Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
on Dec 01, 2021, Updated Mar 14, 2024
Made using real ingredients, this rich, creamy, and delicious Instant Pot Hot Chocolate gets ready in under 10 minutes. Make this gluten-free drink for cold winter evenings, holidays, and family gatherings.
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About Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
Instant Pot Hot Chocolate (Drinking Chocolate) is the easiest and most convenient one-pot method of making hot chocolate. It’s a perfect cozy drink for cold winter or monsoon evenings, family gatherings, and holiday get-togethers.
The best part is that the instant pot (electric pressure cooker) keeps it warm until you are ready to serve it.
To make hot chocolate in the Instant Pot, add the ingredients to the inner pot, stir it a few times, and your rich, creamy, chocolaty hot chocolate will come together in under 10 minutes.
We don’t pressure cook the hot chocolate; we use the SAUTE setting to cook it and the KEEP WARM mode to keep it warm.
Hot chocolate made in an Instant Pot also works perfectly for a crowd. You can make a big batch and let the instant pot keep it warm throughout the party.
I used my 3-quart instant pot to make an instant pot hot chocolate recipe for 4 people, but you can easily make it for 8-10 people. If you want to serve even more people, use a 6-quart instant pot.
Make this gluten-free, comforting drink using real ingredients at home with my perfect recipe.
Here are some more drink recipes that you may like: Beaten Coffee, Saffron Milk, Indian Masala Chai, and Kashmiri Tea Kahwa.
Try Herbal Saffron Tea, South Indian Filter Coffee, and Baileys Hot Chocolate.
Ingredients
Milk – I always use whole milk (full-fat milk) to make hot chocolate, as it turns out creamy and rich. However, feel free to use skim or low-fat milk.
You can add some heavy cream to make creamier and richer hot chocolate.
Cocoa Powder & Chocolate Chips – Always choose the best quality unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. Milk or semi-sweet sweet chocolate chips also work fine.
You can also replace cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips with white chocolate chips or melted white chocolate to make white hot chocolate.
Add some chocolate sauce to make the chocolate flavor even stronger.
Vanilla Extract – Choose the best!
Sugar – I like to use brown sugar as it gives a nice caramelized taste to the hot chocolate. Feel free to use granulated white sugar or any other sweetener like maple syrup, coconut sugar, honey, or sugar-free substitutes like stevia or monk fruit.
How To Make Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
Press the SAUTE button on the instant pot.
Add the following ingredients and cook until the milk boils. Stir frequently to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom of the pan.
- 4 cups of whole milk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
You may have some small lumps, but these will melt and go away as the mixture heats up.
Add ½ cup dark chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and cook, stirring continuously, until they dissolve and the hot chocolate is creamy.
Pour into serving mugs and serve immediately.
Tip – To make the homemade hot chocolate extra thick and creamy, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup milk, add it to the pot, and cook for 3-4 minutes until it is cooked and the hot chocolate is thickened.
Note – If you don’t want to serve the hot chocolate immediately, press the KEEP WARM setting on the instant pot and serve it whenever you are ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is an easy and quick way to make a big batch of hot chocolate for a larger crowd. The best part about making it in the Instant Pot is that you can keep it warm until you are ready to serve it.
To make it vegan, replace dairy milk with dairy-free options such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or cashew milk. Chocolate is vegan, but check the label, as some brands may add dairy.
Variations
Peppermint – Add half a teaspoon of peppermint extract and mix it.
Cinnamon – Add in a little cinnamon powder and give it a mix.
Espresso – Once your hot chocolate is ready, stir in a shot of espresso.
Caramel – Add ¼ cup of caramel sauce to the creamy hot chocolate recipe with the other ingredients. Reduce the sugar, as the caramel syrup is quite sweet.
Boozy – Make an adult version by adding Bourbon, Kahlua, or Dark Rum to the ready hot chocolate.
Topping Ideas
Here are some of my favorite toppings
Serve the hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, as I did. You can also use candy canes as stirrers.
You can also top it with whipped cream and sprinkle some cocoa powder.
You can top it with white, dark, or milk chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, jimmies, sprinkles, crushed peppermint chips, cocoa puff cereal, coconut shavings, or roasted peanuts.
You can set up a hot chocolate bar for parties where people can top their hot chocolate with the toppings of their choice. Just keep the toppings in small bowls next to the hot chocolate and let everyone customize their drink.
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Easy Instant Pot Hot Chocolate Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot/ Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk (full-fat milk) (you can use skim,-low fat, or plant-based milk too.)
- ½ cup brown sugar (you can use any other sweetener that you like)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Press SAUTE button on the instant pot.
- Pour milk, brown sugar, and cocoa powder, and cook until the milk comes to a boil. Stir frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
- Add dark chocolate chips and vanilla extract and cook until they dissolve and the hot chocolate is creamy, stirring continuously.
- Pour the hot chocolate into serving cups and serve immediately.
- Tip – To make the hot chocolate extra thick and creamy, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup milk, add it to the pot, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the cornstarch is cooked and the hot chocolate is thickened.
- If you don’t want to serve the hot chocolate immediately, you can press KEEP WARM and serve whenever you are ready.
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