Healthy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Get ready for an easy and healthy vegan hot chocolate you can make on the stovetop this winter! Packed with the sweetness of Medjool dates and the richness of dark chocolate, it will be your favorite festive drink.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This healthy vegan hot chocolate is adjustable! You can use coffee to turn it into mocha, date seed, or chicory drink for depth of flavor, or extra plant-based milk for a straight-up hot chocolate experience.
- This indulgent drink is flavored with Medjool dates, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. The result is a thick, rich festive drink you can enjoy all winter!
- Making hot chocolate on a stovetop is underrated! The components are easy to combine and bring up to a sensible drinking temperature.
- It takes very little time and minimal clean-up to make this healthy vegan hot chocolate. If you’re making several drinks, all you need to do is scale up!
- My favorite thing about this drink is that you don’t have to waste any part of the dates. Set the seeds aside to make date seed coffee!
Key Ingredients
- Medjool dates are an easy way to blend in sweetness and caramel flavor into this drink.
- Dark chocolate (check that it is vegan!) is key if you want to create a thick, velvety texture.
- Plant-based milk of choice absorbs and marries all the flavors.
- Coffee adds a hint of bitterness that balances the sweet and indulgent drink. Don’t worry, it’s optional.
Hot Chocolate Around The World
As hot chocolate spread around the world, different cultures adapted the drink to their preferences, creating various regional variations. Here are some examples of hot chocolate variations from different parts of the world:
- Spanish Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Caliente). Thick and rich, Spanish hot chocolate is often served with churros for dipping.
- Italian Cioccolata Calda. Similar to Spanish hot chocolate, Italian hot chocolate is thick and creamy, sometimes almost pudding-like.
- Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Mexicano). Mayan and Aztec influences are still present in Mexican hot chocolate, which can include spices like cinnamon and chili peppers.
- Swiss Hot Chocolate. Famous for its smooth and creamy texture, Swiss hot chocolate usually comes with whipped cream or chocolate shavings.
- French Chocolat Chaud. A rich and velvety hot chocolate, often made with high-quality chocolate and served in small portions.
- American Hot Chocolate. In the United States, hot chocolate ingredients commonly include milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. It’s often served with marshmallows or whipped cream.
Today, hot chocolate is enjoyed worldwide, and variations continue to evolve as people experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations. Whether it’s traditional recipes or modern twists, hot chocolate remains a beloved beverage across cultures.
Hack It!
- Adding coffee gives this healthy vegan hot chocolate extra dimension in terms of flavor. You can also use decaf alternatives like date seed coffee or chicory.
- You can use any plant-based milk for this recipe. Personally, I really like cashew milk because it is so creamy and silky. But honestly, it works with any type of non-dairy milk.
- You can always add something extra to this drink using flavored syrup or essence. Try this healthy vegan hot chocolate with vanilla extract, a few drops of peppermint, or hazelnut coffee syrup.
- You can use traditional hot chocolate toppings like whipped cream (e.g. soy or coconut), sprinkles, or marshmallows. I always make a big batch of homemade plant-based marshmallows for the holiday season.
How to Make Healthy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Step 1: Before we start, we will need to soak the Medjool dates in boiling water to help them soften. Bring about a cup of water to a boil and pour it over the dates in a small bowl.
Step 2: Leave them in the water for a few minutes. Remove the seeds and blend them into a smooth paste.
Step 3: Add the blended dates, coffee, plant-based milk, chopped dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and cinnamon to a non-stick saucepan. Allow it to slowly warm up over medium heat as you whisk the mixture to combine everything together.
That’s it! Serve on its own or with toppings. I love mine with coconut whipped cream and vegan marshmallows, you might also enjoy it with hot milk foam and more cinnamon.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use cashew or oat milk for their creamy quality. However, you can use virtually any vegan milk alternative.
One of my first Scrappy recipes was date seed coffee. It’s caffeine-free, zero-waste, and perfect for this recipe.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Hot Chocolate Granola
- Sweet Potato Hot Chocolate
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Creamer
- Scrappy Strawberry Milk
- Switchel (Nature’s Gatorade)
For even more healthy, plant-based recipes, check out the PlantYou Planner! It’s a digital meal planner that features over 600 delicious vegan recipes! Every recipe, from breakfast and lunch, to Christmas dinner and Valentine’s dessert, can be adjusted to make enough servings for your household size. What’s more, you can take advantage of the FREE beginner vegan meal plan before you make up your mind.
The Recipe: Healthy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 5 medjool dates, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1 cup date seed coffee, regular coffee or more plant-based milk
- ¼ cup dark chocolate, vegan, chopped
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 sprinkle Cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour it over the dates. Allow them to soak for 5 minutes, and then blend until a smooth paste is formed.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the date paste, date seed coffee, plant-based milk, chocolate, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Whisk until everything is combined and heated, then enjoy immediately, with vegan marshmallows and whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- Adding coffee gives this healthy vegan hot chocolate extra dimension in terms of flavor. You can also use decaf alternatives like date seed coffee or chicory.
- You can use any plant-based milk for this recipe. Personally, I really like cashew milk because it is so creamy and silky. But honestly, it works with any type of non-dairy milk.
- You can always add something extra to this drink using flavored syrup or essence. Try this healthy vegan hot chocolate with vanilla extract, a few drops of peppermint, or hazelnut coffee syrup.
- You can use traditional hot chocolate toppings like whipped cream (e.g. soy or coconut), sprinkles, or marshmallows. I always make a big batch of homemade plant-based marshmallows for the holiday season.