This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The Best Homemade Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Recipe – delicious rich, creamy hot chocolate in the slow cooker. There is nothing better than rich, delicious hot chocolate on a cold day – and its even better made from scratch!
Hot cocoa is so easy to make from scratch with simple ingredients, you can make a big batch for parties (or long days skiing, sledding, or shoveling snow!), and it can simmer slowly for hours, while you let your slow cooker do all the work and you enjoy the winter weather!
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How To Make Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate From Scratch
Hot chocolate is super simple to make in the slow cooker – whisk to mix together, then let it cook slowly while you enjoy a cool winter day, and come back to comforting, rich, and delicious hot cocoa! We love to serve hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolate or caramel syrup, peppermint syrup – and let guests decorate their own cups.
Homemade Hot Chocolate Ingredients
- Warm milk (5 cups) – Warm milk forms the creamy base of the hot chocolate, helping the chocolate melt smoothly and evenly in the slow cooker.
- Heavy cream (3 cups) – Heavy cream adds richness and a luxuriously thick, indulgent texture.
- Granulated sugar (½ cup) – Granulated sugar sweetens the hot chocolate while balancing the cocoa’s natural bitterness.
- Semi-sweet chocolate (10 oz) – Semi-sweet chocolate provides deep, classic chocolate flavor and melts into a silky smooth drink.
- Cocoa powder (¼ cup) – Cocoa powder intensifies the chocolate taste and adds depth to the overall flavor.
- Vanilla (3 teaspoons) – Vanilla enhances and rounds out the chocolate, adding warmth and subtle sweetness.
- Sea salt (½ teaspoon) – Sea salt sharpens the chocolate flavor and keeps the hot chocolate from tasting overly sweet.
Steps to make Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Warm Milk
Warm milk in microwave or on stovetop – just 20-30 seconds to be warm to the touch (cocoa powder will mix in to warm milk much better than cold milk.) Add milk to slow cooker, turn slow cooker on to high.
Add Cocoa
Add in sugar, vanilla, chocolate, and cocoa powder, whisking vigorously after each addition to incorporate. Whisk in cream last.
Stir
Place lid on slow cooker and set to low, let cook 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally.
Top and Enjoy
When chocolate has melted and hot chocolate has thickened, it is ready to serve! Top with mini marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, and even chocolate sauce!
Tips to Perfect Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
For the best hot chocolate, we suggest following our tips to make your hot cocoa perfect, every single time!
Use Warm Milk. Warm milk helps your cocoa powder mix better, it can clump up when added to cold milk.
Stir regularly. Stir every 20–30 minutes, especially around the edges, to prevent burning.
Combine cocoa powder with sugar first. Mixing them together helps prevent cocoa clumps in the finished drink.
Add vanilla at the end. Stir in vanilla during the last 15 minutes to keep its flavor bright.
Balance with salt. A small amount of sea salt enhances the chocolate and prevents it from tasting overly sweet.
Whisk Cocoa Powder into Hot Chocolate. To avoid clumps, and for the best texture, we suggest whisking vigorously as you stir cocoa powder into warm milk.
Make on the stovetop. This recipe can be made on the stovetop instead of the slow cooker, with just a few modifications:
- To convert this recipe for the stovetop, add all ingredients except for cocoa powder into stock pot.
- Start to heat on medium low, whisking vigorously as chocolate melts and sugar dissolves into milk.
- When milk is warm and some chocolate has melted, whisk in cocoa powder (it will mix in best when milk and cream are warm or hot, it can clump together when liquid is cold.)
- Keep heating and whisking until chocolate is fully melted and mixed into hot cocoa.
- When chocolate has melted and hot chocolate has thickened, it is ready to serve.
Crock Pot Hot Chocolate FAQs
Hot chocolate is done when chocolate has melted and hot cocoa is thickened.
We recommend using a high quality chocolate that you love – we’re using a 70% bittersweet chocolate bar.
You can use any chocolate you love other than the bittersweet, such as milk, semisweet, or even white chocolate!
Yes, but choose high-quality chocolate chips, as some contain stabilizers that may affect how smoothly they melt.
Yes, you can make it ahead and keep it on the warm setting for up to 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Use the low or warm setting and stir regularly, especially along the edges where heat is strongest.
Absolutely—use full-fat coconut milk, almond milk, or oat milk, and dairy-free chocolate.
Yes, add Irish cream, peppermint schnapps, bourbon, or rum to individual mugs just before serving.
More Recipes You will Love
For more of our hot chocolate ideas, check out our adult Rumchata Hot Cocoa Cocktail Recipe, our Olaf Blue White Chocolate Cocoa, White Cocoa Peppermint Latte, adult Peppermint Cocoa Shooters, and a super cute Welcome Elf on a Shelf Cocoa Party & Printables!
You can find even more of our drinks recipes here.
If you love this easy recipe please click the stars below to give it a five star rating and leave a comment! Please also help me share on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Share on Facebook
SharePin this now to find it later
Pin ItFollow on Instagram
Only have 30 minutes to get dinner on the table? Sign up for my 30 minute dinner plans direct to your inbox!
Find and shop my favorite products in my Amazon storefront here!
The Best Homemade Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 5 cups warm milk
- 3 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Warm milk in microwave or on stovetop – just 20-30 seconds to be warm to the touch (cocoa powder will mix in to warm milk much better than cold milk.)
- Add milk to slow cooker, turn slow cooker on to high.
- Add in sugar, vanilla, chocolate, and cocoa powder, whisking vigorously after each addition to incorporate. Whisk in cream last.
- Place lid on slow cooker and set to low, let cook 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally.
- When chocolate has melted and hot chocolate has thickened, it is ready to serve!
- Top with mini marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, and even chocolate sauce!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
