Oat Milk Hot Chocolate

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

If you're looking for a healthy 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, cocoa powder, or toppings!
• Warm and comforting!
• Easy to make for the holiday season or on a cold day!
• I provide a few flavor options below on how to enhance your non-dairy hot chocolate.
• The recipe is designed for one serving, but you can easily double, triple, or adjust the recipe to suit your needs.

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 vegan hot chocolate is creamy oat milk, but almost any plant-based milk can be used.  Try almond, soy, cashew, 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.  Not all dairy-free chocolate chips taste the same, so taste them before adding them to your hot chocolate, and use a brand that you like.

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), a vegan chocolate microwave mug cake, or a 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, or cane sugar.  Date paste will be less sweet compared to maple syrup.  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 dairy-free hot chocolate will still be delightful. 

Tips

• Don't boil the milk; warm it until it's steaming and hot. 
• Use a whisk and stir frequently to prevent the milk from burning on the bottom and to combine everything.
• Add more maple syrup or sugar if your chocolate chips are not sweet enough.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, then taste it and adjust as needed.
• For a richer chocolate flavor, add more cocoa powder.  Dissolve it into the hot chocolate, then taste it and adjust as 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 dairy-free hot chocolate

If this hot beverage wasn't already delicious enough, there are all sorts of great options to enhance your hot chocolate.  It's also really fun for kids (and adults) to dress up their own hot chocolate. 

• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint extract, start with ⅛ teaspoon; a little bit goes a long way.
• A sprinkle of pumpkin pie 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: hook one on the inside of the mug while the hot chocolate is still hot, and it will melt and flavor the hot chocolate.
• Crushed candy canes
• Vegan marshmallows
• Cinnamon stick
• A dollop of coconut cream or vegan whipped cream.
• Pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick.

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).  

Stir 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