Easy Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe

This Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the perfect drink to usher in the holiday season! Made with 5 base ingredients and any of your favorite hot cocoa toppings, this easy hot chocolate recipe takes little time to make and is the perfect cozy drink to enjoy this winter season.

To me, winter and a mug of hot cocoa have always gone hand in hand—and hot cocoa and Christmas somehow go together even better! And what better hot chocolate to celebrate with this holiday season than my quick and easy peppermint hot chocolate?

I know I’ve been sharing a lot of hot chocolate recipes lately, and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame you if you were getting a little sick of them already.

But since I’ve started down this rabbit hole of sharing as many cozy drinks as I can this December, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share my take on this holiday classic.

Since peppermint is such a classic Christmas flavor—everything from candy canes to peppermint mochas, fudge, peppermint bark, and more—it seemed almost silly not to share this recipe, too. Besides, it might just be one of my all-time favorite hot chocolate recipes!

Not to mention, this homemade recipe is sure to be a hit with everyone, regardless of their age. It tastes better than any hot chocolate packet you’ll find. Plus, it’s beyond easy to make and way cheaper than buying fancy hot chocolates from a coffee shop.

And it can easily be made with any type of milk or chocolate you like.

How To Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• Whole milk, or milk of choice. 2%, skim, or your favorite non-dairy option, such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk, all work great!
• Heavy cream, or additional milk
• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint extract
• Semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• Whipped cream and crushed candy cane for topping, optional

Hot Cocoa Topping Ideas

• Peppermint candies
• Chocolate shavings
• Mini marshmallows
• Mini peppermint candy canes
• Chocolate syrup
• A dusting of cocoa powder

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until the mixture is hot and small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.

Once the milk mixture is hot, remove the pan from the heat, add the chopped chocolate, and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.

Taste and add more peppermint extract if needed.

Then pour the hot chocolate into a mug of your choice and top with whipped cream and crushed candy cane, if using—or top with any of your favorite hot chocolate toppings!

Serve immediately and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

I love using semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe, but you can easily make it with any of your favorite chocolates. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate chips, and even white chocolate (to create a white peppermint hot chocolate) all work great!

If you are in a pinch, you can even use cocoa powder in place of the chocolate called for in this recipe. I would recommend using 3–4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder in place of the chopped chocolate.

If you do use cocoa powder, though, you will need to add some sweetener to your hot chocolate—white sugar, brown sugar, or even maple syrup all work great!

Be Sure To Check Out These Homemade Hot Chocolates, too!

Decadent Homemade Hot Chocolate

Ginch Hot Chocolate

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

White Hot Chocolate Recipe

Vanilla Chai Hot Chocolate 

Dark Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate