CROCKPOT HOT CHOCOLATE

Slow cooker hot chocolate made with real chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and cream, perfect for entertaining.

WHY THIS SLOW COOKER RECIPE WORKS

The first time I made this slow cooker hot chocolate recipe was at my first-ever holiday party. It’s rich and delicious, and since you don’t have to stand over it, it’s the perfect crowd-pleaser for a party.

It’s an easy recipe, basically, you just add the ingredients to your crock pot and stir. Prep time: 5 minutes, then it cooks without supervision.

You can ladle out drinks as needed, then flip your slow cooker to the “warm” setting to keep it ready to go for hours.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

This is an incredibly rich and delicious recipe, it’s the drinkable ganache of dreams. It’s not the kind with just powder mixed in with hot water.

If you’re looking for a drink that’s made with real chocolate, creamy, thick, and oh-so-delicious, this is the recipe for you.

• Chocolate chips, You can use all milk chocolate chips. This makes the drink VERY SWEET and tastes like drinking a giant milk chocolate candy bar. If you prefer something less sweet, use half milk and half semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. You’ll find this version tastes more balanced. I’m more of a semi-sweet chocolate lover myself, so this is how I make the recipe.
• Heavy cream, Hot chocolate is way more delicious made with cream. Heavy cream helps balance out the intense sweetness of all those chocolate chips.
• Sweetened condensed milk, Sweetened condensed milk adds a deliciously rich, almost caramel-like flavor. You could try using evaporated milk instead, but you’ll need to add a fair amount of sugar to get it anywhere close to as good.
• Crockpot size, This recipe makes enough to comfortably fill a 5-quart crockpot. It will overflow a 4-quart, but that is pushing it, liquids can bubble up over the edge of your crock when they boil, so use caution. A 6-quart crockpot will work, too.
• Serving, Set your slow cooker on the table and let people ladle their own servings throughout the night. Check on it from time-to-time to make sure there’s more than enough to go around (there will be!) and give the ladle a fill-up as needed.

This rich and thick Crockpot Hot Chocolate tastes nothing like powdered hot chocolate. The chocolate chips provide a rich chocolatey flavor with a hint of sweetness and the heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk make this recipe for Crockpot hot cocoa creamy and thick.

It’s the perfect holiday drink for entertaining.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT HOT CHOCOLATE

Step 1: Put everything in the crockpot.

No double boiler here, no pre-melting of chocolate chips. Everything gets stirred together in the Crock Pot.

I highly recommend using heavy whipping cream in this recipe. The fat is what makes the chocolate thick and creamy.

Using a lower fat cream would probably adversely affect the final product. You’ll probably be fine using 2% milk, but use whole milk if possible.

Skim will likely make it more watery.

The sweetened condensed milk takes this recipe over the top. It gives it body and adds just the right amount of sweetness.

Combined with the vanilla extract, it’s what makes this recipe taste nothing like powdered hot chocolate. There’s something about sweetened condensed milk, once cooked, that gives a caramelized flavor.

Yum!

Step 2: Stir well.

Before covering and cooking, stir or whisk the ingredients together until combined. This will get the sweetened condensed milk off the bottom and dissolve it a bit.

It’s a little harder to dissolve it once everything has gone into the Crockpot.

Cook on low for about two hours, stirring every half an hour. It’s important to stir so that everything cooks evenly and melts completely.

It takes about two hours to get it nice and hot and smooth.

Now all you have to do is let the chocolate melt. At about 90 minutes it will start to smell like sweet chocolate and vanilla.

After two hours it will be mostly melted. Give it a good whisk to incorporate it all together and whisk out any teeny tiny bits.

If there are larger pieces or lumps, reduce the heat and give it another few minutes and a stir.

Once completely melted, whisk until smooth. Switch the slow cooker to warm and leave it there to serve.

If you’re serving it over an extended period of time, place a paper or kitchen towel between the Crock Pot lid and the insert. Hot chocolate made in a slow cooker tends to drip when you lift the lid, which thins out the hot chocolate a little.

The towel will hold onto the condensation for you.

TOPPINGS AND SERVING IDEAS

I highly suggest setting up a self-serve hot chocolate station for parties. Fill bowls with toppings, gather up some cute mugs, and leave it all out on display.

Some classic toppings:

• Whipped cream, canned is the way to go when cooking for a crowd. Real whipped cream is better, but will melt faster.
• Mini marshmallows: Keep them in a bowl next to the hot chocolate for an extra scoop. They’ll melt into the hot chocolate for an extra sweet treat.
• Chocolate shavings, these are more of a garnish but are cute to include in party settings.
• Candy canes, crush up a few candy canes for a hint of peppermint. The peppermint pairs well with milk chocolate.
• Caramel, a drizzle of sweet caramel balances the bitterness of semi-sweet chocolate.
• Cinnamon sticks: Adds just the tiniest hint of spice
• Cayenne, this is an adult’s hot chocolate item for sure. Just a tiny amount adds a nice heat. Use sparingly and leave it to your guests to add.

