This decadent slow cooker hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and vegan-friendly, made with cocoa powder and coconut milk. With just 10 minutes of prep time, it’s incredibly chocolatey, tastes delicious, and is perfect for making hot cocoa for a crowd!
Pair slow cooker hot chocolate with vegan Moravian sugar cake for a cozy, indulgent treat everyone will love.
My usual go-to drink for the holidays is my vegan eggnog . But now it’s sharing the spotlight with this crockpot version of my favorite vegan hot chocolate , or as I’ve always called it, vegan hot cocoa. The idea to make this cozy holiday drink in the slow cooker first came after I made my slow cooker apple cider years ago. This slow cooker hot chocolate is the winter version! It’s warm and decadent, prepared with ingredients like fudgy cocoa powder and creamy coconut milk, sweetened up with brown sugar.
What Makes This Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Recipe So Great
- Easy to make . And not only is this recipe unbelievably easy to make, but you only need 6 ingredients to whip it up! There’s very little prep to do before your slow cooker or crockpot takes over.
- Dairy-free and vegan. Of course, you could swap out the vegan ingredients with real dairy if you’d prefer. But if you’ve never made hot chocolate with coconut milk before, I urge you to try it. You may never go back!
- Perfect for a party . This will for sure be at the centrepiece of your holiday dessert or drink table. Since it stays warm, your family members can easily serve themselves the whole night.
- Cozy and creamy . All the cocoa flavours really come together in the slow cooker, yielding the best hot chocolate you’ll ever have, vegan or otherwise.
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Brown sugar or white sugar – Either one works, but I prefer brown sugar for the warmth it adds. You can easily up the sugar if you want more. I like my hot cocoa more dark chocolate-y, so if you want yours sweeter, add more sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Use the best kind that you can get or your favourite, since this makes the entire recipe!
- Sea salt – Don’t leave this out! It balances out the cocoa perfectly. Remember, I use sea salt, so if you’re using table salt, use less since the saltiness is stronger.
- Vegan milk – I prefer soy milk here for its high protein content, which helps to make this thick and smooth and creamy, but you can also use cashew milk or another semi-thick vegan milk.
- Coconut milk – You can also use a separate very thick vegan milk here, but you need something to help with the thickness. You don’t taste any coconut flavour after it’s been cooked.
- Vanilla extract or paste – This is optional, but recommended. You could even add more here, or another extract, such as peppermint, for a festive twist.
How to Make Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
- Combine the ingredients . First, add the sugar, sifted cocoa powder, and salt to the slow cooker, then add the milks and vanilla.
- Mix . Whisk vigorously for at least 3 minutes until fully incorporated and the cocoa is no longer floating on top but is fully mixed in.
- Cook . Add the lid and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring halfway through if you’d like.
- Enjoy ! It’s okay if some chocolate is at the edges when you open the slow cooker; just stir it all back in for another minute or so.
Sure thing. To make this recipe on the stovetop, combine the ingredients in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Whisk until the cocoa is well-incorporated, then bring the pot to a simmer. Keep the pot simmering for 15-20 minutes, whisking occasionally, until it’s warmed through.
I strongly recommend it! Sifting the cocoa for your slow cooker hot chocolate prevents any clumps of cocoa (bleh!) and gives you the smoothest possible results.
Tips for the Best Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Start with room temperature ingredients . This helps to ensure that the cocoa doesn’t get clumped.
- Use a scale for your cocoa if you can . Cocoa can be very densely packed, and you don’t want to end up overdoing it. If you don’t have a scale, ensure you thoroughly fluff the cocoa first with a fork. This will break it up. Then scoop it in until it reaches one cup. Don’t pack it down.
- Whisk thoroughly. You want to ensure your mix goes from cocoa floating on top to thoroughly incorporated. I stir for at least 3 minutes.
- Don’t leave out the salt ! After over half a decade of making vegan hot chocolate, this was a classic touch that truly amps up the cocoa flavour. It does not taste salty.
Topping Ideas and Variations
- Coconut cream. Coconut whipped cream is my first choice for a vegan-friendly hot chocolate topping. I also add a sprinkle of cinnamon. You could also add cashew whipped cream if you’d like.
