Crowd-Pleasing Slow Cooker Spiced Hot Chocolate
This easy slow cooker spiced hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and infused with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of cayenne. Perfect for parties, it stays warm for hours and is endlessly customizable with your favorite toppings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk (1.9 liters)
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 ml)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (350 g)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (30 g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mini marshmallows (for serving, optional)
- Whipped cream (for serving, optional)
- Cinnamon sticks (for serving, optional)
- Crushed peppermint (for serving, optional)
- Chocolate shavings (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cayenne pepper.
- Pour the whole milk and heavy cream into a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips to the slow cooker, letting them sit on top without stirring.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredient mixture over the chocolate chips.
- Whisk everything together thoroughly, scraping the bottom and corners of the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
- About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Taste and adjust sweetness or spices as desired.
- Switch the slow cooker to the ‘warm’ setting for serving. Stir occasionally.
Notes
The hot chocolate will look thin at first but will thicken as it cooks. For a dairy-free version, use oat milk or full-fat coconut milk and dairy-free chocolate chips. To make Mexican hot chocolate, add a cinnamon stick and increase cayenne to ¼ teaspoon. For peppermint hot chocolate, stir in ½ teaspoon peppermint extract at the end. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 ounces
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 26
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 16
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 7
Keywords: slow cooker hot chocolate, spiced hot chocolate, party hot chocolate, easy hot chocolate, holiday hot chocolate, crowd-pleasing hot chocolate