What Is Whipped Hot Chocolate?
Whipped hot chocolate takes a traditional hot chocolate recipe and turns it upside down! Most hot chocolate recipes are made with a warm, chocolate milk base and topped with vanilla whipped cream. However, this recipe does the opposite: it instructs you to make chocolate whipped cream and top it on vanilla milk to make the whipped hot chocolate! It’s the perfect drink to celebrate holidays and inside weather.
For more unique drink recipes, check out Hummingbird High‘s Drink Recipe collection! Popular recipes include this Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam (A Copycat Starbucks Recipe) and this Vietnamese Egg Coffee.
To make my whipped hot chocolate even more special, I serve it with Nonni’s Dark Chocolate Almond Biscotti. A big thank you to Nonni’s for sponsoring this recipe. Learn more below, and thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep Hummingbird High up and running!
Why You Should Make The Recipe
This whipped hot chocolate recipe is a modern take on a classic holiday recipe.
This whipped hot chocolate recipe has the flavor and taste of classic hot chocolate. However, it updates the recipe with a new appearance and texture! To drink whipped hot chocolate, stir together the chocolate cream and milk base. Doing so creates a hot chocolate drink that is fluffier and creamier than traditional hot chocolate. Its texture is similar to that of milkshakes and blended iced coffee drinks!
This whipped hot chocolate recipe is “internet famous“!
One of the bright spots from 2020 is that more and more folks are cooking at home and sharing fun, innovative recipes online. Earlier this year, dalgona coffee—a whipped coffee similar to this whipped hot chocolate recipe—took the internet by storm. A lot of people were sharing videos of themselves making the easy recipe at home. Many shared photos of their extremely photogenic coffees, which inspired others to make the recipe, too.
Soon, folks wondered what else they could whip up and began experimenting. They made whipped drinks with other ingredients like matcha (green tea), strawberry powder, and eventually, hot chocolate mix and cocoa powder. The drinks made with hot chocolate mix and cocoa powder resulted in recipes like this whipped hot chocolate!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make whipped hot chocolate, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:
Shopping List for Whipped Hot Chocolate
And let’s talk about some key ingredients and their substitutions:
Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
- Cream. Heavy cream has slightly more fat than whipping cream. Heavy cream typically contains at least 36% fat, while whipping cream contains at least 30%. For this recipe, you can use whichever variety you prefer. However, I very mildly recommend using heavy cream. Why? In this recipe, heavy cream holds up better against the warm milk base. Whipping cream melts faster.
- Cocoa Powder/Hot Chocolate Mix. Cocoa powder often comes in two varieties: natural unsweetened, and Dutch-processed. You can use whatever kind of cocoa powder you prefer or have on hand to make this whipped hot chocolate recipe. If you want the taste of classic hot chocolate, definitely use hot cocoa mix! You can substitute out the cocoa powder in the recipe with the same amount of hot cocoa mix, no problem. However, if you think regular hot chocolate is too sweet, stick with the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar quantities I used in the recipe below.
- Confectioners’ Sugar. If you only have granulated sugar on hand, you can substitute out the confectioners’ sugar with granulated sugar. However, you may need to whip the chocolate cream for longer than what’s listed in the recipe below.
- Whole Milk. In a pinch, nonfat or skim milk works in this recipe. You can also use non-dairy alternatives like oat or nut milk. Just note that the drink won’t be dairy-free since cream IS dairy.
Can I use store-bought canned whipped cream?
No, please don’t! This recipe instructs you to whisk together cream with other ingredients like cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar. Together, the ingredients make the chocolate cream.
You won’t get the same effect if you use store-bought canned whipped cream. It doesn’t whisk well with other ingredients and tends to deflate quickly once you’ve squirted it from the can. If you do manage to get it to stay fluffy while mixing in the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar, it loses its shape much more quickly than it otherwise would have if you’d made everything from scratch.
How To Make Whipped Hot Chocolate
Here are the basic steps to make whipped hot chocolate:
- First, prep the ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
To prep for this recipe, make sure all the ingredients are at the temperatures listed in the recipe! That means warming both the milk and water beforehand. Check out the baker’s tips below for more specifics. But prepping all your ingredients ensures that your whipped hot chocolate will be enjoyed at its peak fluffiness! - Next, make the chocolate cream. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
This recipe starts with the chocolate cream topping. And making it is easy! Simply whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. That’s it! - Then, make the warm vanilla milk base. (Work Time: <1 minute)
Whisk together the milk, water, and vanilla extract in your favorite drinking mug. At this point, you’re almost there! - Finally, assemble the whipped hot chocolate. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
Scoop the chocolate cream over the milk. Then, garnish with extra cocoa powder. Don’t forget the Nonni’s Dark Chocolate Almond Biscotti!
