This homemade Oat Milk Hot Chocolate is the perfect belly warmer for those cold winter days. Making this hot chocolate with creamy oat milk makes this drink dairy free. It is also refined sugar free and vegan. I love topping this oat hot chocolate with a little coconut whipped cream and a marshmallow, or a drizzle of tahini chocolate syrup.
My hot cocoa recipe is perfect for the holiday season or for any cold weather day. Healthy oat milk still gives this hot chocolate a creamy texture, without the dairy! Or for a calming hot drink that is perfect right before bed time, try my Chamomile Milk Tea Latte.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
There’s nothing better then a big mug of hot chocolate on a cold day. Here’s what I love about my creamy hot chocolate:
- simple ingredients – this recipe is made using simple, easy to find ingredients that can be found at your local grocery store.
- dairy free – made using plant-based milk, this cup of hot chocolate is completely dairy free.
- natural ingredients – this vegan hot chocolate is similar to a traditional hot chocolate, however it is refined sugar free, plant-based and made using wholefood ingredients.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
This dairy free hot chocolate recipe uses only 4 ingredients! Below I’ve listed all of the ingredients you will need along with any notes and possible substitutions. For the ingredient quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post. To make this oat hot chocolate you will need:
- Unsweetened Cocoa powder – preferably use a good quality cocoa powder. You could also use raw cacao powder or for a more rich chocolate flavor use dutch-process cocoa powder.
- Rapadura Sugar – Rapadura sugar is made from evaporated cane sugar juice and is a much less processed sugar than regular white sugar. if you don’t have rapadura sugar you could use coconut sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup or honey. If you’re trying to reduce sugars then you could also use stevia drops for a sugar free alternative. And of course feel free to adjust the amount of sweetener to your personal preference (for a sweeter hot chocolate add more of your sweetener of choice).
- Oat Milk – I prefer to buy a non-sweetened oat milk. Try to find an oat milk without added gums and emulsifiers if possible. Of course you can use a different type of milk depending on your personal preference. You can use cashew milk, soy milk, almond milk or any other plant-based milk. Or if you would prefer to use cow’s milk than that is totally fine as well!
- Vanilla Extract – you can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans from a vanilla pod.
Some optional extras are:
- Coconut whipped cream – I will show you how to make this in the recipe.
- Tahini Chocolate Sauce
- Dark Chocolate Shavings – I use a dark vegan chocolate. You could also use chocolate chips or milk chocolate if desired.
- Marshmallows – to keep this recipe vegan, opt for vegan marshmallows. If you’re not worried about keeping it vegan then you can try making my Homemade Honey Marshmallows, which are so delicious in hot chocolate!
- Peppermint Extract
- Pinch of cayenne pepper and a dash of cinnamon – for a spicy hot chocolate!
How to Make Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Making this belly warmer of a drink is very simple. You will need the below equipment:
- measuring cups and spoons
- whisk
- small bowl
- spoon
- small saucepan
For best results, read on to see my step-by-step instructions to make my homemade hot chocolate recipe.
Make the Hot Chocolate Powder
Mix together the cocoa powder and rapadura sugar in a small bowl or dish until well combined.
Make into a Paste
Add a dash of oat milk and stir with a teaspoon to make a paste. When we would make hot chocolates with my Opa, he used to call this making mud.
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Make the Oat Hot Chocolate
Pour oat milk and vanilla extract into a saucepan over a low heat. Don’t let the oat milk boil or it may seperate. Add the chocolate paste to the oat milk and whisk to combine, stirring occasionally as the oat milk hot chocolate heats. This will take about 5 minutes. Once the liquid starts steaming, remove from the heat.
Make the Coconut Whipped Cream
While the oat hot chocolate is heating up, make the coconut whipped cream (if using). For this you will need coconut solids, you can make this by placing a can of coconut milk into the fridge overnight (you will need to have refrigerated this the night before). Scoop out the solid coconut milk at the top of the can and dispose of the coconut water or reserve for another recipe. Add the coconut solids to a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Scoop the whipped coconut cream into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve
Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs. Pipe the coconut whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate (the whipped cream will duck beneath the surface for a second before bobbing back up to the top). Add a marshmallow and top with dark chocolate shavings.
Substitutions
- Coconut whipped cream – swap for any vegan whipped cream.
- Cocoa powder – cacao powder can be used instead.
- Vanilla extract – swap for vanilla bean paste
- Rapadura Sugar – swap for pure maple syrup
- Oat Milk – use any other plant based milk in place of oat milk such as almond milk or soy milk.
FAQ
You can either heat oat milk in a saucepan on a low heat or in a milk frother.
Yes. Cocoa and cacao powder both contain caffeine.
No. Oat milk is not gluten free unless it specifies on the package that they have used certified non-contaminated oats. Anyone who has Coeliacs Disease should consult their doctor first before consuming.
Yes. This healthy hot chocolate uses unrefined sugar and has a lot less sugar than store bought hot chocolates.
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Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Small saucepan
- Electric Beaters
- Medium Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups oat milk
- 2 tsp rapadura sugar
- 4 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To Serve
- 400 mL coconut milk, tinned, refrigerated overnight
- dark chocolate , optional
- marshmallows, optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and rapadura sugar.2 tsp rapadura sugar, 4 tsp cocoa powder
- Add a dash of oat milk to the cocoa powder mixture and mix into a paste.2 ½ cups oat milk
- Add the remaining oat milk and the vanilla extract to a small saucepan on a medium heat. Add the cocoa paste and whisk to combine.2 ½ cups oat milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- While the hot chocolate is warming, make the whipped coconut cream. Add the coconut milk solids to a bowl and beat with electric mixers until light and fluffy. Transfer to a Piping bag with a nozzle and place in refrigerator until ready to use.400 mL coconut milk tinned, refrigerated overnight
- Once the chocolate milk is steaming and warmed to your liking, serve by dividing between two mugs. Top with coconut whipped cream, marshmallows and shaved dark chocolate (optional).dark chocolate optional, marshmallows optional
Notes
Nutrition
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