Mint Hot Chocolate

Put a minty spin on your hot chocolate this winter! This homemade mint hot chocolate recipe is simple and uses real mint for a fresh, tasty treat!

We’ve had some REALLY cold days this winter, and I always find myself craving hot chocolate on those freezing, gloomy days. The kids always ask for it too! Sometimes I cheat and use the store-bought mix, but I love to make my own when I have the time. I like knowing what’s in my hot chocolate, and you can control the sweetness! Plus, you can add in some fun things – like real mint!

I am a big fan of using real mint in my recipes, the flavor just can’t be beat. My no-churn mint chocolate ice cream is one of my favorites! If you haven’t tried it yet, I urge you to think about trying it soon!! There is something magical about steeping mint leaves in cream or milk. It’s so tasty!

So, whether you’re shivering under a blanket or even if you’re experiencing some warmer weather, read on for a super simple and delicious hot chocolate!

How do you make homemade mint hot chocolate?

The first step to this deliciousness is to steep the fresh mint leaves in milk and cream. If you are thinking ahead of time, you can do this step in advance and keep the flavored milk in the fridge until you want to use it for the hot chocolate; or, you can prepare it and use it straight away in the recipe!

Add about 20-25 mint leaves to a mixture of cream and milk in a small saucepan. I always like to add a little bit of heavy cream to the hot chocolate, it’s just so rich and delicious! You can leave it out if you’d like and just add additional milk.

Bring the mixture to a light boil, then turn the heat off, remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit, with the lid on, for 20 minutes.

Now, strain out the leaves from the milk into another saucepan or a container to store in the fridge for later use. If you’re using it right away, place the saucepan of minty milk back on to the stove, then whisk in the remaining ingredients for the hot chocolate:

• cocoa powder
• maple syrup
• chocolate chips

Heat the mixture until simmering, whisking often, ensuring that the chocolate chips are entirely melted. Pour the hot chocolate into mugs and serve!

What do you top mint hot chocolate with?

My favorite toppings for this hot chocolate are whipped cream and marshmallows!! Chocolate shavings on the whipped cream are a fun touch, too.

If you want to be extra minty, you can also make mint whipped cream. Repeat the same process of steeping mint leaves, but with heavy whipping cream; however, you will need the cream to be completely cool before whipping it into whipped cream. So – this is definitely a plan ahead type of treat!

Can you make this mint hot chocolate dairy-free?

I haven’t personally tried this with non-dairy milk, but it would work the same if you use unsweetened almond or cashew milk! If there is any flavor to the milk, including coconut or vanilla, that flavor will come through (it could be delicious)! If you do use a non-dairy milk, the hot chocolate may be more thin, but it will still taste great.

Be sure to use vegan or dairy-free chocolate chips as well.

You can also top this with coconut whipped cream! Delicious!

If you like this hot chocolate, try these other recipes on the blog:

• low carb latte
• strawberry smoothie
• eggnog latte

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