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
What tools do I need to make whipped hot chocolate?
Technically, you can get away with just using a whisk and your arms to make whipped hot chocolate. But get ready for a workout! By hand, you’ll be whipping for at least 6 to 8 minutes. More if you want your drink to look as fluffy as mine.
So, TL/DR, you don’t need to be a hero. You can use the following tools instead and make your life much, much easier:
Caveat about that last one: while you can make a perfectly fluffy chocolate cream with an electric milk frother, it takes twice as long to whip it up than if you were to use a stand mixer or handheld one. Just be warned!
Why do I need to mix the milk with hot water?
Great question! Most whipped hot chocolate recipes instruct you to scoop the chocolate cream over a glass of plain milk. However, when I tried this variation, I thought it was too much. Think about it—you’re literally scooping a huge pile of whipped cream into a generous glass of milk, then drinking it! Even for somebody who loves milkshakes and blended drinks, I thought it was a lot.
So, the hot water helps balance everything out and make it less intense. However, if you’re using a non-dairy, plant-based milk that’s on the thinner side (like almond milk), you might not need the water. Use your judgement! You can’t go wrong either way.
Help! My chocolate cream turned out solid. It doesn’t look light and fluffy like yours. What did I do wrong?
Great question! Thick, solid chocolate cream can happen for the reasons below:
You decided to reduce the amount of heavy cream in the recipe.
If you reduce the amount of cream in the recipe without reducing the cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar, you end up with chocolate truffles. Yes, the kind you can buy at a fancy chocolate shop, lol. Don’t throw it out! Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the mass into individual truffles. Roll the truffles in cocoa powder and enjoy!
However, that being said, you definitely need to start over with the whipped hot chocolate recipe.
You overwhipped the cream and accidentally made butter.
If you go overboard and whip the cream too much, it turns into butter. But don’t panic! You can fix this mistake. Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and whisk on low speed until the cream loosens up again.
Best Recipe Tips
Ingredient Tips
- In the ingredients list below, I write that you need both warm milk and water to make this recipe. However, I do not provide specific temperatures for either ingredient. Why? Use your judgement here—you’ll be drinking the whipped hot chocolate immediately after making it. Some people like their drinks scorching hot; others like their drinks on the cooler side. Warm the milk and water to your preferences accordingly! It all works.
- Similarly, I don’t provide further instructions on how to warm the milk and water. Sometimes I warm both separately in the microwave. Other times, I combine the two and warm them together in a small sauce pan on the stovetop. Again, you do what works best for you!
Technique Tip
- The recipe instructs you to whip the cream to a specific texture: “soft peaks.” The best way to determine the cream’s texture is to do a test with a whisk. Dip the tip of a whisk (or the whisk attachment) into the whipped cream, remove it, and quickly turn it upside down. If the cream is too soft, it will slide off the whisk. You’ll need to keep whisking. Once the cream has a cloudlike structure, with peaks that lose their shape but hold on to the whisk, you’re at the “soft peaks” stage! That’s what you want for this whipped hot chocolate recipe.
Get the Recipe:
Whipped Hot Chocolate Recipe
Servings: 1 drink
Whipped hot chocolate takes a traditional hot chocolate recipe and turns it upside down! Most hot chocolate recipes are made with a warm, chocolate milk base and topped with vanilla whipped cream. However, this recipe does the opposite: it instructs you to make chocolate whipped cream and top it on vanilla milk to make the whipped hot chocolate! It’s the perfect drink to celebrate holidays and inside weather.
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For the Whipped Hot Chocolate
For the Whipped Hot Chocolate
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First, make the chocolate cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a medium bowl if using a whisk, handheld electric mixer, or milk frother), combine the cream, cocoa powder, and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk on medium-high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
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Make the hot vanilla milk base. Whisk together the milk, water, and vanilla in a mug.
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Assemble the whipped hot chocolate. Use a rubber spatula or cookie dough scoop to scrape the chocolate cream over the milk.
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Serve immediately. Garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder. Serve immediately with a spoon and a Nonni’s Dark Chocolate Almond Biscotti cookie. To drink, stir the chocolate cream into the milk base with the spoon.
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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.
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