Oat Milk Hot Chocolate

This oat milk hot chocolate recipe is easy to make and it uses simple ingredients.  It only takes 5 minutes to make and it’s customizable to make your vegan hot chocolate extra special. 

The instructions are for a single serving, but hot chocolate with oat milk can be doubled or even tripled.  If you’re looking for an even simpler wintery chocolate beverage, I have a microwave hot cocoa that only uses 3 ingredients.  

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Tips
• Enhance your hot cocoa
• Frequently asked questions
• Instructions
• More dairy-free chocolatey treats
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

Only 4 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed to make this homemade hot chocolate with oat milk.  To dress it up, check out the list of ideas to enhance your chocolatey treat.

Oat milk - The base of this plant-based hot chocolate is oat milk, but any dairy-free milk can be used.  Some dairy-free milks are thinner or thicker than others.  Use your favorite.  Use unsweetened milk to be able to control the sugar.  If you only have sweetened milk, you might want to reduce the maple syrup.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - To keep this dairy-free, use dairy-free chocolate chips.  Some of the sweetness for the hot chocolate with oat milk comes from the chocolate chips, so use the semi-sweet kind.  They also help thicken the beverage.  The chocolate chips can also be substituted with 2 tablespoons of a finely diced chocolate bar.

Cocoa powder - To make the hot chocolate a little more chocolatey, add cocoa powder.  Since we’re not baking either natural or dutch processed cocoa powder can be used.  Use your favorite based on flavor.  For more information, here’s an article on the difference between natural and dutch processed cocoa powder.

For more chocolatey treats using cocoa powder, try a vegan chocolate sauce (using only three ingredients), vegan chocolate microwave mug cake, or vegan banana chocolate smoothie.

Maple syrup - To add a little more sweetness, use maple syrup.  It will be dissolved into the hot milk so it can be substituted with agave syrup, date paste, or granulated sugar.

Salt - Just a pinch to round out all of the flavors, this is optional so you can skip it and the hot chocolate will still be delightful. 

Tips

• Don’t boil the milk; warm it until it’s steaming and hot. 
• Add more maple syrup or granulated sugar if your chocolate chips are not sweet enough for you.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, taste it, and adjust if needed.
• Add more cocoa powder if the sweet treat isn’t chocolatey enough.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, taste it, and adjust if needed.
• A large flavor element is from the semi-sweet chocolate chips, so use a brand that you enjoy.  They should taste delicious by themselves.

Enhance your hot cocoa

If this oat milk hot chocolate recipe wasn’t already delicious enough, there are all sorts of toppings you can add.  It’s also really fun for kids (and adults) to dress up their own hot chocolate. 

• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint extract, a little bit goes a long way
• Pumpkin spice
• Ground cinnamon, add to the hot cocoa or sprinkle it on top of a whipping topping
• Peanut butter, almond butter, or vegan hazelnut spread (1 Tablespoon per serving)
• Candy Canes
• Crushed candy canes
• Vegan Marshmallows
• Cinnamon stick
• A dollop of coconut cream

Frequently asked questions

Instructions

Warm the oat milk in a pot on the stovetop to be hot but not boiling (steaming and tiny bubbles around the edge).

Then whisk in the dairy-free chocolate chips, cocoa powder, maple syrup (or sugar), and salt (if using), stirring frequently until combined.  The cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt can be added before the milk is hot, but they won’t mix in until the milk warms up. 

Once the chocolate chips have melted, serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

More dairy-free chocolatey treats

• Microwave hot cocoa (3 ingredients)
• 2-ingredient chocolate peanut butter fudge
• Vegan chocolate microwave mug cake
• Raspberry chocolate truffles
• Vegan chocolate sauce

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for homemade hot chocolate with oat milk! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

Originally posted on January 21, 2019, updated on December 1, 2021.

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