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This oat milk hot chocolate is the perfect cozy drink to warm you up on a chilly day! It’s creamy, chocolatey, made with just 4 ingredients, and ready in 5 minutes! Completely dairy free and vegan!

There is just nothing like a warm cup of hot chocolate is there? This dairy free hot chocolate is my go-to beverage in the cold winter months - it’s healthy, perfectly sweet (but not too sweet), tastes like dessert!
This oat milk hot chocolate is so comforting and you can make it extra delicious by adding some vegan whipped cream, shaved chocolate, or marshmallows (regular are or vegan) on top!
And because I’m always looking for an excuse to eat a cookie, I love to dip a warm chocolate chip cookie or a gingersnap cookie with my hot cocoa too 🙂
Why You'll Love this Oat Milk Hot Chocolate
- It’s warm, comforting, and super chocolatey. It's made with a perfect combination of cocoa powder and dark chocolate to make it rich, chocolatey, and velvety smooth.
- This recipe is completely dairy free and vegan!
- All you need are 4 ingredients and it takes just 5 minutes to make
- I like to use oat milk for this recipe, but you can easily swap out the oat milk for any other milk you’d prefer
- I’ve provided a few flavor options if you’d like to kick your oat milk hot cocoa up a notch!
- This recipe makes two servings of vegan hot cocoa but can easily be doubled or halved for more or less people!
- Want a few nights worth of hot chocolate? Double the recipe and reheat later!
- This recipe is made using natural ingredients and no refined sugar, making it a perfect healthy drink!
- This hot chocolate is allergy friendly and gluten free! It can be adapted to suit your dietary needs as long as all the ingredients you use are safe (read the labels carefully!)
Ingredients Needed

- Oat Milk: unsweetened is my preference, but you can use the sweetened kind if you prefer your hot chocolate to be sweeter. You can also replace the oat milk with almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, regular cow’s milk, or any milk that you prefer!
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t have cocoa powder or prefer to use all chocolate in this recipe, you can replace this at a 1:1 ratio with 1 ounce chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
- Dark Chocolate: Chopped dark chocolate gives the oat milk hot chocolate a rich and creamy texture. It won't be bitter because of the sweetener added later! Chocolate chips work great as well. If you prefer to use all cocoa powder you can also replace the chopped chocolate with more cocoa powder.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is my favorite sweetener for hot chocolate, but you can replace this with any sweetener that you prefer and adjust the amount based on your preference!
- Vanilla Extract: This is optional, but I just love the taste of real vanilla extract in my hot chocolate! You can also use some peppermint extract if you want to make this into a peppermint hot cocoa.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP ONE: Add oat milk, maple syrup, and cocoa powder to a small saucepan or pot over medium low heat. Whisk until there are no clumps of cocoa.
STEP TWO: Add in the chopped dark chocolate and continue to whisk as the chocolate melts. Simmer and continue whisking for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract or peppermint extract if using.
STEP THREE: Divide the hot cocoa between two cups and top with coconut whipped cream (or whipped cream of choice), marshmallows (regular or vegan), and shaved chocolate if desired.

FAQs and Expert Tips
Personally, I like oat milk the best. It’s thick and creamy and slightly sweet. But there are so many other awesome milk alternatives for hot chocolate!
-Almond milk
-Soy milk
-Hemp milk
-Cashew milk
-Coconut milk
For vegan peppermint hot chocolate, add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract and top your hot chocolate with crushed candy canes. You can also skip the maple syrup and put a full sized candy cane into the hot chocolate when serving. As long as the hot chocolate is still hot it will melt and you can use it as a stir stick!
Other ways to spice up the hot chocolate are:
-Add in some cinnamon and/or nutmeg
-Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick!
-Add a few drops of orange extract for chocolate orange hot chocolate
-For an adults-only version, add in a little bit of peppermint liquor, bourbon, or even vegan Bailey’s.
Absolutely! This recipe works great with any kind of milk. Simply swap out the oat milk for cow's milk to make it with dairy ingredients

Expert Tips
- If adding vanilla extract, be sure to use the real vanilla extract as it has the most flavor!
- Keep the temperature low while heating the hot chocolate, and don't walk away from it - it could burn oil boil over if the heat is too high!
- This recipe does call for a sweetener, so I’d recommend using an unsweetened oat milk. If you don’t have unsweetened milk, reduce the maple syrup and adjust the quantity as needed.
- If you’re a major chocolate lover and like your hot chocolate to be thicker and even richer, you can add an extra 0.5 - 1 ounce of chopped chocolate to the recipe
- If you follow a vegan diet, top with vegan marshmallows instead of regular ones!
Storing Hot Chocolate
If not enjoying immediately, store the oat milk hot chocolate in a glass jar in the refrigerator. You can reheat it on medium low heat in a small saucepan, whisking every so often.
You can also reheat it in the microwave at 30 second increments until it’s to your desired temperature. If using this method be very careful - don’t fill the hot chocolate past ⅔ full and careful not to burn yourself!
Recipes To Pair with Hot Chocolate
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

Oat Milk Hot Cocoa (Vegan)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened oat milk
- 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 ounce dark chocolate, finely chopped (or chocolate chips)
Optional:
- ¼ teaspoon real vanilla extract
- marshmallows, for topping (regular or vegan marshmallows)
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- crushed candy canes for topping
- whipped cream (regular or vegan coconut whipped cream) (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Add the oat milk, maple syrup, and cocoa powder into a small saucepan or pot over medium to low heat. Whisk until no more cocoa powder clumps remain.
- Add in the chopped dark chocolate and continue to whisk the milk on a simmer for about 3 minutes, until the chocolate has fully melted and combined with the milk. Remove the pan from heat, then stir in vanilla extract or peppermint extract if desired. Taste and add more sweetener if desired.
- Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs and top with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings, crushed candy canes, or any other toppings you'd like!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Martha
such an easy recipe andthe perfect balance of creamy and chocolatey.
will make again
Gabby
Hi Martha! Yay I'm so happy to hear that you loved the recipe 🙂
Linda
So pure and simple! Loved it with broken candy canes on top for that hint of mint!
Gabby
Hi Linda! I am so happy that you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