Creamy, chocolatey, and so much better than the powdered version, this decadent Instant Pot Hot Chocolate is so easy to make! Keep this hot chocolate warm in the Instant Pot and create a fun and festive hot chocolate bar for your holiday party!
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Confession, I've never been a fan of those packets of hot chocolate. They just never tasted good to me. Here in New England, we get a lot of snow, so to have a steaming cup of hot chocolate ready when you come in from the snow was always the dream, but I never got much joy out of those little packets.
The Instant Pot has changed all that! Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot right as you are walking out the door to play in the snow, and if you're like my kids, you'll be back in the house in about 10 minutes and your hot cocoa is ready to be enjoyed!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Milk and Heavy Cream- I like a mixture of milk and heavy cream to make this hot chocolate super decadent!
- Chocolate Chips- Semi sweet is the way to go, but if you have dark chocolate they would be great too!
- Vanilla- For a little extra flavor.
- Sugar- To sweeten up the hot chocolate.
- Salt- To bring out all the flavors.
Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa
These two drinks are often used interchangeably, but hot chocolate is a more decadent and rich drink, while hot cocoa tends to be less sweet and thinner. Often, hot cocoa is made from powdered chocolate instead of chocolate chunks.
This recipe would be considered hot chocolate because it is made with milk and chocolate chips. It is rich and velvety.
Equipment You'll Need
- Instant Pot- This recipe will fit into a mini Instant Pot if you have one. To double this recipe you'll need at least a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mugs
Let's Make Instant Pot Hot Chocolate!
Set the Instant Pot to "Saute" and add all the ingredients into the Instant Pot. Stir for 2 minutes to heat the milk gently and to begin melting the chocolate chips.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot, cancel "saute" mode, and set the pressure to "high" for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10-15 minutes. Serve with lots of marshmallows and whipped cream!
How To Make a Hot Chocolate Bar
If you're having a holiday party this year, you need to have a hot chocolate bar! It's so fun for the kids and adults! Here are some things to have on your hot chocolate bar:
- Marshmallows
- Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Chips
- White chocolate chips
- Candy Canes
- Cookies
- Sprinkles
- Chocolate Syrup
And don't forget about the adults! Have some liquor handy to spike this hot chocolate!
- Bourbon
- Irish Cream
- Kahlua
- Drambuie
- Godiva Chocolate Liquor
- Peppermint Schnapps
Tips and Tricks
- To lighten up this recipe, use 2% milk or all whole milk instead of whole milk and heavy cream.
- There will be a layer of milk once you open the lid. It's perfectly fine! If you would like, strain the hot chocolate to make it silky smooth, or mix well to combine.
- Don't quick release this hot chocolate! Quick releasing the Instant Pot will cause the hot chocolate to come up through the release nozzle and spray all over your kitchen. It's best to allow the Instant Pot to naturally release on it's own.
- Make it white hot chocolate! Remove the cocoa powder and instead of semi sweet chocolate chips, use high quality white chocolate.
- Since there are only a few ingredients, make sure to use the best quality! High quality cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and milk are essential!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! To make this Mexican Hot Chocolate, simply add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne.
Add the cold hot chocolate to a saucepan and gently reheat the hot chocolate over medium heat. When the hot chocolate is heated through, serve!
This Instant Pot hot chocolate recipe is a set it and forget it kind of recipe. Instead of having to stir constantly and make sure the chocolate doesn't burn, you can add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and go enjoy the cold weather! When you're ready to warm up, come in and enjoy this decadent drink!
Other Recipes To Try!
Did you love this Instant Pot Hot Chocolate? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5-star review! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
- Sweet and Spicy Cranberry Dip
- Sourdough Rolls
- Sourdough Bread
- Rice Dressing with Bacon
📖 Recipe
Creamy Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- ½ cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to "Saute". Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine and to gently heat the milk and melt the chocolate chips.
- After 2 minutes, close the Instant Pot lid, cancel "saute" mode, and set the Instant Pot to "high" pressure for 2 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for at least 10 minutes.
- There will be a layer of milk once you open the lid. It's perfectly fine! If you would like, strain the hot chocolate to make it silky smooth, or mix well to combine.
- Open the Instant Pot and serve!
Notes
- If there is pressure leftover be VERY careful when releasing the pressure. The hot chocolate will sputter up the top of the release valve and spray all over.
- To lighten up the hot chocolate, use 2% milk instead of whole milk and heavy cream.
Cindy
This was absolutely tasty. So such better than the packaged stuff and it was super easy too!
Sarah
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've made hot chocolate in my slow cooker, but I loved how quick this was. You have no idea how impatient kiddos can get and this was ready so fast!
Linda
Love this hot chocolate especially on a cold rainy day. Best part is this can be done in 5 minutes!
Mandy Applegate
I'm getting so much more use out of m instant pot since I discovered your site, this is another of my favorites!
Jennifer
Love this! So much better tasting when it's homemade!
Kim
So easy and so good! The nephew loved it!
Sherry Ronning
What a fun way to make hot chocolate! My kids loved it!!
Donna
Genius! This tastes amazing, and is going to come in super handy on xmas day when I am hosting and there will be a lot of kids 🙂