Easy Crockpot Hot Chocolate

Name: Easy Crockpot Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 7 cups (1.75 L) milk; 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream; ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder (dairy-free); 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or more, optional); 4 ounces (120g) dark chocolate chips; 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; pinch sea salt flakes; Optional toppings: whipped cream, melted chocolate, marshmallows

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This Easy Crock Pot Hot Chocolate is delightfully rich and creamy! Everyone will love this simple recipe that is simple to make with just 8 ingredients. Perfect for warming up on a chilly day, serving at holiday gatherings, and sipping throughout the season.

You’ll also love Crockpot Mulled Wine, Instant Pot Infused Water and Instant Pot Eggnog.

Suitable for vegetarian and gluten free diets.

This Easy Crock Pot Hot Chocolate is so rich, decadent, and creamy, you’ll never want to use the powder packets or the boxed hot chocolate mix again! And with a delectable hint of pumpkin spice, I am confident that this hot chocolate will be your favorite drink all fall and winter long.

On cold, shivering days, is there really anything better than stripping off those scarves, coats, and mittens and warming up with a cup of fresh, steaming Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate?!

Especially with such a super easy and quick homemade recipe like this one. Or perhaps this creamy Instant Pot Hot Chocolate.

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This best Crockpot Hot Chocolate is the perfect drink for serving at all sorts of fall and winter holiday gatherings too. Your guests will love to fill their mugs with this warm and cozy beverage and then top it off exactly as the like it.

It is great served alongside Crockpot Christmas Candy and this Crockpot Mulled Wine.

top down view of the finished crock pot hot chocolate inside the crockpot with a ladle

And you’ll love how easy it is to make! Think Halloween festivities, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas morning, and New Year’s parties. And feel free to make some easy Crockpot Whole Chicken too for more #easyentertaining.

This is a great recipe to whip up for a hot chocolate bar surrounded by aaaaaaaaaaall the toppings. Have fun!

What Is Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate is also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate or chocolate tea. It’s usually topped with marshmallows or whipped cream. Typically homemade hot chocolate is made with cocoa powder, hot water or milk, and some type of sweetener.

Serve it along with Crockpot Oatmeal or

Why Make This Recipe

Warms you up on a cold day or cold night.
Super easy to put together and fuss-free. Goes well With Brioche French Toast Casserole.
Perfect beverage with its rich flavor is great for Chocolate Lovers.
Set it and forget it. Easy to tend to other dishes and recipes while this cooks.
Holidays – easily adaptable to become Christmas hot chocolate, or Fall or Easter versions, depending on your add-ins.

a glass mug filled with crockpot hot chocolate

Ingredients Notes

Milk – for the creamiest result use some whole milk.
Heavy whipping cream – you could also use half and half instead of heavy cream.
Unsweetened cocoa powder – dairy-free.
Maple syrup – optional for sweetening.
Dark chocolate chips – to give it extra chocolate flavor.
Pumpkin pie spice – nice and warming.
Vanilla extract – please use pure vanilla extract if you can.
Sea salt flakes – to provide a little lift.
Optional toppings – whipped cream, melted chocolate, mini marshmallows and large ones too, white chocolate chips, and more.

Ready to learn how to make delicious crockpot hot chocolate? Then gather up these ingredients, and I will show you….

Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!

For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

How To Make CrockPot Hot Chocolate

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

Add all your ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 2 – 2 ½ hours. Stirring occasionally while cooking.
Switch to the warm setting and leave on until you’re ready to enjoy your rich hot chocolate.

image collage showing the steps for making crockpot hot chocolate

Expert Recipe Tips

It may help to heat the milk and mix it with cocoa powder first before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
Make sure you continue to stir the mixture as it stays on the warm setting.
I recommend sifting the cocoa before adding it to the Slow Cooker to eliminate lumps
If adding in alcohol, wait to spike your drink until serving.
Need to extend the batch a bit? Add some milk to thin it out a bit and increase the number of servings.
If using chopped chocolate, then break it into small pieces so it melts quickly.
You can easily make a double batch and refrigerate leftover hot chocolate to make a chilled drink or some soft serve ice cream.
Check the size of your slow cooker, these quantities may not fit into a small slow cooker.

top down view of crock pot hot chocolate inside the crockpot

Delicious Variations of Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

While classic Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate is fantastic just the way it is, here are a few other options to make it even more amaaaaazing.

