This creamy crockpot hot chocolate is rich, velvety, and deeply chocolatey with a smooth finish that only comes from slow-simmering real cocoa, whole milk, heavy cream, and semisweet chocolate chips together for hours.
It makes enough for a crowd, stays warm in the crockpot all evening, and comes together with almost no effort – just combine, cook, and ladle into mugs whenever everyone is ready.
Top each mug with a square of Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows Recipe and serve alongside Soft & Chewy Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies | Discard or Starter or Spritz Cookies Recipe | Classic & Nostalgic for a cottage kitchen holiday spread that practically makes itself.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Variations & Add-Ins
Recipe Tips
Warm the milk before adding it to the crockpot – Heating the milk on the stovetop and whisking in the cocoa powder before combining everything in the slow cooker prevents any graininess and helps the chocolate chips melt evenly from the start.
Use quality chocolate – The flavor of this hot chocolate is only as good as the chocolate you put in it. A good Dutch-process cocoa and a quality semisweet chip make a real difference in the finished drink.
Stir occasionally during cooking – Give the crockpot a stir every 30 to 45 minutes to keep the cocoa from settling and ensure everything melts together evenly.
Keep the heat on low – Low and slow is the method here. High heat scorches the milk and can cause the cream to separate. Keep it on low the entire time and the texture stays silky and smooth.
Blend before serving – An immersion blender run through the finished hot chocolate for 30 seconds creates an extra smooth, velvety texture and brings everything together into one uniform drink.
Keep warm for serving – Once the hot chocolate is ready, switch the crockpot to the keep warm setting. It will hold beautifully for up to 2 hours while guests help themselves.
Instructions
- Warm the milk – Pour 6 cups of whole milk into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Do not let it scald.
- Whisk in the cocoa – Add the Dutch cocoa powder to the warm milk and whisk until fully dissolved and smooth with no lumps remaining.
- Combine in the crockpot – Add the sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and semisweet chocolate chips to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Add the cocoa milk – Pour the warm cocoa milk mixture from the stovetop into the slow cooker and stir everything together into one creamy base.
- Cook on low – Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking to help the chocolate chips melt completely and prevent any separation.
- Blend until smooth – Once the chocolate chips have fully melted and the mixture is hot throughout, use an immersion blender to blend until silky and smooth. This step is optional but makes a noticeable difference in the final texture.
- Taste and adjust – Taste before serving. Add a little more cocoa for deeper chocolate flavor or a splash more condensed milk if you want it sweeter.
- Ladle and serve – Ladle into mugs and top withHomemade Vanilla Marshmallows Recipe, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel. Switch the crockpot to the keep warm setting for up to 2 hours of serving.
Gifting Ideas
Freezing and Storage
- Refrigerator – Once cooled, pour leftover hot chocolate into a glass jar or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor deepens slightly as it chills.
- Freezer – Ladle cooled hot chocolate into freezer-safe containers or mason jars, leaving room for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, then warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth and creamy again. A quick blend with the immersion blender before serving restores the silky texture.
- Keep warm for a party – The crockpot keep warm setting holds the hot chocolate beautifully for up to 2 hours. Stir occasionally and give it a quick blend if it needs refreshing before the second round of mugs.
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Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate
Prep:10 minutes Cook:2 hours Total:2 hours 10 minutes Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 4-quart slow cooker (Crockpot)
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Dutch cocoa powder 25 grams
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 396 grams
- 6 cups whole milk 1440 grams
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream 480 grams
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 13 grams
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 340 grams
- homemade vanilla marshmallows or whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- Warm the milk – Pour 6 cups of whole milk into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
- Whisk in the cocoa – Add the Dutch cocoa powder and whisk until fully dissolved and smooth.
- Combine in the crockpot – Add the sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and semisweet chocolate chips to a 4-quart slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Add the cocoa milk – Pour the warm cocoa milk mixture into the slow cooker and stir everything together.
- Cook on low – Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking.
- Blend – Once the chocolate chips have fully melted, blend with an immersion blender until silky and smooth.
- Taste and adjust – Add more cocoa for deeper flavor or more condensed milk for extra sweetness.
- Serve – Ladle into mugs and top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Switch to keep warm setting for serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Emily Rider
Home miller since 1999 with fresh-milled flour & sourdough experience. Sharing from-scratch recipes and traditional kitchen skills, rooted in the seasons and inspired by everyday cottage living and seasonal rhythms.
