Hot Chocolate Drink Recipe

Make it by gently warming milk, stirring in good chopped chocolate until it melts and finishing with a pinch of salt and a little sugar to taste. For a quick alternative, dissolve cocoa and sugar in a small amount of hot water to make a paste, then whisk that into warm milk. These two approaches are the ones pros and home cooks recommend most often.

Hot chocolate uses real chocolate melted into milk and tends to be richer and thicker, while hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder mixed with sugar and is usually lighter. Many guides and chefs point out the same distinction and say both are delicious, so pick the style you prefer.

Whole milk gives the creamiest, most classic result, but barista style oat milk is the best plant based swap because it holds up to heat and gives a similar mouthfeel. If you use plant milk, heat it gently and remove it from the heat as soon as steam appears to avoid separation or an off taste. Users and brands consistently recommend barista oat for the closest dairy like texture.

To thicken, either add a little cornstarch mixed with cold milk or water and simmer briefly, stir in extra chopped chocolate or a splash of double cream, or use sweetened condensed milk for richness. Many classic and Italian style recipes use a small amount of cornstarch for a reliably thick, velvety drinking chocolate.

Graininess usually means cocoa or chocolate did not fully dissolve or the milk overheated; avoid boiling, whisk thoroughly off the heat to melt chopped chocolate, or make a cocoa paste first when using powder. Using good quality chocolate or properly dissolving the cocoa and keeping heat low fixes most texture problems.

Start with a small amount of sugar and taste, then add slowly; a pinch of salt, a tiny bit of instant espresso powder, or a splash of vanilla amplifies chocolate notes without simply adding sweetness. Many home cooks recommend these small boosters for deeper flavour without excess sugar.

Yup! You can make a tasty cup with water but it will not be as creamy as one made with milk, so treat it like a lighter cocoa rather than a rich drinking chocolate. Make a smooth paste first by mixing the cocoa and sugar with a little hot water so there are no lumps, then whisk that into more hot water and finish with a tiny pinch of salt and a drop of vanilla to boost the chocolate flavour. If you want more body without dairy, add a splash of canned coconut milk, a teaspoon of powdered milk or a little neutral oil, or use plant milks like barista oat when possible for a much creamier result.