Hot Chocolate with Oat Milk

It's chocolatey, creamy, and the perfect way to enjoy the winter months.  The instructions are for a single serving, but oat milk hot chocolate can be doubled or even tripled.  

If you’re looking for an oat milk hot cocoa that is a lighter version without chocolate chips, try my microwave hot cocoa.  It only uses three ingredients for a wintery chocolate beverage.  For more chocolatey treats see my 2 ingredient chocolate peanut butter fudge and oil-free microwave vegan chocolate mug cake.

Recipe features

• It's dairy-free and vegan!
• Only takes 4 ingredients and 5 minutes.
• Customizable, add more maple syrup, chocolate, or toppings!
• Warm and comforting!
• Easy to make for the holiday season or on a cold day.

Ingredient notes

Only 4 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed to make this hot chocolate with oat milk.  To dress it up, check out the list below in the “enhance your hot chocolate” section.

Unsweetened oat milk - The base of this plant-based hot chocolate is creamy oat milk, but almost any plant-based milk can be used.  Try almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.  Some dairy-free milks are thinner or thicker than others.  

From personal experience, not all oat milks have the same consistency.  It varies from different brands, use your favorite.  Use unsweetened dairy-free milk to be able to control the added sugar.  If you only have sweetened milk, you might want to reduce the maple syrup. For more oat milk recipes try oat milk chia pudding or oat milk chocolate pudding.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - To keep this dairy-free, use vegan chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life).  Some of the sweetness for the dairy-free hot chocolate comes from the chocolate chips, so use the semi-sweet kind. They can also be substituted with 2 tablespoons of a finely diced good quality chocolate bar.

Unsweetened cocoa powder - To make the hot chocolate a little more chocolatey, add cocoa powder not hot chocolate mix.  Since we’re not baking, either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder can be used.  Not all brands taste the same so 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 pure maple syrup in your cup of hot chocolate.  It will be dissolved into the hot milk so it can be substituted with agave syrup, date paste, coconut sugar, cane sugar, or granulated sugar.  Date paste will be less sweet compared to maple syrup.  Cane sugar and granulated sugar will be more sweet. Adjust the sweetness to suit your preference.

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

Tips

• Don’t boil the milk; warm it until it’s steaming and hot. 
• Use a whisk to stir frequently to prevent the milk burning on the bottom and for everything to be combined.
• Add more maple syrup or granulated sugar if your chocolate chips are not sweet enough.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, taste it, and adjust if needed.
• For a more rich chocolate flavor add more cocoa powder.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, taste it, and adjust if needed.
• A large flavor element comes from the semi-sweet chocolate chips, so use a brand that you enjoy.  They should taste delicious by themselves.

Enhance your hot chocolate

If this hot drink wasn’t already delicious enough, there are all sorts of great options to enhance your dairy-free hot chocolate.  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
• Dash of cinnamon, add to the hot beverage or sprinkle it on top of a whipped topping
• Peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, or vegan hazelnut spread (1 Tablespoon per serving)
• Candy canes
• Crushed candy canes
• Vegan marshmallows
• Cinnamon stick
• A dollop of coconut cream or vegan whipped cream
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

How to make hot chocolate with oat milk

Heat oat milk in a small saucepan on the stovetop on medium heat until it's hot but not boiling (steaming and tiny bubbles around the edge).  Lower the heat if needed and stir frequently to not scorch the bottom of the pot.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Raspberry chocolate truffles
• Vegan chocolate sauce

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for a creamy and chocolatey beverage! If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.