5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe

5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe

Today we are making a 5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe! Homemade hot chocolate is the ultimate holiday drink that leaves you feeling warm and cozy inside. Not only does this hot cocoa recipe satisfy your chocolate cravings, but it’s also vegan and refined sugar-free! Whether you follow a vegan diet, are looking to reduce your refined sugar intake, or simply enjoy the creamy texture of hot chocolate without dairy, this easy vegan recipe has got you covered.

With just a handful of wholesome ingredients and a few minutes of your time, you can whip up a velvety-smooth, indulgent drink that will warm your soul and bring comfort to any day. So, grab your favorite mug and let’s get started on some plant-based cocoa!

Why You’ll Love This 5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe

Refined Sugar-Free: This dairy free hot cocoa is sweetened with natural, healthier alternatives such as maple syrup or agave nectar. It’s not overly sweet or full of refined sugars, as most hot chocolate mixes are. Plus, the recipe doesn’t use melted chocolate chips which usually adds additional sugar as well! You can opt to add in vegan semisweet chocolate chips for an even sweeter and creamier recipe, but it’s not required.

Convenient: With just a few simple ingredients and a quick preparation time of 5 minutes, this mug of hot chocolate is perfect for busy days or when you’re craving a cozy, indulgent drink without the hassle of a lengthy recipe.

Creamy Without Dairy: Despite being dairy-free, this hot chocolate achieves the same luscious creaminess as traditional recipes. This hot drink uses creamy non-dairy milk, like almond, oat, or coconut milk, which creates a velvety texture that perfectly complements the rich cocoa flavor, all without animal products!

Substitutions: Milk

Milk: Oat milk works great in this tea because of its slightly sweet and nutty flavor. However, another kind of milk like cashew milk, almond milk or another plant-based milk may be a substitute. To keep it refined sugar-free, choose your favorite vegan, unsweetened milk of choice that does not contain any added sugar.

I don’t recommend soy milk, because it tastes different when heated. For the creamiest recipe, the secret ingredient would be full-fat coconut milk, which will provide a subtle hint of the coconut flavor and a richer drink.

Substitutions: Sugar

Maple Syrup: You can control the amount of sugar as desired in this drink. Some hot chocolate is way too sweet, other times it’s toned down. It really depends what you prefer! You can use pure maple syrup as this recipe suggests, or substitute it with another natural sweetener like agave nectar. Even dry sugars such as xylitol or coconut sugar may work, or monkfruit sweetener as a keto sweetener.

Note that the flavor of individual sugars will change the taste of the hot chocolate slightly, and that using brown sugar here will not make this recipe refined sugar-free.

Substitutions: Cacao

Cacao Powder: Cacao and cocoa are powders that come from the cacao bean, with a rich chocolate flavor. Cacao is the raw, unprocessed counterpart to cocoa powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder is easier to find, as this is the type of powder commonly used in baking brownies and other chocolate desserts. You can easily substitute cacao for cocoa, or find cacao in health food stores.

For best results, choose a good quality cacao powder. I enjoy Organic Traditions brand.

Substitutions: Vanilla

Vanilla Extract: For best results, use pure vanilla extract, without added artificial colors and dyes (like caramel color). You can use artificial vanilla flavor as well. However, it may come off as more bitter and not as smooth or sweet as the pure version.

5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe Notes

• Delicious toppings for hot chocolate include vegan whipped cream (hot cocoa needs a whip on top!), melted chocolate drizzle and toasted marshmallows. I placed a vegan marshmallow (Dandies brand is the best!) in a hot oven for a minute just to get it to toast, then used it on this drink.
• Gay Lea brand makes delicious coconut cream based whip. This is usually next to the regular aerosol cans of whipped cream in the grocery store. For a non-coconut-base, ReddiWhip makes an almond based whip instead. There may be other brands providing soy-based whip instead of a nut-based one as well, depending on where you live.
• Note that using the whipped cream, additional melted chocolate and marshmallows will not make the recipe refined sugar-free. Additionally, the vegan marshmallows may also contain soy.
• Add a drop of peppermint extract or a sprinkle of cinnamon into the drink, to change up the flavor!
• Don’t omit the pinch of salt! Adding the salt brings out the flavor even better.

More Drinks You’ll Love

Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Cardamom Rose Latte

Chai Hot Chocolate

Creamy Vegan Eggnog

If you make this 5-Minute Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!