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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!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2022. I’ve since redone the post text and added a video but the recipe remains the same!
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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 mint hot chocolate recipe!
Ingredients for Homemade Hot Cocoa
There are only 6 ingredients required for this hot chocolate recipe! You’ll need:
- whole milk
- cream
- real mint leaves
- maple syrup
- cocoa powder
- chocolate chips
Whole Milk: I recommend using whole milk (2% or 3.25%) for the best flavour. The best hot chocolates are always really rich and creamy; however, if you want to keep things a bit lighter you could use 1% milk or a dairy free alternative as well.
Cream: Cream follows the same recommendation as above, it makes for such a creamy and delicious treat. If you’re choosing a lighter milk option, I would recommend keeping in the cream or at least using half and half for the best flavour and richness!
Real Mint: Real mint is where we get that true mint flavour. If you don’t have or want to use the mint leaves, you could always use pure mint extract, and avoid the steeping process. There are instructions for this in the recipe card.
Maple Syrup: I love using natural sweeteners where it makes sense and this recipe is one of those times. Maple syrup adds a great flavour to this recipe, but you could substitute it for honey or an equal amount of granulated sugar.
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Instructions for Homemade Mint Hot Chocolate
1. The first step to this recipe 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!
2. Add about 20-25 mint leaves to a mixture of cream and milk in a small saucepan. 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.
3. Using a strainer, 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 mint milk back on to the stove, then whisk in the maple syrup, cocoa powder and chocolate chips.
4. Heat the mixture until simmering, whisking often, ensuring that the chocolate chips are entirely melted. Pour the hot chocolate into mugs and serve! The recipes makes enough for 2-3 people.
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!
You can use the instructions from my real mint no churn ice cream for the mint whipped cream.
Can This Mint Hot Cocoa be Made With Dairy Free Milk?
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. If you miss the heavy cream aspect, there’s some good tips for those avoiding dairy in this article by Bon Appetit!
Be sure to use vegan or dairy-free chocolate chips as well.
You can also top this with coconut whipped cream! Delicious!
Some Other Great Drinks From the Blog
If you like this hot chocolate, try some of my other popular recipes!
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Mint Hot Chocolate
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
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!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups 2% milk*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream**
- 20–25 fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate shavings for topping
Instructions
- About 30 minutes before you would like to enjoy the hot chocolate***, combine in a saucepan the milk, heavy cream and fresh mint leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove the saucepan from heat, place the lid on the saucepan and let it steep for 20-25 minutes.
- Strain the mint leaves from the milk, and place the milk back into a saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the cocoa powder, maple syrup and chocolate chips. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Once the mixture is simmering and the chocolate chips have completely melted, the hot chocolate is ready to serve!
- Pour the hot chocolate into mugs and top with marshmallows, whipped cream and chocolate shavings (if desired).
Leftover mint hot chocolate can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container. Reheat the hot chocolate in the microwave or in a saucepan.
Notes
*You can use non-dairy milk, whole milk, or skim milk. I find 2% is the right balance between rich flavor and calories!
**I like to add the heavy cream to make the hot chocolate perfectly rich. You can leave it out and just replace with an additional 1/2 cup of the 2% (or other) milk.
***You can steep the minty milk in advance. Store it in the fridge (once cooled) until you’re ready to use.
****If you want to avoid using fresh mint leaves, you can skip step 1 and instead add 1/2 tsp pure mint extract to the recipe when preparing through step 2.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: hot chocolate
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
That was a great tip for having it steep for 20 minutes to really allow the flavor of the mint to come through. I am loving the bite of freshness that the mint adds!
What a beautiful mint hot chocolate you’ve got here, Katherine! Save me a glass!
Homemade hot chocolate is the best Katherine and I love this minty version. It’s warm here in Florida, but I think I’ll need to treat myself to this yummy hot chocolate ASAP! Too good to pass up!
This looks like such and indulgent and minty hot cocoa! Perfect for our chilly weather!
Mint is our favourite, four seasons! Perfect one!