- Pumpkin spice. Add a drizzle of pumpkin spice syrup to your slow cooker hot chocolate and dust the top with homemade pumpkin pie spice when serving.
- Add flavors . You can add any of your favourite touches to this. Peppermint, cinnamon, and even turmeric for cozy golden milk vibes.
More Vegan Drink Recipes
- Hot Matcha Latte
- Whipped Coffee (Dalgona Coffee)
- Banana Milk
- Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte
- Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar , or white sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , sifted (80g)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt , do not leave out!
- 6 cups soy milk , or almond or cashew or other vegan milk
- 2 cups coconut milk from the can , carton or homemade creamy coconut milk, your choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste , or vanilla extract
- Top with coconut cream and cinnamon
Instructions
- In your Crockpot™ MyTime Programmable Slow Cooker , add in your sugar, sifted cocoa powder and salt.
- Add in your soy or other vegan milk and your coconut milk. Add over your vanilla extract.
- Stir vigorously to combine with a whisk for at least 3 minutes until fully incorporated and the cocoa is no longer floating on top but is fully mixed in.
- Add your lid and cook on low for 2 hours, optionally stirring halfway through! You can easily up the sugar if you want more, a tablespoon at a time. Then allow a few minutes for it to melt out and sweeten to your preferred sweetness.
- When finished, stir completely. It’s okay if some of the cocoa has darkened at the edges, just stir it all in. Enjoy! Serve with vegan marshmallows, coconut cream and cinnamon on top!
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar or white sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted (80g)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt do not leave out!
- 6 cups soy milk or almond or cashew or other vegan milk
- 2 cups coconut milk from the can carton or homemade creamy coconut milk, your choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- Top with coconut cream and cinnamon
Instructions
- In your Crockpot™ MyTime Programmable Slow Cooker , add in your sugar, sifted cocoa powder and salt.
- Add in your soy or other vegan milk and your coconut milk. Add over your vanilla extract.
- Stir vigorously to combine with a whisk for at least 3 minutes until fully incorporated and the cocoa is no longer floating on top but is fully mixed in.
- Add your lid and cook on low for 2 hours, optionally stirring halfway through! You can easily up the sugar if you want more, a tablespoon at a time. Then allow a few minutes for it to melt out and sweeten to your preferred sweetness.
- When finished, stir completely. It’s okay if some of the cocoa has darkened at the edges, just stir it all in. Enjoy! Serve with vegan marshmallows, coconut cream and cinnamon on top!
Video
Nutrition
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate https://jessicainthekitchen.com/slow-cooker-hot-chocolate-creamy-vegan/ December 18, 2020
Tuscan White Bean Soup aka Ribollita is hearty, creamy and SO cozy!! It takes only 15 minutes of prep time! It’s such an easy soup to make, and after simmering, you blend half of it for a creamy and flavourful base. Definitely a must for the holiday season.
Thanks to SideChef and Walmart+ for sponsoring this blog post! Thanks so much to you my readers for supporting the brands who support Jessica in the Kitchen! All texts and opinions are my own.
Here’s a fact of life: I love soup season. Like, ADORE. It’s one of the best parts of the cozy season, and there’s nothing like a good, warm and seasoned soup. I’ve always preferred thicker soups like bisques , but find myself lately also craving soups that you can get something to “bite” for that hearty feel. This Tuscan White Bean Soup is for sure the best of both worlds. I blend some of the soup so that you can get that nice, thick and creamy base but also leave enough so that you get that mix.
This White Bean Soup aka Ribollita ticks a lot of boxes on the “great” recipe checklist. It’s great for a quick meal that will give you multiple servings. It’s also affordable and budget friendly. And most importantly – it’s delicious!
Another cool thing about this post is that this recipe will be available on SideChef ! It’s a recipe app featuring over 16,000 recipes with step-by-step photos (like mine!) and the best thing is that they’re collaborating with bloggers (like myself!) so we’re all beautifully featured. Even straight from their homepage – you can see the cost of each recipe so easily!!
