dairy free alternative and using the crock pot is a fun way to keep it going during the day. I will be trying this with my family. Thank you!
sounds yummy, I’d like to make, but what size crock pot? One of those Huge ones, or an average 4-6 qt?
Thank you,
Nicola
Great question! I use a my 7 quart crock pot (because that’s all I have.) I hope that helps!
Marian,
Thank you so much! I have a 4.5qt, I think it will be large enough. How do you like the cocoa recipe with coconut milk, its the first I’ve seen made this way. My son has food allergies and we have soymilk but i can try the almond milk if it would taste better?
It will be my first time using a crock pot for cocoa. 🙂