Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
This Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate is a great recipe for holiday gatherings. Plus, you can create a Hot Chocolate Bar and let friends/family make their own mugs!
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Is there anything more comforting than a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day? Ok, maybe a gooey chocolate chip cookie that’s still warm from the oven. Or perhaps a warm slice of homemade bread topped with salted butter. But in general, a mug of hot chocolate ranks pretty high up on the list! Well, I see your hot chocolate, and I raise you a Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate. Yup, hot chocolate…in a slow cooker.
You might be thinking, “Now why in the world do I need to use my slow cooker to make hot chocolate? It’s easy enough to make a mug. I just tear open the pouch, add hot water and stir…” True. Hot chocolate is easy to make. I have no issues with the hot chocolate in a pouch – although technically that’s hot cocoa I think. But a good mug of the real stuff? Sign me up!
The real advantage of this recipe is the fact that you can pour all of the ingredients in and let it simmer for a couple of hours. It’s perfect for the holidays! Let’s say you have family or friends coming over later. Well just pull out the slow cooker and whip up a batch of hot chocolate. How many people are going to walk into a house in a cold day and be sad about a mug of homemade hot chocolate? (Not this guy!)
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Slow Cooker Hot ChocolateIn addition to the simplicity of this recipe, you can take this one up a notch and turn it into a Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate bar. Set out a bunch of mugs next to the slow cooker. Then lay out all sorts of fun toppings. Marshmallows are an obvious choice. But what about some crushed up peppermints or candy canes? Or maybe some toffee bits – like the ones you find in the baking aisle? A Toffee Hot Chocolate sounds pretty darn awesome! Maybe a shaker of cinnamon sugar? Oh, and what about a bit of Bailey’s or Kahlua for the adults in the room? It is the holidays after all!
And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the marshmallow aisle has really stepped up its game in recent years. For this post, I found a bag of cinnamon twist marshmallows. Let me tell ya – those things almost got eaten before these pictures were taken! I’ve also seen other flavors like gingerbread and chocolate-stuffed. (Yes, I know it’s a mug of melted chocolate, but you can always use more chocolate in your life!) Have fun, mix it up. Let folks get creative and make their own mugs of hot chocolate. <– Sounds like a pretty cool entertaining trick, right??
So if you’re looking for a hug in a mug, then I highly recommend a batch of this hot chocolate! It makes enough to serve 8-10, so make sure you’ve got some friends or family members on the way over. (It also reheats really well if you’re keeping the festivities small.) Or if nothing else, make sure you find a good show on Netflix that you can binge while drinking mugs of hot chocolate! Cheers!
Did you make a batch of this Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate? Leave a comment, or snap a photo of your creation and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 6 cups whole milk
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- {optional toppings} whipped cream mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, toffee bits, Kahlua, Bailey’s, peppermint schnapps, cinnamon-sugar, etc.
Instructions
- Using at least a 4-quart slow cooker, add all ingredients except for optional toppings; stir until well combined.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. (Note: If the chocolate isn’t melting, turn slow cooker temperature to high for 30 minutes.)
- Once chocolate has fully melted, switch slow cooker to warm for serving.
- When serving, garnish mugs of hot chocolate with optional toppings.
Looking for more tasty chocolate recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
There’s nothing better than a mug of hot chocolate after a day of ice skating or snowman making! Making it in the slow cooker means it’s ready for a crowd the moment we come back inside. This hot chocolate is meant to be savored! It’s sooooo rich and chocolaty!
Yes! I know it might sound like something out of a Hallmark movie, but ice skating or snowman building followed by a mug of hot chocolate is what the winter is about! (Well, until you have to go shovel the driveway…haha.) This hot chocolate is rich and filling in the best way possible! Thanks so much, Kathy!
Slow cooker hot chocolate, I would have never thought of that. It would be perfect for our annual (likely to be canceled) American Christmas in Sweden event. Just in case the gang can’t get together this year, I’ve penned this one for next year…
Yeah, this year certainly is shaping up to be quite different. We’re still going to have all of our food favorites – just in smaller quantities. Keeping a slow cooker full of hot chocolate is a fun one, though…but probably best saved until you have more friends to help you drink it all! 🙂 (But do keep the idea of a ‘hot chocolate bar’ in mind…it’s fun to let folks make their own!)
Just in time for the cold weather!! This Hot Chocolate recipe is so cool, and I haven’t made it with real chocolates, I’m sure kids would go crazy with this version of drink. Those marshmallows make a great topping – flavor to the drink, Thanks for an exciting post, David!
Oh my gosh, if you’ve never had hot chocolate with actual chocolate, then you totally need to make this one, Aarthi! I’m not gonna lie – it’s rich. But it’s also delicious! And it is fun to let folks (or kids) get creative with whatever toppings they like. Stay warm, my friend!
I think this is a phenomenal idea. The packets are often full of chemicals and who wants that? Since we are doing more entertaining outdoors because of the pandemic and it tends to get chilly, I think this will be a big hit! Thanks
You make a good point here, Judee…those packets include a bunch of other stuff in them, too. This hot chocolate is just dairy + chocolate – you can’t get much easier than that! We’ve been doing outdoor entertaining, too, but I think we’re on the borderline there as the temperatures keep dropping. Maybe we just need more hot chocolate! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
i do love a good hot chocolate made with real chocolate of course. so delicious on a cold night. i make a french hot choc which is full of chocolate and cream. maddeningly delicious!
