About This French Hot Chocolate Recipe
This French hot chocolate recipe, also known as chocolat chaud, makes the best hot chocolate drink, EVER. The recipe is made with whole milk and chopped dark chocolate. These ingredients give the hot chocolate an intense and rich flavor with a luscious, velvety, thick texture when compared with hot chocolate made with cocoa powder and water.
The recipe is inspired by Carette, the Parisian cafe known for serving their hot chocolate with a towering bowl of whipped cream that you spoon into your drink. It’s the perfect drink to get you cozy and warm this winter!
For more fun drink recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Drinks recipe archive! Popular recipes include these beautifully layered Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte, Vietnamese Egg Coffee, and Creamy & Light Dalgona Coffee recipes, and copycat Starbucks recipes like Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam and Iced Pistachio Latte.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this decadent and rich French hot chocolate, let’s talk about key ingredients and any potential substitutions:
Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
- Heavy Cream: If you’re going the plant-based route, skip the whipped cream for the recipe or swap it with the pre-made plant-based whipped cream of your choice.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You’ll only need vanilla if you’re making the whipped cream for this French hot chocolate. Check out my recipe for Homemade Vanilla Extract.
- Whole Milk: The recipe works best if you use whole dairy milk. Although the recipe still works with skim or nonfat milk, you would sacrifice a lot of flavor and texture. Similarly, you can use a plant-based milk to make the recipe dairy free. However, many plant-based milks like almond, coconut, and soy are too thin. The best plant-based alternative for this recipe is oat milk; use a barista edition like Oatly Barista Edition Oatmilk.
- Dark Chocolate: Use the best quality chocolate from a chocolate bar or baking fèves to make this recipe. I like the chocolate from Valrhona; you can learn more in my post about The Best Chocolate For Chocolate Chip Cookies (many of my shopping tips and recommendations apply for this recipe). Don’t use chocolate chips! In general, they contain more cocoa solids and other stabilizers—this results in a less velvety texture for this hot chocolate drink.
- Simple Syrup: Don’t want to buy simple syrup? It’s easy to make at home! Check out my 5 Minute Simple Syrup Recipe. That being said, if you want to go the store-bought route, I like Monin Pure Cane Syrup for drink recipes.
How To Make The Recipe
Here are the basic steps to make rich and decadent French hot chocolate from scratch:
- Prep the ingredients. (Prep Time: 10 minutes)
In my opinion, chopping chocolate is one of the more annoying and time consuming tasks in baking. Make your life easier by using a thin chocolate bar (like the ones made by Ghirardelli or Lindt) or baking fèves. These are easier to chop quickly than thick chocolate bars like Tony’s Chocoloney or Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars! Check out more of my chocolate recommendations in this post for The Best Chocolate For Chocolate Chip Cookies. - Make the whipped cream. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
I like to make the whipped cream before making the hot chocolate. I serve the hot chocolate piping hot, with a side of cold whipped cream to help cool it down to the perfect temperature. If you make the hot chocolate first, it might be too cold by the time you add the whipped cream! - Make the hot chocolate. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
If you prefer a thicker hot chocolate, cook the hot chocolate for longer. Check out the recipe tips below for more information!
Photos Of Key Steps And Methods In The Recipe:
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Help! The chocolate didn’t melt when I added it to the milk. What did I do wrong?
Either you didn’t chop the chocolate small enough, or the milk wasn’t hot enough when you added the chocolate. No worries, you can fix it! Simply put the pan back on the stovetop and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted.
Make sure to use medium-low heat! It’s incredibly easy to burn chocolate (see: next question).
Help! The chocolate burned. What did I do wrong?
Uh oh! Did you add the chocolate to the milk while the saucepan was still on the stovetop? The recipe instructs you to remove the pan from heat, then whisk the chocolate in. If you added the chocolate when everything was still cooking and very hot, it puts the chocolate at risk of burning.
Another possibility is that you didn’t whisk the chocolate well enough. Large, unmelted pieces could have sank to the bottom of the pan when you put everything back on the stovetop, causing it to burn.
Unfortunately, if this happened to you, you’ll have to start the recipe again. Once the chocolate is burned, there’s no going back.
How To Store French Hot Chocolate
Although the hot chocolate is meant to be served immediately after making, its flavor does improve if made ahead and allowed to sit for a few hours. Remove the sauce pan from heat, cool to room temperature, and cover with a lid for 4 hours. Rewarm on the stove top over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, before serving.
The hot chocolate can also be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Cool to room temperature in the sauce pan, then pour into a large glass jar with a lid. Rewarm on the stove top over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, before serving.
Best Recipe Tips
Let me warn you now that this recipe makes a THICK hot chocolate. It’s essential to serve it piping hot with whipped cream on the side to help thin it out. If you want a thinner hot chocolate, I recommend either reducing the amount of chocolate in the recipe to just 4 ounces.
Get the Recipe:
French Hot Chocolate (Made With Milk And Chopped Chocolate)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 (8-ounce) drinks
French hot chocolate makes a thick, decadent, velvety hot chocolate. Unlike hot cocoa, it’s made with milk and chopped chocolate, giving it a rich ganache like texture and flavor.
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For The French Hot Chocolate
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First, make the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla. Whisk on medium-high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
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Next, make the hot chocolate. Pour the milk into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat to just under a boil, about 2 to 3 minutes.Remove from heat and immediately add the chocolate, whisking to melt it completely. Return to heat and to just under a boil, another 1 to 2 minutes, or until thick but still loose enough to pour.
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Serve immediately. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the simple syrup. Divide the chocolate between 2 cups, and serve immediately with the whipped cream on the side.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
