Stovetop Hot Chocolate

It takes just six minutes and three ingredients to make this rich and creamy homemade stovetop hot chocolate recipe.

I’ll never forget the first time I had homemade, real, hot chocolate, made on the stove and not with a mix. Although we made our own mix from scratch (and it was delicious) there was just something about that extra chocolaty decadence of classic hot chocolate, with that little extra bit of cocoa lingering for the last sip that had me hooked.

A while back the folks from Domino Sugar contacted me to ask if I’d like to feature Domino Sugar on Southern Plate. They asked if I’d use one of their recipes on their handy dandy recipe site as well. I had planned on bringing y’all homemade hot cocoa for a while now but I usually make it without a recipe and had yet to take the time to measure everything out. Lo and behold, Domino did that for me so why mess with perfection? After you make this a time or two with their best hot chocolate recipe, you’ll likely settle into just eyeballing it as I do.

Either way you go, though, you just can’t beat a cup of this easy homemade hot chocolate! When I say easy, I mean it. All you need is cocoa powder, whole milk, white sugar, and vanilla as an optional extra. 5 minutes of stovetop cooking later and you’ll be topping your hot cocoa with mini marshmallows and taking a sip. It’s that quick and easy.

Special thanks to Domino for sending me a gift card to gather up all of the supplies I’d need for this post, including some Domino Sugar in their new little canister! Be sure to check out their recipe website for plenty of yummy holiday recipes, including mixes and printable tags.

Recipe Ingredients

• Cocoa powder
• Whole milk
• Sugar

Vanilla extract and a mini marshmallow topping are optional but don’t try telling that to my kids!

How to Make Stovetop Hot Chocolate

First, add the sugar to the saucepot.

Then add your cocoa powder.

Pour in 1/2 cup of whole milk.

Stirry, stirry!

It will look kinda like a paste.

Stirring constantly, bring it to a boil.

Remove the saucepot from the heat and pour in the remaining milk.

Stir that up well and then place to saucepot back on the stovetop, set to medium heat.

Pour in a little vanilla extract if you’d like.

Continue stirring over medium heat until heated through.

Be careful and ensure it doesn’t come to a boil again.

Once it is heated through, pour it into cups.

Now you can keep things plain and simple…

Or you can add mini marshmallows…

And a peppermint candy cane stir stick.

Enjoy!

Storage

It’s best to serve the hot chocolate immediately. But just adjust the measurements to match the number of servings you wish to make. However, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container (like a mason jar) for up to 3 days and reheat them on the stovetop until heated through.

Recipe Notes

• To enhance the chocolate flavor, feel free to add a pinch of salt to your hot cocoa.
• Garnish your creamy homemade hot chocolate however you like:
  • Homemade whipped cream
  • Caramel sauce (check out my delicious dulce de leche recipe)
  • Crushed peppermint candies
  • Chocolate shavings
  • A dollop of peanut butter
• You can use any milk in this recipe including dairy-free varieties like almond milk and coconut milk.
• Here are some fun stovetop hot chocolate variations. When you add the vanilla extract, also add:
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (then serve with a cinnamon stick).
  • 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to make peppermint hot chocolate (serve with a peppermint candy cane over the holidays).
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered instant coffee. 
  • 1/16 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper.

Here are more delicious drinks to make for your family soon:

Snowman Soup With Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Red Velvet Hot Chocolate

Gingerbread Spiced Coffee

Mocha Coffee Floats

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home

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