A good hot chocolate is like dessert in a glass, right? Your French version sounds fantastic, Sherry! I would say stay warm, but you guys are heading into the warm season down there. 🙂
I have been craving hot chocolate lately… probably because of the super cold weather we’ve been having… also, chocolate. This is perfect timing. I think I’ll have to whip up a batch this weekend, with extra marshmallows, of course! Happy weekend, my friend 🙂
We’ve had an odd spell of a couple warmer days here, but the forecast looks dreary for the end of the week – I’m thinking a mug of real hot chocolate will brighten things up! Chocolate always tends to brighten things up, right? 🙂 Thanks so much, Dawn!
What a brilliant idea. Plus, you could offer some liqueurs as well to go into the hot choc. We used to have holiday open houses, because we moved so often and it was one way to get to know the neighbors. Plus, our families never liked us so we were always alone. Sounds like a sob story, but we moved every couple of years. My point is…. that this would be perfect for an open house or brunch!!!
One of our family friends back in high school always did a drop-in open house on Christmas Eve. Everyone was invited, and it was a great way to spread the holiday cheer to neighbors. I miss those days! Of course, this year isn’t a good year for an open house – but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a hot chocolate bar for ourselves, right?? Your idea of a variety of liqueurs is a winner!
We’ve done this with spiced cider, but never hot chocolate. A hot chocolate ‘bar’ is such a fun, festive, and delicious idea for the holidays. Thank you! + I love Mimi’s idea to add a few liquor options – orange, mint, Irish Cream all come to mind. Must be the pressure of the week that has me thinking about booze, lol! Have a wonderful weekend, David!
Ooo…I never thought about adding mint and orange liqueurs to the lineup here, Marissa. I’m thinking we’re onto something here with the adult hot chocolate bar – perfect for the holidays! And even though the holidays will be smaller this year, I suspect we’ll still need plenty of adult beverages. 🙂
This is a fabulous idea for an early Christmas party, David! I am loving the idea of making a vat of this thick hot chocolate for guests to enjoy. I would never think of using slow cooker for this! And how good are those marshmallows?! I’m a little jealous over here, as the selection over here in Australia is still very much between white and pink marshmallows in various sizes. Gingerbread in particular sounds intriguing!
I agree, Katerina – a slow cooker is a fun way to make hot chocolate! It’s easy…and then you can switch it over to warm to keep the hot chocolate ready for guests. Granted, we won’t be having many guests for the holidays this year, but that won’t keep me from making this hot chocolate again! And, yes, the “fancy marshmallow’ craze is going strong here. I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to it until I stopped to find fun marshmallows for this hot chocolate – mind blown! (The gingerbread marshmallows are amazing, by the way.) Either way, this hot chocolate will still be good even with regular marshmallows! Thanks so much, my friend!
I’ll take a hug in a mug! This hot chocolate is perfection, David! Just the way I like it. So rich and creamy!
Haha – hug in a mug for sure! This one really is rich and creamy – dessert in a mug! 🙂 Thanks so much, Kelly!
David, I love, love hot chocolate — as does everyone in my house. And what a fun idea for everyone to add their own toppings to personalize it a bit. (I have to admit, for a brief second I though you meant to make your own actual mug. Like paint the pottery. Also fun, but clearly your “make your own” makes much more sense. And I’m loving Mimi and Marissa’s ideas for adding a touch of liquor — of course for the adult party. 🙂 ~Valentina
Hot chocolate is a classic for cold winter days, and it’s perfect when you make it in a slow cooker since you can let folks serve themselves. Speaking of making their own, you could totally let people decorate their own mugs, too! It’d be like those painting studios where you can ‘sip and paint’. Fun idea! 🙂
I saw this on Pinterest the other day and was looking forward to checking it out! Great idea to make hot chocolate in the slow cooker. As I said in my previous comment on your last recipe, I’m all about the slow cooker at the moment. Smelling hot chocolate cooking in it is gonna be great!
We’re clearly all about the slow cooker here recently, too, Neil! I have to say that this hot chocolate is quite tasty – it’s dessert in a glass. But chocolate makes everything better, right?? 🙂
I love hot chocolate and this hot chocolate sounds sinfully delicious! loved the idea, David!
Sinfully delicious is right, Rahul! This hot chocolate is quite simple – good ingredients make good hot chocolate. 🙂 Stay warm, my friend!
What an excellent idea David! I have never made homemade hot chocolate, and you have inspired me to change that this year. This hot chocolate looks like decadent perfection!! And you make it in a slow cooker?? LOVE IT. A hot chocolate bar with your delicious recipe here would make any party this season amazing!
Ah, you should totally make real hot chocolate at home, Shannon! I mean the pouches are fine in a pinch, but the real stuff is seriously amazing. It is indeed decadent, but great for sipping on a small glass while relaxing at the end of the day!
Yeah why? But I got your point and it makes sense. Actually I will make a big batch on Christmas since a lot of people will be over at my place.
That’s the point exactly, Raymund! You can make a big batch and leave it on warm so folks can make their own with a variety of toppings.