Oat Milk Hot Chocolate

This oat milk hot chocolate is a the perfect sweet and cozy treat! I love a mug on a cold night, especially with a bit of whipped cream on top.

Ingredients

Chocolate

This is the time to pick a bittersweet chocolate, not something semisweet (or even milk chocolate). This way, you can control exactly how sweet the hot chocolate is, since it’s always easier to add more sugar, not take it away.

If you can, I’d use a chocolate bar, rather than chips. Chocolate chips have more stabilizer in them to make sure they hold those distinct chip shapes, so they are a little more stubborn when it comes to melting.

Oat Milk

I recommend using a plain, unflavored and unsweetened oat milk. This allows you to control the final hot chocolate as much as possible, and you can always add your own flavorings and/or sweetness.

Also, pick an oat milk you know is creamy. If it’s too watery, you won’t get a rich hot chocolate, even if you’re using good chocolate.

This oat milk pumpkin spice latte is another decadent drink if you need ideas for how to use up the rest of the oat milk.

How to Make

I prefer making this recipe in the microwave, since it’s so easy and fast.

Combine the chocolate, oat milk, salt and sugar in a microwaveable container, then microwave in 30 second increments until the chocolate is melty enough to combine into the milk. Stir after each 30 second increment to test how soft the chocolate is.

Alternatively, you can make this on the stove over medium-low heat.

Keep a closer eye on the chocolate, especially if your stove is powerful. You may need to stir the hot chocolate more frequently, and make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pot to avoid abandoned chocolate scorching.

No burnt chocolate here, please and thank you.

Substitutions and Variations

Add-Ins

This hot chocolate is plenty creamy for me, but if you want yours even more luxurious, you can add a splash of half and half or cream.

You can even keep it vegan by pouring in a helping of coconut milk (though this will impart a slight coconut flavor – delicious), or some sort of non-dairy creamer.

Also want to note that this drink is closer to a liquidy hot chocolate, rather than a thick drinking chocolate texture. If you want something closer to the latter, you can add more chocolate, which will make the drink taste more chocolate-y (surprise, surprise), as well as thicker.

Other possible add-ins could include flavorings like vanilla, peppermint extract, almond extract, or even a little bit of orange extract or orange zest.

Ofc, you can spike it with coffee, almond or orange liqueur, or Irish cream. Happy drinking~

Toppings

Your brain probably thought of the classic whipped cream and marshmallow combo, which is always a good idea.

For the batch you see in these pictures, I went with a mint-y vibe, complete with some chopped up chocolate with mint cream in it. Candy canes, peanut butter cups, or another chocolate candy that easily melts would also be tasty!

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Can’t say I’ve done it, but you could freeze the hot chocolate into cubes, then blend them up for a frosty, slushy frozen hot chocolate. Let me know if you end up trying this variation, I’m curious to know how it is!

Make Ahead / Storage

This recipe is pretty quick and easy, so I have a feeling you won’t need to make it ahead. You definitely can though, if you know you’ll be running short on time or you’re trying to make a big batch for a party or get together.

Make the hot chocolate, then let it cool til lukewarm or room temperature. Store the hot chocolate in the fridge in an airtight (and leakproof!) container for up to a few days.

It’ll thicken considerably as the chocolate cools, so re-heat over the stove or in the microwave until warmed through, and you’re good to go.

Tips

Chopped Chocolate

Make sure to chop or break up the chocolate into small, even-ish pieces. This will ensure that the chocolate melts evenly and thoroughly.

This is definitely more important if you’re making this recipe over the stove, since you don’t want the chocolate to scorch and burn.

Salt

Salt is important in any drinks, since it works to enhance any of the flavors involved. Doesn’t matter if it’s something creamy like this matcha Thai tea latte, or refreshing and fruity like this lemon soju cocktail.

So make sure you add a pinch to your beverages!

4 from 1 vote

Print

Oat Milk Hot Chocolate

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 min

Total Time

6 mins

 

This oat milk hot chocolate is creamy and decadent, perfect for a post-dinner hit of chocolate.

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate, dark chocolate, decaf, egg-free, gluten-free, non-alcoholic, nut-free, oat milk, vegetarian

Servings: 1 person

Calories: 353 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
• ¾ cup oat milk
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Place everything in a microwave safe container, and microwave in 30 second intervals. Check every 30 seconds, stirring every so often to see if the chocolate is melted enough.
2. Once the chocolate is melted enough, stir everything together until homogeneous and you don’t see many flecks of dark chocolate left.
3. Add your favorite toppings and serve hot!

Recipe Notes

This is definitely a hot chocolate recipe rather than a drinking chocolate recipe, meaning that it’s on the thinner, less chocolate-y side of hot chocolate-like drinks. That being said, you can definitely add more chocolate (and sugar) if you’d like, though adding more chocolate will make the drink thicker.