Peppermint Hot Chocolate

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate is a creamy, dreamy, treat for kids and adults alike. It's so easy to make at home in your own kitchen, too!

This hot chocolate tastes like Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate. So you can save yourself some time and money by skipping a trip to Starbucks and making this hot chocolate in your own kitchen.

It's a perfect treat for a Winter day. Maybe after playing in the snow? You can easily scale this recipe up, too, so it's great for one or two people or for a crowd.

Looking for more warm, cozy, and family-friendly drinks? Check out my Caramel Apple Spice and Starbucks Medicine Ball! If you want a boozy version of this hot chocolate, check out this Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate!

two mugs full of peppermint hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, crushed candy canes, and chocolate shavings

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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
💭 What is Peppermint Hot Chocolate?
📝 Ingredients
👩🏻‍🍳 How to make Peppermint Hot Chocolate
❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks
🔗 Other warm Winter drinks
✨ Recipe

🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's delicious. Peppermint and chocolate are a classic combo for a reason. These flavors play together very well.
Homemade hot chocolate is very easy to make. I know it might be tempting to just tear into a packet of hot chocolate mix. But trust me when I say that making your own hot chocolate doesn't require that much more effort, and the payoff is huge.
The whole family will enjoy it. Kids and adults can and will enjoy this sweet drink!

💭 What is Peppermint Hot Chocolate?

Peppermint Hot Chocolate is regular hot chocolate that has been sweetened and flavored with peppermint. This can be achieved via a peppermint syrup or peppermint extract. You could even use peppermint-flavored candies (like candy canes or peppermint chocolates) to flavor the hot chocolate.

📝 Ingredients

You don't actually need very many ingredients to make yourself some peppermint hot chocolate. Of course, you can go crazy with the garnishes, but it's not required. Let's talk about the ingredients shown in the photo, below.

Milk: You can use whatever milk that you prefer, but I will say that something with a little higher fat content will work better. Stick to whole or 2% cow's milk, or full fat oat milk, or something of that nature.
Salt: I know that salt may sound like a strange ingredient in a sweet drink, but please don't skip it. You only need a tiny pinch of salt, but it will make a difference. The salt just makes all of the ingredients taste more like themselves, if that makes sense.
Chocolate: You can use whatever kind of chocolate you prefer for this recipe. I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate, as it won't make the drink overly sweet. You could also go with dark chocolate if you prefer a slightly less sweet drink. Regardless of what chocolate you opt to use, I'd recommend using a high-quality bar of chocolate or chocolate chips (Ghirardelli, etc.).
Peppermint syrup: This hot chocolate is sweetened and flavored with Peppermint Syrup. You can use a store bought variety, or you can make your own peppermint syrup at home. It's so easy that I highly recommend making it at home!
Garnishes: As always garnishes are optional, but pretty and fun. You can garnish your peppermint hot chocolate with anything that your little heart desires. I'm partial to whipped cream, crushed candy canes, chocolate shavings, and/or marshmallows.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Start by adding the milk, salt, and chocolate (or chocolate chips) to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat.

milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan on the stove

You'll want to whisk this mixture pretty frequently. Slowly, the chocolate will melt. Once everything has melted nicely, and the hot chocolate has reached the desired temperature, you'll want to add the peppermint syrup and give it another stir.

hot chocolate in a saucepan on the stove with a whisk

Next, ladle the hot chocolate into mugs and garnish them however you like!

As you can see in the other photos, I opted for whipped cream, crushed candy canes, and some chocolate shavings. Other fine additions could include marshmallows, homemade whipped cream (instead of the canned stuff that I used), other chocolates, etc.

two mugs full of peppermint hot chocolate

❓ FAQs/Tips and tricks

Can I make a bigger batch of hot chocolate?

Yes! Just scale the ingredients up proportionally.

Do I need to use homemade peppermint syrup?

Nope. You can use a store bought syrup, if you so choose.

What kind of milk should I use?

In short: use whatever you like! I made this using 2% cow's milk, and it turned out really nicely. You can also use a non-dairy milk, or even add some heavy cream to the mix, if you want to make a really decadent mug of hot chocolate.

Will this taste like Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate?

Yes! It will! Save yourself some time and money and skip a Starbucks trip in favor of making this hot chocolate in your own kitchen.

🔗 Other warm Winter drinks

You can't have enough warm, comforting Winter drinks, right? Right. Check out the links below, which include some from my blog, and others from other fantastic food bloggers. I bet you'll find a new favorite! This Brazilian Hot Chocolate and Mexican Hot Chocolate look like real winners. And if you're looking to make a big batch of hot chocolate, try this Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate!

Mulled Pumpkin Cider from Sweet Tea and Thyme
Instant Pot Apple Cider from The Endless Meal
Glühwein from Live Eat Learn

I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!

✨ Recipe