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Missing hot chocolate when it’s hot outside? Solution: FROZEN hot chocolate! It’s an iced version of the drink that’s out of this world good.

Oh boy, are we excited to share this one! It’s hot chocolate, but it’s frozen. Wowza, is this a fun summer drink! It’s iced and chocolaty, like a milkshake but lighter and frothier. The smooth chocolate flavor goes down easy, and if you want to top it with homemade whipped cream? It’s a little creamy too. Basically, this frozen hot chocolate is everything you need to beat the heat in these sweltering temps. But we’re planning to eat it all year round, because: I mean, look at it!

How to make frozen hot chocolate

First off, what is frozen hot chocolate? Well, it’s everything the name implies. Take some hot chocolate and blend it with ice until it’s frothy. It’s basically like a caffeine-free frappuccino, without the coffee flavor. This is our new favorite summer drink, and especially is a favorite of our 2 year old, Larson.

Many recipes you’ll find online are very sugar forward, some calling for melted chocolate and boatload of sugar. So instead, we decided to start from our Homemade Hot Chocolate made of whole food ingredients: milk, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. You’ll make a base of this, and then mix it together with ice until a frothy, milkshake-like texture forms.

Here’s how to make frozen hot chocolate:

In a small saucepan, heat milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla until it just combines, then remove from the heat.
Add the remaining milk to cool the mixture.
Place the chocolate mixture in a blender and whiz until a frothy, milkshake-like texture forms.

Serve with whipped cream (optional)

Do you drink hot chocolate with whipped cream? I’m one of those people who never does: I find it’s way too sweet for me with a creamy dollop! The main reason we served this frozen hot chocolate with whipped cream was for the photograph: doesn’t it look lovely? (Ha.) We did find whipped cream added a nice creaminess when stirred into the frozen chocolate. Here are a few homemade whipped cream recipes for serving with this frozen hot chocolate:

Homemade Whipped Cream: a classic whipped cream made with heavy cream, sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla.
Dairy Free Whipped Cream: Did you know you can make whipped cream using coconut milk? This version comes out thick and lightly coconut scented.
Yogurt Whipped Cream: this version uses equal parts yogurt and heavy cream for a healthy spin. It ends up with a tangy flair! While we typically think of this one with fruit desserts, you could get away with it here for a lower calorie version too!

Variation: dairy free frozen hot chocolate

If you’d like a plant based version of this frozen hot chocolate: we’ve got you! Simply use your favorite version of dairy-free milk. We’d recommend a thicker milk like oat milk, coconut milk, or some brands of soy milk. Almond milk can be a bit too watery here. Let us know what your favorite stand in for dairy milk is in the comments below.

Of course, top it with our vegan whipped cream: or omit it altogether! It will still be a magnificent taste treat, we promise.

More hot chocolate recipes

Love hot chocolate? Here are some more ways to get your chocolate fix:

Try Homemade Hot Chocolate
Go minty with Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Try boozy with Spiked Hot Chocolate, Kahlua Hot Chocolate or Baileys Hot Chocolate

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Baileys Hot Chocolate

Spiked Hot Chocolate

This frozen hot chocolate recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For dairy-free, vegan, and plant-based, use the vegan variation!