Homemade Hot Cocoa on the Stove Top

A hot cocoa recipe worth the effort of a three minute stove top stir, I promise!

This is our go to for those cold winter days when the kids want something to do… and something sweet to eat! Whipping up a fresh batch of homemade hot cocoa is a regular request in our home, and I’m not complaining about it! Made with everything you already have in your pantry, you won’t find any fancy random ingredients required in this homemade hot cocoa.

Rich.

Decadent.

Sweet.

Delicious.

Creamy.

And OH SO GOOD.

Hot Cocoa Nostalgia, party of two.

I previously shared this homemade hot cocoa recipe on my Instagram page when I was pregnant with our fourth. Have you tried this recipe before? Baby 4 LOVED hot cocoa and I lived off this stuff until she joined us earthside, December of 2019. Feeling a little nostalgic about her turning three soon, so here’s a little celebration of her life by bringing this recipe to the blog, finally, today!

Turn it into a kid friendly activity!

Turn the prep work into a kid friendly winter activity! With the bonus of hot cocoa at the end too! Think baking with your kids, but where you enjoy it because it only takes two minute (or less) to prep!

This homemade hot cocoa recipe is a simple dump and simmer. Meaning all ingredients go in at once, before the pan goes to the stove top. So fun to get all the kids involved in helping make it! With six simple ingredients that are in every pantry, you can easily whip this up whenever the hot cocoa mood strikes!

Looking for another kid friendly recipe to warm up your winter afternoons?
Try this easy snickerdoodle recipe that is toddler friendly and sure to be a family hit!

Easy To Customize, Too!

You can easily adjust the sweetness of this hot cocoa recipe to your desired taste! Just bump up or down the amount of sweetener you use, until it’s just how you’d like! I won’t knock you for making it sweeter. 😉

If you find this recipe too rich, easily fix it for your tastebuds by adding more milk (or even a little water). You can also add in your fave flavors; skip the vanilla and instead, add in peppermint, almond, cinnamon or even pumpkin flavoring for a fun twist.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section when you try our homemade hot cocoa recipe out!

We hope you enjoy!

A

Simple Homemade Hot Cocoa

An easy dump, stir, heat and serve recipe that results in an instant homemade hot cocoa hit!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 minutes mins

Equipment

• 1 saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups milk of choice
• 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 TBSP cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 2 TBSP sweetener of choice
• 1/8 tsp vanilla optional
• 1/8 tsp coarse ground kosher salt optional, any salt will do

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients to sauce pan.
• Heat on low, stirring frequently until smooth, hot and blended well.
• Serve with toppings of choice.
• Refrigerate leftovers.
• To reheat, shake/stir well, reheat, stir and serve.

Notes

Feel free to bump up or down the amount of sweetener you use, to taste. I won’t knock you for making it sweeter. 😉

If you find this recipe too rich, just add more milk, until your desired taste is reached.