Missing hot chocolate when it’s hot outside? Solution: FROZEN hot chocolate! It’s an iced version of the drink that’s out of this world good.
Oh boy, are we excited to share this one! I had never heard of frozen hot chocolate until Alex introduced me to the concept. Wait it’s hot chocolate, but it’s frozen? It seemed a little unnecessary to me. Then he made the recipe, and wowza, is this a fun summer drink! It’s iced and chocolate-y, a little like a milkshake but lighter and frothier. The smooth chocolate flavor goes down easy, and if you want to top it with homemade whipped cream? It’s a little creamy too. There’s a plant-based version of it too. Basically, this frozen hot chocolate is everything you need to beat the heat in these sweltering temps! But we’re planning to eat it all year round, because: look at it.
How to make frozen hot chocolate
First off, what is frozen hot chocolate? Well, it’s everything the name implies. Take some hot chocolate and blend it with ice until it’s frothy. It’s basically like a caffeine-free frappacino, without the coffee flavor. (Ha!) This is our new favorite summer drink, and especially is a favorite of our 2 year old, Larson. He guzzled it down as an after dinner “treat”. (Whenever we say “Want a treat?” he is suddenly incredibly attentive!)
For Alex and my version of this frozen hot chocolate, of course we wanted to give it a healthy spin. Many recipes you’ll find online are very sugar forward, some calling for melted chocolate and boatload of sugar. So instead, we decided to start from our Homemade Hot Cocoa made of whole food ingredients: milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. You’ll make a base of this, and then mix it together with ice until a frothy, milkshake-like texture forms.
Here’s how to make frozen hot chocolate:
- In a small saucepan, heat milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla until it just combines, then remove from the heat.
- Add the remaining milk to cool the mixture.
- Place the chocolate mixture in a blender and whiz until a frothy, milkshake-like texture forms.
Serve with whipped cream?
Do you drink hot chocolate with whipped cream? I’m one of those people who never does: I find it’s way too sweet for me with a creamy dollop! The main reason we served this frozen hot chocolate with whipped cream was for the photograph: doesn’t it look lovely? (Ha.) While I typically would prefer serving without, we did find whipped cream added a nice creaminess when stirred into the frozen chocolate: so it actually does add a nice element if you’re looking for a decadent dessert.
There are a few different homemade whipped cream recipes that we’d recommend serving with this frozen hot chocolate:
- Homemade Whipped Cream: a classic whipped cream made with heavy cream, sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla.
- Dairy Free Whipped Cream: Did you know you can make whipped cream using coconut milk? This version comes out thick and lightly coconut scented.
- Yogurt Whipped Cream: this version uses equal parts yogurt and heavy cream for a healthy spin. It ends up with a tangy flair! While we typically think of this one with fruit desserts, you could get away with it here for a lower calorie version too!
Dairy free frozen hot chocolate, too
If you’d like a plant based version of this frozen hot chocolate: we’ve got your back! For a vegan and dairy free version, simply use your favorite version of dairy-free milk. We’d recommend a thicker milk like coconut milk or some brands of soy milk. We’ve found that almond milk can be a bit too watery: but if you eat vegan on a regular basis you probably know more than we do! Let us know what your favorite stand in for dairy milk is in the comments below.
And then of course, top it with our vegan whipped cream: or omit it altogether! It will still be a magnificent taste treat, we promise.
Looking for more drink recipes?
Outside of this frozen hot chocolate recipe, here are a few more of our favorite drink recipes — including lots of frozen drinks for summer!
- Best Frose Recipe (Frozen Rosé)
- Strawberry Daiquiris
- Watermelon Smoothie
- Best Frozen Margarita Recipe
- Fruit Infused Water Recipe
- Gin & Watermelon Cocktail
- Frozen Sangria
- Favorite Whiskey Sour
- Kombucha Recipe
- Simple Margarita Recipe
- Lemonade Slushie
- Simple Lemon Margarita
- Strawberry Margarita with Lime Ice
- Cucumber Lemon Water
- Lime Water with Mint
- Watermelon Juice
- 23 Classic Cocktails
This frozen hot chocolate recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For dairy-free, vegan, and plant-based, use the vegan variation!
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Frozen Hot Chocolate
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 0 minutes
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Total Time: 10 minutes
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Yield: 6 servings
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Pin RecipeDescription
Missing hot chocolate when it’s hot outside? Solution: FROZEN hot chocolate! It’s an iced version of the drink that’s out of this world good.
Ingredients
- 2 cups 2% milk, divided (or dairy-free milk of your choice!)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups ice
- Homemade whipped cream or vegan whipped cream, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan over low heat, gently warm 1 cup milk, the cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk until just combined: do not boil! Warm it just enough so that it combines, but not so much that it’s hot or boiling. Immediately remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup and add the remaining 1 cup milk. (Here you can refrigerate until serving, or go directly into the next step.)
- If serving with whipped cream, prepare the Homemade whipped cream or vegan whipped cream.
- Place the chocolate mixture in a blender with the ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses, topped with whipped cream if desired.
Category: Drink
Method: Blended
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Frozen hot chocolate, homemade whipped cream, Hot chocolate smoothie,
A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes
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