Add toppings: Try chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, crushed graham crackers, crushed pretzels, sugar strands, or melted peanut butter, etc.
Make it even more decadent: You can add an extra cup of cream and reduce milk by the same amount to keep the proper ratio. For even more indulgence, use evaporated milk or some condensed milk.
Add in flavors: Try peppermint extract, brownie batter extract, some caramel sauce with sea salt, or peanut butter powder.
Trade out or mix-up chips: Use some sweet or semi sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate, milk chocolate chips, mint chocolate, salted caramel, or butterscotch chips, crushed oreos, depending on your preference.
Vary spices: use individual spices like cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, or nutmeg.
Spike it: If only adults are enjoying, you can add in a little Rum, Kahlua or Peppermint Schnapps.

Pro Tip: Make this dairy free by swapping out the milk for coconut, cashew milk or almond milk. You may need to adjust your toppings of choice as well.

a glass mug of slow cooker hot chocolate with a spoon inside

Prep Ahead And Storage

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate is great to make and have cooking while you’re out looking at holiday lights, playing in the snow, or just relaxing during a rainy day.

Prep Ahead – Not much to prep ahead with this, as slow cooker hot chocolate truly is a dump n start, set it and forget it type of recipe.
Store – Make ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat – Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated on the stove or in the microwave (using a microwave safe bowl) for 30 seconds at a time.

top down view of a mug filled with crock pot hot chocolate

FAQs

Will The Dairy Curdle In The Crockpot?

Nope, guys you don’t have to worry about that with this velvety Hot Chocolate. Since you make this on a low setting, the milk doesn’t get hot enough to curdle.

Wow To Make Hot Chocolate For A Crowd

Yeap, it is super easy to whip up some Crock Pot Hot Cocoa for a crowd. Great for fall, winter or Christmas Drinks gatherings.

Simply double the recipe or triple or quadruple it and cook away as normal. Just make sure you’re using a big enough slow cooker. You can also use a

What’s The Difference Between Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate?

Knowing there’s a difference, I still interchange both Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate, just as most other people do.

Guys, it turns out there there is actually a difference between the two. Hot cocoa is normally a mixture of milk (or water), cocoa powder and sugar, along with optional flavorings like vanilla, peppermint and spices like cinnamon.

Hot chocolate is usually a thicker, more decadent drink. It involves real chocolate melted into some milk. For the best flavor, the better the quality of the chocolate you use, the more luxurious and decadent the drink.

How To Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate?

To make crockpot peppermint hot chocolate, add some peppermint extract. Start with one teaspoon and add more to taste. You can also add in crushed peppermint candies.

Will Hot Chocolate Be Better with Milk or Water?

While you can use either milk or water, milk will be better as it will give you a richer, creamier flavor.

How To Keep It Warm?

To keep this warm, leave the drink in the slow cooker and set it to keep warm. You will have to check it regularly, to make sure it is not curdling or burning. This is especially important as the drink reduces as guests tuck in.

close up view of hot chocolate inside the crockpot and topped with marshmallows

Serving Suggestions

You can try serving it with alllllllllll the Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes you want during the festive period.

Melted Snowman Cookies – loved by the whole family.
Easy Shortbread Christmas Cookies. One of my favorite cookies.
Crockpot Christmas Candy. Love, this so much.
Grinch Popcorn. Your movie night is sorted.
Christmas Light Cookies. Fun and colorful to make.
Air Fryer Roasted Almonds. You can beat these.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

Recommended Tools

A really awesome Crockpot that can fit these amounts.
A really delicious Vanilla Extract.
I love serving it in these containers – so pretty.
Measuring cups and spoons to get those measurements right.
A mixing spatula for mixing it all up.
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

slow cooker hot chocolate inside the slow cooker ands ready to serve

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5 from 4 votes