Delicious Peppermint Hot Chocolate perfect for the holiday season! It's super easy to make and it's sweetened with homemade peppermint syrup! Enjoy this decadent cup of joy with extra whipped cream this Christmas.
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Why You'll Love This Hot Chocolate
Perfect for Christmas - Hot chocolate is one of my favorite drinks to make during winter and especially during the holidays. This recipe is special because it adds that minty flavor we connect to Christmas. It's just like dark peppermint chocolate but in a drink form!
Quick and easy - You only need a few simple ingredients to make this hot chocolate and it takes about 5 minutes to prepare! If you're using your own Peppermint Syrup, I recommend making it ahead of time to speed things up.
Better than Starbucks - I've made a good amount of Starbucks copycat recipes and knew I had to make at least one from their Christmas lineup too. It has all the delicious flavors the original has but way less sugar. Starbucks uses sweetened mocha syrup but this recipe uses real cacao powder. Check out my favorite Rooibos Rose Tea Latte.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Almond milk - I find good creamy almond milk makes this hot chocolate extra decadent and creamy and but any milk you like works here. Cashew milk is my second favorite but whole milk, oat milk, rice milk, or any other milk works great. You could even use canned coconut milk but keep in mind it will make the hot chocolate much thicker.
- Chocolate - I like using cacao powder and chocolate chips or chopped chocolate to make the hot chocolate extra decadent.
- Peppermint Simple Syrup - You can use store-bought or homemade syrup. My homemade version has only 3 ingredients and takes about 15 minutes to make. You can store it in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for longer!
- Peppermint extract - If you don't want to make peppermint syrup, you can use just peppermint extract and maple syrup or cane sugar instead. Remember a little goes a long way with this extract, you really don't want it to taste like toothpaste. This will depend on how strong your peppermint extract is but mine is by Simply Organic and I use only ¼ teaspoon for a single serving.
Step-by-Step Instructions
If you're making your own peppermint syrup, I highly recommend you do this ahead of time so it only takes you a few minutes to make the hot chocolate. It lasts up to 14 days in the fridge or longer in the freezer.
- Add cane sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer the syrup for 10 minutes.
- Take off the heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Start with ¼ tsp, taste it, and add more to taste. Every brand of peppermint extract might have a different strength.
- Pour the syrup into a glass bottle or a jar and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Wait for it to cool down before closing with a tight-fitting lid.
- To make the peppermint hot chocolate, first you warm up the milk in a small saucepan.
- Just when it starts simmering, take it off the heat and add cacao powder, chocolate chips, and peppermint syrup or peppermint extract.
- Whisk or stir until the chocolate chips dissolve and the cacao is well mixed in.
- Bring it back to a simmer for just a minute. This will help thicken the drink slightly.
- Take it off the heat and use a milk frother to froth the hot chocolate. This is an optional step but I highly recommend it. It makes the drink really decadent and helps to blend everything well together. I have a little handheld milk frother I got for less than $20 and it's perfect for this.
Storing and Serving
- This drink is best served right away while it's still hot.
- I like to add whipped cream and some crushed-up candy cane on top for serving. You can crush the candy canes using a wooden cutting board, a ziplock bag, and a kitchen mallet, or a small hammer. Be careful when doing this, it won't take much force to crush them.
- You can also serve it with some marshmallows or these gluten-free gingerbread cookies on the side.
- I don't recommend storing this drink at all. It's really easy to make right before serving, and it won't be the same if you refrigerate and reheat it.
- If you made your own syrup, you can store it in the fridge for 2 weeks in an airtight jar.
FAQs
In short, yes. It's not a healthy drink per se but it's only sweetened with a small amount of maple syrup instead of regular sugar and if you skip the coconut whipped cream, you know exactly how much sugar goes in!
Very small amounts, but yes, the recipe uses raw cacao powder which naturally contains caffeine. All cacao has caffeine so if you're trying to avoid it, I recommend using carob powder instead.
The one I use is made with coconut milk and I got it at Wholefoods. I'd look at a health food store near you that usually carries healthier or vegan products.
More Hot Chocolate Recipes
So far, I've shared three other different recipes for vegan hot chocolates and they're all my favorite! Especially the gingerbread one for this time of the year!
- Christmas Spice Hot Chocolate (gingerbread flavored)
- The Best Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Almond Chai Hot Chocolate
📖 Recipe
Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A delicious cup of warming creamy hot chocolate with vegan whipped cream and crushed candy cane.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk (sub cashew or oat milk)
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
- 1 tbsp Peppermint Simple Syrup or ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- vegan whipped cream (optional, for serving)
- 1 candy cane, crushed or chopped (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Pour the almond milk into a small pot and bring to a soft boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to boil, take it off the heat. Add the maple syrup, cacao powder, chocolate chips, and peppermint syrup or extract. Whisk or stir until it’s all combined and the chocolate chips are melted.
- Bring back to a simmer for 1 minute. This will thicken it slightly. Take off heat and use a handheld milk frother to froth the hot chocolate. Alternatively, you can pour it into a blender and blend for a few seconds to froth (be very careful as it’s very hot).
- Pour into a cup, top with whipped cream and crushed candy cane if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Crushed candy cane: Place your candy canes in a ziplock bag and close letting all the air out. Place it on a wooden cutting board and carefully crush it using a kitchen mallet or a small hammer. Be careful, it doesn't take much strength to do this.
Substitutes for peppermint syrup: maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, date sugar, agave, stevia, or erythritol.
Other optional toppings: vegan marshmallows, cinnamon, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream with chocolate shavings
Rosey
Oh my goodness. This is perfect for New Year's Eve. I'd love to make this for the fam, and maybe I will!
Angela
Ong I love it. Never heard about vegan whipping cream. I ll check it out ..
Knycx Journeying
I love the taste of peppermint and it sounds perfect to match with chocolate, thanks a lot for sharing the recipe and I would love to try it during the year-end holiday at home this weekend! - Knycx Journeying
Nikola Roza
Wonderful recipe Veronika,
I'm a vegan, love chocolate and peppermint. I also get to try cashew milk. Never had it but now's the chance to try.
Thank you!
Erik the Hungry Traveller
the texture looks thick which i actually love. never heard of vegan whip cream so this is a new discovery for me.
Nimra khan
This recipe looks so yummy and delicious. This is perfect to make in New Year's Evening.