Oat Milk Hot Chocolate

This oat milk hot chocolate is rich, creamy and ready in 5 minutes. The secret is using both cocoa powder and real chocolate: the cocoa brings the deep chocolate flavor, and the chocolate adds body and silkiness. Make it on the stovetop, in the microwave or even in your milk frother, top it with Whipped Cream, and it's the coziest thing you'll drink all winter.

My husband is dairy-free, so finding a plant milk that makes a really good hot chocolate has always mattered in our house. I discovered Oatly in Norway many years ago. The first time I made hot chocolate with it was during our stay in our campervan, and I was hooked. I was so happy when it started showing up in the supermarkets back home, and it's been my favorite milk for hot chocolate ever since.

I've tried many different plant milks over the years, including almond and soy, but oat milk is the one I keep coming back to. It's naturally a little sweeter and creamier, so the hot chocolate tastes rich without much added sugar.

WHY OAT MILK MAKES THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE

Oats are naturally starchy, and that's their secret. Some of that starch turns into natural sugar when oat milk is made, so it tastes lightly sweet without any sugar added. The rest gives it a creamy body, and it gets a little thicker as it warms up. That's what makes it work so well in drinks like hot chocolate.

Almond milk is mostly water, so it stays thin. Soy milk is creamier than almond milk, but it doesn't thicken the same way and has a stronger taste of its own.

Ingredients & Substitution Notes

• Oat Milk: There are many oat milk brands out there but my all time favorite one to use in hot chocolate is Oatly. They make lots of different oat milks, and they don't all work equally well here. I started with the Oatly Barista Edition, and it's still what we use for coffee because it froths so well. For hot chocolate I've switched to Oatly Full Fat for its (small but still) added omega-3. Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend is also a great option. It's not as sweet as Oatly, so you might want a few extra chocolate callets or a little more sugar. What I also like is that neither brand adds sweeteners like cane sugar. The sugar comes from the oats themselves (on Oatly's US label it's still listed as 'added sugars' because of FDA rules). Both are gluten-free too: Oatly is certified gluten-free, and Califia's Oat Barista Blend is labeled gluten-free (their organic oat milk isn't, though).
• Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder, whichever kind you like. Dutch-process cocoa gives a smoother, mellower and darker hot chocolate. Natural cocoa tastes brighter and a little fruitier, with a sharper chocolate edge.
• Chocolate Chips: My favorite is Callebaut 54.5% dark chocolate callets (Recipe 811). They're pricier than regular chocolate chips, but worth the splurge, and the big bag lasts ages. Their recipe has no animal ingredients, but they're made on shared production lines, so they may contain traces of milk. That's fine for my husband and me, but if you're strictly vegan, use a certified vegan chocolate you like. Any good dark chocolate, chopped, or vegan chocolate chips work too.
• Brown Sugar: The sugar is optional. You can skip it and add a few more chocolate callets instead, since the chocolate brings its own sweetness and makes the drink even richer. Otherwise, feel free to use any sugar (coconut sugar, white sugar...) or sweetener such as maple syrup or agave syrup. Add liquid sweeteners at the end and taste as you go.

How to Make hot chocolate with oat milk (stovetop, microwave or milk frother)

On the stovetop

STEP 1: Warm the oat milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

STEP 2: Once the cocoa and sugar are fully dissolved, add chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) and keep at a gentle simmer for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and slightly thickened. Stir in a pinch of salt (optional), pour into mugs and add your toppings.

In the microwave

• 1. Make one mug at a time (half the recipe). In a large microwave-safe mug, whisk the cocoa powder and sugar with ¼ cup (60 ml) of the oat milk into a smooth paste, then add the chocolate.
• 2. Microwave for 30 seconds on full power, then stir until the chocolate has melted into a smooth, glossy sauce.
• 3. Stir in the rest of the oat milk and heat in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until hot (about 1-1½ minutes). Oat milk foams up as it heats, so use a mug with room at the top and don't let it boil over. Add a pinch of salt and serve.

In a milk frother

• 1. If your frother has a hot chocolate or heating function (I use my large Severin Spuma), add the oat milk and let it warm up first.
• 2. Then add the cocoa powder and sugar, and drop the chocolate in a few callets at a time so they don't get stuck at the bottom.
• 3. Stay below the max line, since oat milk foams a lot. Whether this works depends on your frother, but it works great with mine.

Only have cocoa powder? Leave out the chocolate and use my Hot Chocolate with Cocoa Powder instead.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

• Cocoa won't dissolve or stays lumpy? Cocoa powder naturally clumps in liquid. Whisk hard for another minute, or blitz it for a few seconds with a milk frother or stick blender.
• Chocolate grainy or not melting? It got too hot. Turn the heat to very low and whisk hard, or blitz it briefly. Keeping it at a gentle simmer, never a rolling boil, prevents this.
• Too thick? Oat milk thickens as it heats and cools, so just whisk in a splash more oat milk.
• Too thin? Let it simmer for another minute, or add a few more chocolate callets.
• Not sweet enough? Add a few more callets or a little more sugar. This is especially helpful if you're using a less sweet oat milk.
• Skin on top? Oat milk can form a skin as it sits. Give it a quick whisk before serving or reheating.

Make ahead & reheating

Leftovers keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a day. They thicken as they cool, so reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave and whisk in a splash of oat milk.

MORE OAT MILK RECIPES

• Oat Milk Pancakes
• Oat Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Oat Milk Matcha Latte (Iced & Hot)

MORE HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPES

• Chocolate Chips Hot Chocolate
• Hot Chocolate with Cocoa Powder