Crockpot Hot Chocolate is the perfect rich and creamy treat to warm up with on a cold winter’s night. This incredibly easy hot chocolate recipe is perfect for holiday parties, potlucks, or just an evening at home watching Christmas movies. Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker and get ready for a delightful chocolatey treat!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
The Best Hot Chocolate – This recipe creates an incredibly rich and creamy hot chocolate that you and your guests will love.
Easy To Make – This recipe is incredibly simple, and really just comes down to adding your ingredients to a crock pot.
Ready When You Are – Set it and forget it, this hot chocolate will be ready when you are. It’s great for open houses or when carolers stop by!
Get Creative With Toppings – Set up a hot chocolate bar, and let your guests get creative with toppings. I even have a hot chocolate charcuterie board (coming very soon!) that is perfect for pairing with this recipe.
Christmas Morning Treat – This is a fantastic recipe to have ready on Christmas morning. It’s perfect for sipping while opening gifts or visiting with family and friends.
My family loves hot chocolate, and this easy Crockpot Hot Chocolate recipe is our favorite. I love how easy it is to make, and my girls love how rich, creamy and chocolatey it is. This just might be the best hot chocolate we’ve ever had! I can’t wait for you to try this recipe in your home.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-Sweet is a great choice for chocolate chips. If you like milk chocolate, you can use that, but it’s a bit sweeter. I’m even a fan of using dark chocolate chips. When it comes to brands, Guittard and Ghiradelli are my favorites that you’ll find in the grocery store.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Make sure you are using unsweetened cocoa powder. Once again, I like to go with dark chocolate, with Hershey’s Special Dark being my top grocery store choice. One thing to note about cocoa powder is that it is hydrophobic which means it does not dissolve easily into liquids. It dissolves better when the liquid is hot, and may require vigorous whisking, repeatedly.
- Sugar – Good old granulated sugar works perfectly in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract – Whenever possible, use a pure vanilla extract. You’ll get the best taste.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy cream helps create the rich, creamy and thick texture that really shines through in this hot chocolate.
- Whole Milk – While you can use a 2% milk, or even a skim, to be blunt, it just won’t be as good. A small serving of this rich cocoa is incredibly satisfying, thanks to the heavy cream and whole milk.
- Mini Marshmallows – While I like letting people top their hot cocoa with whatever they like, there is something about adding the mini-marshmallows to the hot cocoa, and letting them get melty, that really takes hot chocolate over the top.
How To Make Crockpot Hot Chocolate
- Combine all ingredients, except the marshmallows, in a crockpot and stir to combine. Reminder that the cocoa powder often takes some work to mix in.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on low, occasionally giving it a vigorous stir to make sure that all ingredients are melting and combining.
- A few minutes prior to serving add the marshmallows, giving them a chance to melt a bit.
- Serve with a variety of toppings. Sip and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Advice
- Time To Enjoy – While this recipe gives a two hour time window, once all ingredients are melted and combined, and the mixture is hot, you are ready to serve.
- Keep Warm – Your hot chocolate can be kept on the WARM setting for 2-3 hours after cooking.
- Storage – You can save leftover hot chocolate in an airtight container for up to three days. I personally prefer to store it in a glass container or jar (once it has cooled).
- Reheating – Hot chocolate can be reheated in the microwave.
Hot Chocolate Toppings
One of the best things about this Crockpot Hot Chocolate is adding the toppings! Mini marshmallows are a classic, but I also love making Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Toppers – one deliciously perfect marshmallow to top off your mug. Make sure to also check out my Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board (coming this week) for lots of great ideas for creative hot chocolate toppers.
More Hot Chocolate Recipes
I LOVE hot chocolate recipes! Here are some of my favorites for you to try…
Also try my delicious Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe!
Hot Chocolate Filled Recipes
Crockpot Hot Chocolate
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream (can also use heavy whipping cream)
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cups mini marshmallows (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except the marshmallows, in a crockpot and stir to combine. The cocoa powder often takes some work to mix in.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on low, occasionally giving it a vigorous stir to make sure that all ingredients are melting and combining
- A few minutes prior to serving add the marshmallows, giving them a chance to melt a bit. Serve with a variety of toppings. Sip and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Can this be cooked on high for 1 hour instead?
I don’t love cooking milk on high for worries of scorching it. You could try, just stir it fairly often to be safe the first time.