Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
This Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate is creamy and decadent, with only 10 minutes of prep! It’s so chocolate-y, tastes incredible and perfect for making hot cocoa for a crowd!
My usual go-to drink for the holidays is my vegan eggnog. But now it’s sharing the spotlight with this vegan hot chocolate, or as I’ve always called it, vegan hot cocoa. The idea to make this any holiday drink in the slow cooker first came after I made my slow cooker apple cider years ago. The aromatic smell that filled our then apartment was beautifully warming and intoxicating. Slow cooker hot chocolate is the winter version!
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Easy to make. And not only is this recipe unbelievably easy to make, you only 6 ingredients to whip it up!
- Perfect for a party. This will for sure be at the centrepiece of your holiday dessert or drink table and since it stays warm, your family members can easily serve themselves the whole night.
- Delicious. All the flavours really come together in the slow cooker, yielding the best hot chocolate you’ll ever have!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Brown sugar or white sugar – Either one works, but I prefer brown sugar for the warmth it adds. You can easily up the sugar if you want more. I like my hot cocoa more dark chocolate-y so if you want yours sweeter, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Use the best kind that you can get or your favourite since this makes the entire recipe!
- Sea salt – Don’t leave this out! It balances out the cocoa perfectly. Remember I use sea salt, so if you’re using table salt, use less.
- Vegan milk – I prefer soy milk here for its high protein content, which helps to make this thick and smooth and creamy, but you can also use cashew milk or another semi-thick vegan milk.
- Coconut milk – You can also use a separate very thick vegan milk here, but you need something to help with the thickness. You don’t taste any coconut flavour after it’s been cooked.
- Vanilla extract or paste – This is optional, but recommended! You could even add more here, or another extract such as peppermint!
How to Make Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
- Combine the ingredients. Add the sugar, sifted cocoa powder and salt to the slow cooker, then add the milks and vanilla.
- Mix. Whisk vigorously for at least 3 minutes until fully incorporated and the cocoa is no longer floating on top but is fully mixed in.
- Cook. Add the lid and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring halfway through if you’d like.
- Enjoy! It’s okay if some chocolate is at the edges when you open the slow cooker; just stir it all back in for another minute or so!
Tips for Success
- Start with room temperature ingredients. This helps to ensure that the cocoa doesn’t get clumps.
- Use a scale for your cocoa if you can. Cocoa can be very densely packed and you don’t want to end up overdoing it. If you don’t have a scale, ensure you thoroughly fluff the cocoa first with a fork. This will break it up. Then scoop it in until it reaches one cup. Don’t pack it down.
- Sift your cocoa for your slow cooker hot chocolate. This will prevent any clumps of cocoa (bleh!) and gives you the smoothest possible product.
- Whisk thoroughly. You want to ensure your mix goes from cocoa floating on top to thoroughly incorporated. I stir for at least 3 minutes.
- Don’t leave out the salt! After over half a decade of camping, this was a classic touch that truly amps up the cocoa flavour. It does not taste salty.
- Make it your own. You can add any of your favourite touches to this. Peppermint, cinnamon, even turmeric!
Enjoy friends! If you make this Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, or white sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (80g)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, do not leave out!
- 6 cups soy milk, or almond or cashew or other vegan milk
- 2 cups coconut milk from the can, carton or homemade creamy coconut milk, your choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or vanilla extract
- Top with coconut cream and cinnamon
Instructions
- In your Crockpot™ MyTime Programmable Slow Cooker, add in your sugar, sifted cocoa powder and salt.
- Add in your soy or other vegan milk and your coconut milk. Add over your vanilla extract.
- Stir vigorously to combine with a whisk for at least 3 minutes until fully incorporated and the cocoa is no longer floating on top but is fully mixed in.
- Add your lid and cook on low for 2 hours, optionally stirring halfway through! You can easily up the sugar if you want more, a tablespoon at a time. Then allow a few minutes for it to melt out and sweeten to your preferred sweetness.
- When finished, stir completely. It’s okay if some of the cocoa has darkened at the edges, just stir it all in. Enjoy! Serve with vegan marshmallows, coconut cream and cinnamon on top!
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This was rich, creamy, and delicious. I don’t like the flavor of coconut milk, so I was worried about it, but you can’t taste it at all. Also, I used cacao powder as I didn’t have cocoa powder. Will make again and again, just in time for Christmas.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Sharina! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
I made this over the holidays and I must say that it is hands down the best hot cocoa I have ever had! It was so creamy and chocolaty! It was exactly what I was hoping for over the holidays.
This recipe is so rich and creamy! It’s so simple but tastes gourmet. Can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you Emily! We’re so happy that you liked the recipe.
Wow – this is a deluxe recipe. I used oatmilk, vanilla extract (want to try paste next) and some fancy cocoa powder and it was incredibly rich but not overly sweet. Just a perfect wonderful balance of creamy and chocolate. So glad I tried this recipe and planning on making it again soon for a holiday event I’ve got planned in December.
Thank you Jessica!
Thank you so much Mady! We’re so happy that you like it!
omygosh yes!! finally found my fav hot choc. made this for a party and doubled it. thank goodness I had a bit left over for MEEEE haha. I used extra creamy oat milk for this and the vanilla
paste. so yummy.
Haha so happy to hear this Maggie yay!!!
Been using this recipe for years. It is always a hit. Even though most of my guests aren’t vegan, as we get older a lot of us have become lactose intolerant, so it’s a win win for everyone. People constantly ask me for this recipe.
Amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing Olliffer and totally hear you on the lactose intolerant!
This is SO GOOD!
I made it for a Christmas party last week and will be making it again on Christmas Day, and I’m sure it will be a holiday staple in our home going forward!
Thank you so much for creating this and sharing!
You’re so incredibly welcome Leah!! Yay and thanks so much for sharing!!
I used 6 cups creamy oatmilk and 2 cups almond milk. I also recently made a dairy free chocolate pie that added dairy free chocolate chips for some added chocolate punch so I did that to this recipe and my god did it change the flavor!!! Highly recommend just adding some chocolate chips because it really changed it from the warm unsweetened cocoa to CHOCOLATE! I also dipped the edges of my mugs in the melted chocolate and lined the cup with peppermint. SUCH A HIT!
Can’t wait to try this but do you really have to let it cook for 2 hours?
Hi Geneva,
No you don’t have to! It’s the type of holiday recipe that’s happening in the background so you also get the nice scent of hot cocoa throughout your house! But 15 minutes is enough :). Enjoy so much!