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 .
- 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
Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4.5 cups whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, and 1/2 cup of milk.1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 4.5 cups whole milk
- Stir constantly over medium heat until the hot chocolate mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the remaining milk. Then return to medium heat and stir in vanilla if desired. Stir until heated through.1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional), 4.5 cups whole milk
- Serve hot with mini marshmallows.
Nutrition
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Mmmm, sound lovely, I like to add a tiny squeeze of lime to mine, I’m a big fan of citrus and it love the flavour it produces.
I have used this recipe for years, it’s my favorite way to make it and I can’t bring myself to buy swiss miss anymore! I think I got it off the back of the baking cocoa box… Of course, I have made some substitutions over the years. I often use half and half instead of milk!!! It’s so creamy it’s almost a sin. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon or nutmeg.
I still dip my toast in my cocoa!
Use the same ingredients but heat the milk by itself (until almost boiling), pop everything into a blender for a few seconds. Makes a nice creamy consistency which I top with whipped cream. Mmmm Mmmm good.
I still dunk my toast!
Gee, I’d like to see Captain Kangaroo again. And Mr. Green Jeans.
Checked the “original” recipe. My mother used canned milk instead of heavy cream. (And I’m sure she never measured the proportion.) Still love the flavor you get when you add canned milk to hot coca.
I still dip my toast in my cocoa!
This sounds delicious, Christy. I think I’ll put on my warm jammies and make some cocoa.
Snuggle in and enjoy!!
My Mom made “cocoa and toast” every morning for us before school. We loved dipping the toast in the sweet chocolately cocoa. If we were really lucky, she’d go a little heavy on the sugar! Oh my, great memories.
Oh my goodness! I dipped my toast in the cocoa also as a little girl! This is the first time I have heard of anyone else doing it! Did you watch Captain Kangaroo also Jane!? Such memories!
Yes, I did!!! Loved Mr. Greenjeans, The Town Clown, Silly Billy and Mr. Moose. Those were the days! Loved that ring of keys Capt. Kangaroo always had. When he hung them up, the music would stop!
yes!
I thought my Mama and I were the only ones who dipped toast in homemade hot chocolate. Some of my best childhood memories were mornings when she made this ❤️