This quick and easy oat milk hot chocolate is so delicious, creamy and rich in chocolatey flavor. Ready within 5 minutes, made using only 4 ingredients and completely vegan and dairy-free!
Other than my regular vanilla matcha latte, I have been obsessed with this cardamom latte and this lemongrass ginger tea to help me stay warm on a cold day. Or this high-protein hot chocolate when I need an extra protein boost.
But this weekend, I wanted something that my whole family would want to enjoy, including my kids, so I made a super simple vegan oat milk hot chocolate using cacao powder.
I like to turn mine into a turmeric hot chocolate or a chai chocolate latte by adding some spices, but for my kids, I served theirs with all the toppings, especially oat whipped cream and chocolate chips.
This dairy-free hot chocolate comes together in under 5 minutes and using raw cacao powder makes this hot drink healthier and rich in antioxidants.
So, next time you crave something chocolatey, I hope you give this recipe a try! 🤎
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Made in 5 minutes using only 4 simple ingredients
- Perfect for the whole family, including kids!
- Easy to customize and can adjust sweetness to your liking
- Healthier treat when craving something sweet
- Super creamy and rich texture, thanks to the combo of oat milk and raw cacao powder.
- Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Oat milk: I used the oat milk from the brand Oatly.
- Raw cacao powder: cacao powder is great because it is less processed and contains a lot of antioxidants, although cocoa powder will work too for this recipe if that's all you have. It also provides a richer chocolatey flavor.
- Vegan chocolate chips: I used the allergen-free mini chocolate chips from the brand Enjoy Life. For a hot chocolate recipe entirely made using cacao powder, than just skip the chocolate chips!
- Sweetener: use any kind you like! I love maple syrup for drinks, but you can also use agave nectar or brown rice syrup. Monk fruit sugar or other granulated sugar such as coconut sugar would work well too and dissolve easily since you have to warm up the milk.
⭐️ Full list of ingredients (+ quantities) down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
This is a good basic vegan hot chocolate to vary and personalize to your taste. Here are a few ideas:
- Vanilla hot chocolate: I didn’t add any this time, but feel-free to include about ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract when making your hot chocolate. Simply add it to the milk when warming it up. Vanilla will boost the sweetness and also deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Spiced hot chocolate: add spices for more flavor, such as cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, nutmeg, etc. Combine with the milk when adding the cacao powder.
- Peppermint hot chocolate: would be amazing during the holiday season! Simply add a small amount of peppermint extract to the milk.
🍽 How to make oat milk hot chocolate
Step 1: In a small pot, add the oat milk, sweetener (start with less to add more later as needed) and raw cacao powder. Whisk well until well combined and warm up on medium heat stirring once in a while. You don't want to "cook" the milk, so watch carefully (the milk can overflow if boiling) and turn down the heat as needed.
Step 2: Once the cacao milk is hot, then add the chocolate chips and turn off the heat. Stir well and let the chocolate chips melt, which should take 1-2 minutes. Pour into your serving mug and decorate (or not) as you wish with vegan whipped cream and more chocolate chips.
⭐️ Detailed recipe (+ video) down below in the recipe card!
💡 Helpful tips
- Start with less sweetener when first combining the ingredients. You will also eventually add some chocolate chips, which will bring more sweetness as well.
- The cacao powder can be tricky to combine with milk because of its super fine texture. I recommend to use a small whisk and keep whisking until there are no clumps, which might take a whole minute.
- Feel free to pour the hot chocolate through a small colander into your serving mug if you notice there are still a few lumps.
🍴 Serving suggestions
We love serving our hot chocolate with vegan whipped cream. This time, I used the store-bought oat whipped cream from the brand 365, but you can use any kind of store-bought whipped cream you like, there are so many brands that are plant-based now!
For a bit of a healthier twist, then make your own whipped cream using canned coconut milk. It is really easy to make and is whipped within 5 minutes, although you will need to plan ahead and chill the can for a few hours beforehand.
Garnish with more vegan chocolate chips like shown in the pictures, or, you can also shave some vegan dark chocolate, sprinkle some more raw cacao powder or drizzle some vegan chocolate sauce over your drink. You could also top with a few vegan mini marshmallows if you have them.
For a complete treat, then serve your hot chocolate drink with homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, vegan matcha cookies or these no bake peanut butter fudge bites.
❓ FAQs
Yes, you can. I find oat milk to be best at making lattes and hot drinks since is it super creamy and thicker without a watery feeling to it. But, you can make your hot chocolate also using soy milk or almond milk as well.
Yes, you can! If you do, then let it cool down a bit at room temperature and then, simply seal it and transfer it to the fridge. To serve, warm it up on the stove or using the microwave.
Yes, we did drink some leftovers cold straight from the fridge and it was amazing! It gives a thick and rich chocolate milk that's very flavorful.
🍫 More vegan chocolate drink recipes you might like
🥛 More oat milk drink recipes to try!
I hope you like this oat milk hot chocolate recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat milk - unsweetened, I used Oatly
- 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp sweetener of your choice - I used maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vegan dark chocolate chips - I used vegan mini chips from Enjoy Life
To serve (choose 1-2 topping, optional)
- vegan whipped cream - I used the oat whipped cream from 365
- vegan marshmallow
- shaved vegan dark chocolate
- mini vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine the oat milk, cacao powder and sweetener in a small pot and warm up on medium heat until steamy hot (but not boiling). You will have to whisk for about a minute to get a uniform texture and incorporate the cacao powder in the milk. Once hot, then turn off the heat.
- Add the chocolate chips, let them melt for 1-2 minute and stir well to combine.
- Pour the hot chocolate into your serving mug and decorate as you wish. Serve right away.
Video
Notes
- You can make this recipe ahead and keep in the fridge for a few days. To serve, drink it cold or warm up using the stove or the microwave.
- Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking with more or less sweetener and cacao powder. Also, you can add some vanilla extract, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric powder or peppermint extract.
- I highly recommend to use raw cacao powder instead of cocoa powder. It is less processed and contains more healthy antioxidants.
- My favorite sweetener for drink is maple syrup, but you can also use agave nectar or even granulated sugar, such as monk fruit sugar or coconut sugar (it should dissolve well since you will warm up the milk).
- Oat milk is my favorite choice of plant-based milk to make hot drinks as it is super creamy, thicker and does not give your drink a watery feeling. But, if you only have almond milk or soy milk, use this instead!
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
OMG this was a success, super delicious
Hi Ellie, that's great! I'm glad you liked it! 🙂