Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate is a delicious twist on traditional hot chocolate. Loaded with warm and cozy fall flavors, this Starbucks copycat drink is rich and creamy and comes together in just 10 minutes (vegetarian).
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About Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
This Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate is a warm and comforting drink made using real pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate.
It is rich and creamy in texture and loaded with warm fall flavors.
This one-pot pumpkin pie spiced hot chocolate drink is perfect to serve for chilly fall and winter evenings. I like to make a big batch of this comforting drink for my fall parties or Thanksgiving dinner.
This drink doesn’t have coffee so it’s perfect to serve to non-coffee drinkers and to children.
Spike it with bourbon, rum, vodka, or cinnamon schnapps for an indulgent adult treat.
This delicious fall treat can be made in a pan over the stovetop, in an instant pot, or in a slow cooker. Choose your favorite method to make it this fall! I am sharing them all in the post below.
This delicious hot chocolate recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if making it for a crowd. You can also half it to make a smaller batch.
Here are some more chocolate drink recipes that you may like
- Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Chip Frappe
- Chocolate Cold Coffee
- Kahlua Hot Chocolate
- Bourbon Hot Chocolate
- Oreo Hot Chocolate
- Baileys Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Pumpkin Puree – Make the pumpkin puree at home using my homemade pumpkin puree recipe or buy a can.
Milk – I like to make this drink using whole milk (full-fat milk) as it turns out super-rich and creamy but you can choose to use skim, low-fat, or plant-based milk like almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – Make it at home using my Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe or buy a bottle.
Cocoa Powder – Use the best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder. I like to use Ghiradelli or Hershey’s.
Dark Chocolate – Dark chocolate makes this drink rich and indulgent.
Others – You will also need dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and water.
You can replace dark brown sugar with coconut sugar, maple syrup, or artificial sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit.
You can also make this hot beverage using pumpkin pie filling. Replace pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie filling and skip adding pumpkin pie spice and sweetener to the recipe. It is a great way to use the leftover pumpkin filling.
How To Make Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
Add
- 3 cups of whole milk
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
to a big pot and mix well until combined.
Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pot.
Add ½ cup chopped dark chocolate and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and cook until they dissolve and the hot chocolate is creamy. Stir frequently while cooking.
Pour the creamy hot chocolate into serving mugs, top with your favorite toppings like whipped cream, chocolate chips, or chocolate shavings, and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice, and serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, to try a different version, you can always swap dark chocolate with white chocolate. You will need to make a few minor changes to retain its white color, creaminess, and sweetness. Just reduce the amount of sugar, skip cocoa powder, and add 4 oz chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips in place of dark chocolate.
Yes, milk chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate) is another option that you can use instead of dark chocolate. Just reduce the sugar and use milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate bars instead of dark chocolate.
You can use a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg instead of a pre-made pumpkin pie spice.
Press SAUTE button on the instant pot. Stir together milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, water, sugar, and cocoa powder into the pot. Cook until the milk comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Add chopped chocolate and vanilla extract and cook until they dissolve and the hot chocolate is creamy. Press the KEEP WARM setting and serve whenever you are ready.
Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and whisk until smooth. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low for 3 hours or on high for 1-½ hours. Make sure to stir it a few times while cooking. Add the hot chocolate into cups, top with whipped cream, and serve immediately.
To make it using a hot chocolate mix, stir together milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix, and 1 cup of hot cocoa mix in a pan. Cook on medium heat for 4- 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve hot.
Storage Suggestions
You can store Pumpkin Spiced Hot Chocolate for about 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a microwave or in a pan over the stovetop until it reaches the desired temperature and serve hot.
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Recipe Card
Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk (full-fat milk) (or skim, low fat or plant-based milk)
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, water, dark brown sugar, and cocoa powder to a big pot and mix well until combined.
- Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pot.
- Add dark chocolate and vanilla extract and cook until they dissolve and the hot chocolate is creamy. Stir frequently while cooking.
- Pour the creamy hot chocolate into serving mugs, top with your favorite toppings like whipped cream, chocolate chips, or chocolate shavings, and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice, and serve hot.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!