Making hot chocolate from scratch seems like a piece of cake, right? There's only a few ingredients so what could go wrong? Well. I'm not sure what happens in the very few seconds it takes to scoop cocoa powder and then add it to boiling water, but for some odd reason, I could never get homemade hot chocolate right. I've tried for the past 3 winters to perfect my hot chocolate recipe (embarrassing, I know) and finally, drumroll please, after many failed attempts, I got it. Not only does it visually resemble hot chocolate (which would've been a win last winter), but it tastes better than what I remember boxed hot chocolate to taste like.


makes 1 cup

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup Almond milk 
• substitute: water, soy milk, rice milk, vegan nog (my personal favorite)
• 3-4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 1-2 tbsp Agave nectar 
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract

• Optional Additions:
• Vegan rice whip
• Vegan marshmallows
• Vegan chocolate chips
• clove

What You'll Need To Do:

• Bring milk (or water) to a simmer
• Stir in the agave nectar and vanilla
• Mix in the cocoa powder
• Add more or less cocoa powder depending on preferred chocolate consistency
• If adding chocolate chips, add a handful now and stir until combined
• Be sure not to over boil!!!
• Pour into mug and top with festive goodies
• Enjoy!

As you can tell by the picture above, separation happens quickly if you add the handful of chocolate chips. I personally don't mind since I like to mix everything together completely before drinking. Also for reference, I used Silk Nog instead of almond milk for this recipe and I absolutely loved it. It gives the drink some festive spice without being overwhelming.