Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Hot Chocolate is sweet and creamy white chocolate with a hint of peppermint. Serve with whipped cream and a candy cane for the perfect holiday treat!

This peppermint hot chocolate is like the Christmas season in a cup. I don’t know about you but there is nothing like warming your hands with hot chocolate during the chilly winter months and especially the holiday season. This homemade peppermint hot chocolate recipe is far better than any hot chocolate mix you can find at the store and is much cheaper than grabbing a cup of cocoa from Starbucks. If you have never tried to make a hot chocolate from scratch, you’ll be surprised both at how easy and delicious homemade hot chocolate can be!

Ingredients in Peppermint Hot Chocolate

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make the most decadent, easy chocolate ever. I like to keep these in the pantry and refrigerator all during the winter so I can serve them alongside holiday cookies whenever the mood strikes. Here’s what you need:

FOR THE HOT CHOCOLATE:

• Heavy cream – about one cup of heavy whipping cream. You can find heavy cream next to the milk in the grocery store.
• Sweetened condensed milk – NOT evaporated milk. This is the rich, gooey stuff that makes this cocoa rich and extra creamy.
• Milk – you can use any kind of warm milk you like in this recipe: whole milk, soy. non-fat, etc. 
• Peppermint extract – a little goes a long way, so this will last you a long time, and has a long shelf life.
• White chocolate chips – I find that the chips have a better flavor than almond bark, but either will work in this recipe.

TOPPINGS

• Whipped topping 
• Crushed peppermint candy – candy canes, round disks, etc.
• Chopped chocolate – optional
• Mini marshmallows – optional

Tips for Melting Chocolate

Make sure to heat the chocolate with low heat while you are melting the chips. Microwave in a glass bowl for thirty seconds, whisk, then repeat until the chocolate is completely melted. Or combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and stir until melted. You can cook it in a saucepan too. Just make sure to stir constantly on medium heat or the chocolate chips can burn and leave you with a scalded flavor. Like all good things, this peppermint hot chocolate is worth the wait!

How to Add Peppermint Flavor

This peppermint hot chocolate has a double dose of mint flavor to add some freshness to the sweet, creamy beverage. Firstly, the recipe has peppermint extract added to it. You can make peppermint extract at home, but I personally don’t have the patience for that so I generally just pick up a bottle of extract at the store. You can find it in the baking aisle, near the vanilla extract. If you can’t find peppermint extract, you can also use peppermint oil. Oils are more concentrated than extracts, so you only need to use a 1:4 ratio of oil to extract. So, for this recipe you would use ¼ teaspoon oil. You can also add peppermint syrup – there are dozens of delicious syrups available at the grocery store.

Substitute Chocolate

This peppermint hot chocolate recipe is made with white chocolate chips, rather than the classic milk chocolate. I like white chocolate the best with peppermint personally, but there’s no way to go wrong with hot chocolate. I also make this same recipe with milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet or even bittersweet chocolate, and they all taste amazing. Whichever chocolate you prefer, you won’t be disappointed with this recipe. You’ll get the best results if you use a nicer brand of chocolate chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard.

Frequently Asked Questions about Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Read Next: 35+ Valentine’s Day Dessert Ideas

Other Recipes to Try

If you love this peppermint hot chocolate recipe, try one of our other favorite holiday drinks!

Drinks

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Drinks

Unicorn Hot Chocolate Recipe

Drinks

BEST Frozen Hot Chocolate {Dairy Queen Copycat!}

Drinks

Candy Bar Hot Chocolate

• Unicorn Hot Chocolate
• Candy Bar Hot Chocolate
• Frozen Hot Chocolate
• Mayan Hot Chocolate
• DIY Hot Chocolate Mix

How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

5 from 3 votes

This Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the perfect drink for cold winter days!  I love the sweet and creamy white chocolate with a hint of peppermint and the melty crunchy candy cane pieces mixed in. 

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup whipping cream
• ▢ 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 8 cups milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• ▢ 2 cups white chocolate chips

For the Topping:

• ▢ whipped topping
• ▢ crushed candy canes

Instructions

• Combine the cream, milks, peppermint extract and chocolate chips in a slow cooker or over the stove on low heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate chips have dissolved.
  
• Bring mix to desired temperature then serve in mugs and top with whipped topping and crushed candy cane pieces.
  

Notes

• Make sure to heat the chocolate with low heat while you are melting the chips. Microwave in a glass bowl for thirty seconds, whisk, then repeat until the chocolate is completely melted.
• Or combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and stir until melted. You can cook it in a saucepan too. Just make sure to stir constantly on medium heat or the chocolate chips can burn and leave you with a scalded flavor. 
• If you can’t find peppermint extract, you can also use peppermint oil. Oils are more concentrated than extracts, so you only need to use a 1:4 ratio of oil to extract. So, for this recipe you would use ¼ teaspoon oil.
• You can also add peppermint syrup – there are dozens of delicious syrups available at the grocery store.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 442kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 10gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 153mgPotassium: 469mgFiber: 1gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 425IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 371mgIron: 1mg

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