Easy Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

Mix up a batch of creamy crock pot hot chocolate for that warm and cozy feeling! With simple ingredients, you can indulge in a hands-off treat perfect for special occasions.

One of the best parts of heading into the holiday season is decorating Healthier Sugar Cookies and baking Snickerdoodle Cookies and my daughter’s favorite Candy Cane Cookies.

Since making cookies is an “event” of sorts for us (as in, we block off an afternoon and spend it ONLY baking and decorating), I thought it would only be fitting to make a pot full of hot chocolate to go with the cookies that get eaten along the way.

Instead of making hot chocolate on the stovetop or in the microwave, we made it in the crockpot!

WHY MAKE CROCK POT HOT CHOCOLATE

This crock pot hot chocolate recipe turned out super yummy, and it’s one that I’ll definitely be repeating when we want a warm, sweet treat! I love that it’s:

• Hands off. Simply put, I want to make crock pot hot chocolate instead of stovetop hot chocolate so I’m not multitasking while we are making and decorating cookies.
• Mess free. There’s no worry about possibly scorching the milk or having it boil over and make a big mess on the stove.
• Frugal. You will most definitely get more for your buck when you make this homemade hot chocolate recipe from scratch rather than getting the hot cocoa packets from the store.
• Can be dairy free. Use dairy-free chocolate chips and follow my substitution suggestions below for dairy free hot chocolate.
• Perfect for Christmas morning. Let the hot chocolate heat up while you open presents and grab the mugs when you’re done!
• Also great for holiday parties or gatherings. Slow cooker hot chocolate is PERFECT for a holiday party. You can mingle with guests and not be concerned with constant stirring on the stove.

SLOW COOKER HOT COCOA INGREDIENTS

I chose to create a crockpot hot chocolate recipe that didn’t use sweetened condensed milk AND one that didn’t sacrifice taste. I think I did it! You only need 5 ingredients for a warm, creamy treat.

• Whole milk. I highly recommend using whole milk, because it makes for a perfectly delicious and rich hot chocolate! Low-fat, fat-free, or dairy-free milk like almond milk will all work too.
• Heavy whipping cream. For every 3 cups of milk, you need 1 cup of heavy cream. This ratio gives the slow cooker hot cocoa a perfect consistency – not too thick, not too thin. Coconut cream would be a good non-dairy substitute.
• Sugar. I used Turbinado sugar in this recipe and thought the amount was perfect. Again, if your family is used to eating minimally sweetened things, you could easily cut back on the sugar. I’d start with ¼ cup at first, adding more as needed.
  • Note: Remember that the type of chocolate you use will play a part in how sweet the crock pot hot chocolate turns out… so you have some wiggle room here to play with the amount of sugar.
• Chocolate. This recipe uses two types: chocolate chunks and cocoa powder. You can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips or bars – whatever you have! Semi-sweet chocolate chips work in a pinch too. We liked a 50/50 split of dark and milk chocolate. Use chocolate bars, not baking chocolate.
• Cocoa. You can use raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder.

HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE

Step 1. Place all crock pot hot chocolate ingredients in a slow cooker.

Step 2. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes. Whisk the ingredients together really well.

Step 3. Cover and cook again for 30 minutes. Whisk the ingredients together well again.

Step 4. At this point, the hot chocolate is ready to ladle into mugs and add toppings as desired, or you can turn your crockpot to the “keep warm” function to keep your hot chocolate hot for as long as you need.

If you are serving slow cooker hot chocolate at a party and keeping it on the warm setting for a while, make sure to stir it every so often so that it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the crockpot, especially as the level of the liquid decreases.

Store leftover crock pot hot chocolate in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat on the stove or in the slow cooker.

SLOW COOKER HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE TIPS

• Do you need vanilla? I also tried a batch with vanilla extract and didn’t notice much difference. With the high price of vanilla, I didn’t want to give up my precious supply of Homemade Vanilla Extract!
• What about hot chocolate with sweetened condensed milk? I know that many slow cooker hot chocolate recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, but I like being able to better control how much sugar is added to the recipe. Unless you make your own sweetened condensed milk, you don’t really know how much sugar is in there NOR the quality of sugar.
• Don’t need a big batch of hot chocolate? This recipe can easily be halved, but if you’re looking for a single serving recipe, try my homemade version of Hot Chocolate Mix for making a mug or two at a time!
• Use leftover chocolate chips! If you have the tail end of several different kinds of baking chips from your holiday goodies, add them all to crock pot hot chocolate.

TO SERVE CROCK POT HOT CHOCOLATE

Toppings are 100% optional, but what kid (big or small!) doesn’t want marshmallows on their hot chocolate?! There are plenty of yummy topping options to make a tasty hot chocolate bar.

For the adults, you can also add a splash of peppermint schnapps, Kahlua, or hazelnut liqueur to your mug. Or add hot chocolate to a shot of espresso for a caffe mocha. Sip and flavor to taste!

HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE IN CROCK POT FAQS

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