Looking for an easy homemade hot chocolate recipe? The secret to perfect homemade hot chocolate is just three ingredients (that you probably have on hand right now!) Cocoa + Milk + Sugar. That’s it! This recipe is so simple you’ll never buy store-bought hot cocoa mix again.
How do I make Hot Chocolate?
Print the recipe instantly here, or keep scrolling to see the step-by-step instructions with pictures below!
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The Easiest Homemade Hot Chocolate Recipe (Just 3 Ingredients!)
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 300kcal
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder I used Hershey’s.
- 1/2 cup white sugar (use 1/4 cup sugar if you like your hot chocolate less sweet)
- 3 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup milk (to be used separately from other milk)
Instructions
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1. Stir together the cocoa powder and sugar in a medium saucepan.
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2. Add 1/4 cup of milk and stir constantly over medium-high heat until mixture begins to boil. Continue stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved. Do not let it burn.
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3. Add the remaining milk to the pan and bring the heat up to the desired temperature. Don’t forget to whisk! Don’t let it burn.
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Top with mini marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon, or drink it straight up!
Video
During the last Snowpocalypse when I had 5 kids stuck in my house during snowy weather I whipped up a batch of homemade hot chocolate that the kids just loved. The parents were pretty impressed that I could make homemade hot chocolate from scratch without a recipe.
The secret to perfect homemade hot cocoa is just three ingredients (that you probably have on hand right now!)
My mom taught me at a very early age to make this recipe for hot chocolate with just three ingredients, so today I’m going to pass along my secret recipe to y’all.
I actually had to do a few test batches to figure out the measurements since I’ve always eyeballed the ingredients and never followed an actual recipe. My mother taught me to mix sugar and cocoa powder together until it was “the color that hot chocolate is supposed to be”.
I’ll try to be a little more exact. Here is what I came up with in my non-test test kitchen.
How to make hot cocoa on the stove
- 2 Tablespoon Hershey’s cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (use 1/4 cup sugar if you like your hot chocolate less sweet)
- 3 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup milk (to be used separately from other milk)
Directions:
1. Stir together the cocoa powder and sugar in a medium saucepan.
2. The cocoa powder is going to be lumpy, and that’s ok. Just get them blended together.
3. Add 1/4 cup of milk. My mama always used evaporated canned milk for this part, but I figure most people don’t even know what that is these days, so any kind of milk will do. I used skim. You can use whole milk or whatever you have on hand. Add a splash of heavy cream if you’re feeling fancy. If you are in need of dairy-free milk, you can use almond milk, soy milk or oat milk!
What is the secret ingredient in hot chocolate?
This is where the secret part comes in. It’s not an ingredient, but a process. See how the cocoa and milk don’t want to mix together very easily? We’re going to force them to love each other. With medium-low heat.
4. How can you force it? By applying heat. Medium heat- NOT HIGH! Very important.
Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. It should look like this pretty quickly. Have you ever seen a packet of hot cocoa mix that looks grainy with little brown spots inside? That’s because the cocoa powder and sugar never properly got mixed and melted. This method prevents spotty hot cocoa and makes it rich and smooth instead! And PS? Is there anything more beautiful than boiling chocolate? Yum. This is what gives you intense chocolate flavor that takes it over the top!
5. Let it boil for a minute or two, until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. Be sure to stir, stir, stir. Don’t let it burn!
6. Once it’s all good and mixed together, I add the rest of the milk. I’m not going to lie—I didn’t even measure this out, I just poured straight from the jug. If you like a super sweet hot chocolate you could add less, if you like it less sweet, add more milk. This recipe is totally flexible, folks. 
How hot is too hot?
When you add the cold milk, you’ll need to turn the heat back up to get the temperature hot again. You can let this simmer on the stove as long as you’d like, depending on how scalded your taste buds like to be when you sip hot drinks.
When I make it for kids I don’t let it heat back up after adding the milk and it makes it just lukewarm enough for my six year old’s tender mouth. You decide how hot you want yours to be. Once you’ve got it up to the right temp, pour it out into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Now you know the Secret to Perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate!
So there you go. Those are the exact steps you need to know to make homemade hot chocolate on the stove. Marshmallows are totally optional! Some folks also like to add a splash of vanilla extract or a pinch of salt. Others like dark chocolate or chocolate chips! If it’s Christmas time, throw in candy canes then toss in chocolate shavings in January. All of that is optional fun.
Stay warm out there and enjoy!
Here is a printable version of the recipe if you need it:
I hope you enjoy this easy homemade hot chocolate recipe with your family. Let me know how you like it!
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Free Hot Chocolate Bar Printable Signs