SideChef is also collaborating with Walmart+ so that you can order your ingredients straight through the app from them. Walmart+ is a different kind of membership with tons of incredible benefits such as getting your groceries to gadgets and even last-minute gifts, free unlimited delivery and so much more. Definitely check it out, it’ll be so helpful especially during these times. An incredible soup recipe + the ingredients delivered right to your door?! Win win.
Notes on the Ingredients
Onion, celery, carrot and garlic – these are your classic mirepoix ingredients! I wouldn’t sub these – they’re going to bring a boost of flavour to your dish!
Italian seasoning or dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil – these give it your “Tuscan” flavour but you can also substitute it for one of your favourite seasoning mixes. The flavours will be different but still delicious
Cans of white kidney beans – the star of the show! You can use any white beans, but these are my favourite!
vegetable broth – ensure that you’re using a nice and flavourful veggie broth since this will also greatly impact the flavour.
Kale – I love some kale in this to add a boost of greens, but feel free to sub this for spinach, or leave it out!
juice of 1 lime – you can also swap lemon juice or vinegar. A boost of acidity really helps with the flavours!
How to Make White Bean Soup (Step by Step Instructions)
In a large, deep pot over medium heat, add the oil to heat.
Add the onions, celery and carrots, salt and pepper. Stir together and allow to sauteé for about 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softened.
Add in the garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the veggies begin to look caramelized.
Add in the Italian seasoning, kidney beans and stir to combine.
Pour in the vegetable broth and stir again. Bring to a boil, and then to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove 2 cups of the soup (with veggies in it – just scoop two cups out), and add to your blender . Add ½ cup of water to that mix, and blend until completely smooth).
Pour this mix back into your soup, and stir to combine.
Stir in the kale and lime juice. The residual heat will help to add heat to all of these.
Allow soup to cool slightly then serve with some bread! Enjoy!
Don’t skip the saute time for the mirepoix ingredients. It makes such a difference and will truly result in a flavourful soup.
If you want a more “watery” soup, you don’t have to blend it out at all! But it is preferred. You can also alternatively blend the entire soup.
I would wait to add the majority of your salt until the end. The saltiness of your dish will depend on the amount of salt in your veggie broth, so you want to wait until the end to add the final amounts of salt so you don’t oversalt it.
You can definitely double this recipe or half it, and it freezes well too! ● You can top this soup with an extra drizzle of olive oil, some pesto, or even some grated vegan cheese!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe SO much! It’s such a time saver for me, comes together so easily, and tastes incredible! Be sure to check out SideChef for the shoppable recipe , and buy the ingredients on Walmart+ !
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil , 28 g
- 1 large red onion , ( 188 g) finely diced
- 4 ribs of celery , finely diced
- 1 large carrot or two medium size carrots , 226 g, diced
- 5 cloves garlic , ( 12 g) minced
- salt & pepper to taste , (I use about 1 teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper – this will depending on the saltiness of your veggie broth so add less to start)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning , (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil), 4 g
- 30 ounces cooked white kidney beans , so 2 15-ounce cans of cooked white kidney beans, 850 grams
- 4 cups vegetable broth , 960 g
- ½ cup water , 120 g
- 1 cup kale , shredded, 67 g
- juice of 1 small lime
Instructions
- In a large, deep pot over medium heat, add the oil to heat.
- Add the onions, celery and carrots, salt and pepper. Stir togetherand allow to sauteé for about 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softened.
- Add in the garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the veggies begin to look caramelized.
- Add in the italian seasoning, kidney beans and stir to combine.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and stir again.
- Bring to a boil, and then to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove 2 cups of the soup (with veggies in it – just scoop two cups out), and add to your blender. Add the ½ cup of water to that mix, and blend until completely smooth). Pour this mix back into your soup, and stir to combine.
- Stir in the kale and lime juice. The residual heat will help to add heat to all of these.
- Allow soup to cool slightly then serve with some bread! Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerator : Transfer leftover white bean soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer : Freeze leftovers in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- To reheat : Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, or warm up individual portions in the microwave.