HELPFUL TIPS

• You can add some of the toppings straight into the crockpot itself, peppermint, cayenne, cinnamon, caramel, etc. But I think it’s cuter to offer the self-serve station.
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated on the stovetop. Add more milk if necessary.

Other helpful tips:

• Place a piece of paper towel under the lid. Fold a piece of paper towel and place it on top of the insert, under the lid. It will help to soak up the condensation that forms while cooking, which will drip down and water down your drink if you’re not watching it the whole time.
• Use Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate chips if possible. Milk chocolate chips are best. The name-brand chocolate chips melt down smoother than generic ones and don’t have as much of a waxy flavor.
• This recipe makes a lot. The recipe is based off of a 5 quart slow cooker. You can keep it as is or increase the recipe by 1/2 for a larger (7-8 quart) cooker. Just don’t fill it to the top; leave an inch or two.
• Use this recipe as a jumping-off point for lots of other fun crockpot hot chocolate ideas.

Peppermint hot chocolate – Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract with the vanilla extract. Start with less than this amount in case you don’t love the strong flavor of peppermint extract in hot chocolate.

Mocha hot chocolate – Add 1-2 tablespoons instant espresso powder for a deliciously deeper flavor that offsets the sweetness. It doesn’t taste strongly of coffee.

Mexican hot chocolate – Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and a small pinch cayenne pepper for a spicy twist.

Dark hot chocolate – Use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips and use only 3/4 can sweetened condensed milk to tone down the sweetness.

Dairy free hot cocoa, I used dairy free chocolate chips and swapped out regular milk for full fat oat or coconut milk, as well as using coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Condensed milk is more difficult to substitute, but there are coconut condensed milks that work decently.

STORAGE AND MAKE-AHEAD

If you happen to have any hot chocolate leftovers, let the hot chocolate come to room temperature then transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Hot chocolate will be pretty thick in the refrigerator and difficult to pour. Reheat over medium (no higher!) heat, adding more milk if you like, until warmed through, stirring frequently.

Chocolate will scorch too easily at higher heats, and the marshmallows will burn if heated too long. Add more mini marshmallows at this time if desired.

If reheating in the microwave, I like to heat in 30 second increments, stirring between, until warmed through. It’s important to make sure to stir well because some parts of the cup will be warmer than others.

No freezing as the chocolate will separate from the dairy and turn out a little grainy.

If you’d like to make this recipe ahead of time for a party, make up to a day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Place the ingredients in your crockpot and cook on low for 1 hour, stirring frequently, before serving.

WHAT CROCKPOT TO USE

A standard 5-quart or 6-quart slow cooker works well. I personally use a Crock-Pot 6-Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker which has been going strong for years.

It’s a simple, manual, bare-bones Crock Pot with a dial for low, warm, and high settings and no bells and whistles.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I USE COCOA POWDER INSTEAD OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS?

Melted chocolate chips result in a very thick and rich hot chocolate, almost like a runny ganache. Cocoa powder can be used as a substitute if you’re out of chips, but the texture is thinner and not as rich.

So although cocoa powder can be used, chocolate chips are highly recommended.

CAN I MAKE THIS IN A SMALLER CROCKPOT?

You can use a 4-quart slow cooker if you reduce the recipe by about 20 to 25 percent or it will be too full and may overflow. If using a 3-quart slow cooker, cut the recipe in half.

HOW LONG CAN I KEEP IT ON WARM?

This crock pot hot chocolate keeps well for 3 to 4 hours on the warm setting. After that point, the quality of the drink begins to decrease.

It may get a little skippy/spotty and it can get a little thick. If you’re planning an extended get-together that will take more than 4 hours, stir occasionally and give it a splash of milk to keep it going.

WHY DID MY HOT CHOCOLATE GET LUMPY?

There are 2 common reasons why this happens:

• The chocolate chips haven’t completely melted. If this happens when you’re ready to serve, stir vigorously and allow it to heat on LOW for another 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
• The heat was too high which can cause the chocolate to seize and get thick and lumpy. Give it a stir with a whisk and try heating on LOW for another 15 to 20 minutes. If that doesn’t do the trick, give it a couple pulses with a hand-held immersion blender right in the slow cooker until lumpiness subsides.

CAN I ADD ALCOHOL TO MAKE THIS A SPIKED HOT CHOCOLATE?

You can if you’d like. Personally, I like to leave the whole thing non-alcoholic so it’s kid-friendly, then spike individual cups with Kahlúa or Baileys Irish Cream or another liqueur of your choice.

Simply stir together your serving of hot chocolate and about 1.5 oz. liqueur, such as peppermint schnapps or bourbon. Give it a swish to incorporate.

CAN I USE EVAPORATED MILK INSTEAD OF SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK?

Condensed milk is a critical ingredient in this recipe because it gives it its body, its thickness and its sweetness. Evaporated milk is much thinner in consistency and not sweetened, so you’ll be missing out on a lot by swapping it in, plus you’ll have to sweeten it on your own.

You can use condensed milk but may want to tweak it according to your preferences.

MORE CROCKPOT AND DRINK RECIPES

• Looking for a lighter drink? Check out these easy-to-make Flavored Water Recipes.