This classic Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate is perfect for office holiday parties or hot chocolate bars at home with family and friends! I made a double batch of this recipe for a hot chocolate party at work last holiday season and we ran out of it completely, people loved it. It’s creamy and decadent, but not so over the top that you can’t enjoy plenty of yummy toppings like marshmallows and whipped cream!
If you want to lighten it up a bit, you can always sub out the 2% milk with a fat free version and the heavy cream with half and half. Thanks to the sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate, it’ll still be plenty creamy and delicious.
How to host a
Hot Chocolate Bar
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate recipe:
- Milk – 2% milk is a great balance of creaminess without being too over the top decadent, but you can always go with whole milk for an even creamier hot chocolate or fat free if you want to lighten things up a bit.
- Heavy cream – Another key to making this hot chocolate super creamy. Again, you could use something lower in fat like half and half if you want to lighten it up.
- Sweetened condensed milk – This is the main sweetener in this hot chocolate, so I don’t recommend swapping it out. It also helps make a silky smooth drink.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – Chopping up the bars yourself instead of using chips makes for the smoothest, most melty chocolate. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers to help them keep their shape, but this makes them slower to melt completely – if you’re short on time, you can certainly use them though.
- Cocoa – I call for regular old unsweetened cocoa powder, but dutch cocoa powder will work too.
- Vanilla – You could even use peppermint extract if you want to play with the flavors a bit!
- Salt – Helps set off the chocolate flavor, don’t skip it!
Customize your hot chocolate:
Toppings Ideas
Here are some toppings and pairings ideas to help inspire your hot chocolate creations:
- Cinnamon sticks
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate sauce
- Caramel sauce
- Whipped cream
- Crushed candy canes
- Pirouette cookies
- Sprinkles
Shop for This Recipe
If you want to fit a double batch of this in your slow cooker, the 7qt size linked below is perfect – anything smaller and it won’t all fit. For a single batch, a smaller 3.5-4qt version will work. Also be sure to use a ladle with the pour spouts to avoid a huge mess!
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 64 fl oz 2% milk
- 16 fl oz heavy cream
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 3 4 oz bars Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, (339 grams)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, (40 grams)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and heat on low for 2 hours (or 1 hour on high), stirring frequently to ensure the chocolate melts evenly and to prevent burning.
Tips & Tricks
- Pictured here is an almost double batch in my 6 quart slow cooker, but a 7 quart slow cooker would be better to fit a full double batch.
- If you don’t have time to chop the chocolate, you can use a 12 oz bag (about 2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I recommend Ghirardelli or Hershey brand.
- Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
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