Vegan Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
I don’t know how many times I can talk about the weather in a two month span but it’s probably a lot. So here we go again. It’s cold in Chicago, guys. Like zero degrees cold.
Like so cold I accidentally left a case of kombucha in my car for a few hours and it exploded everywhere (glass included) cold. True story. Stupid of me, but true story.
So cold that people’s windows are cracking in their houses cold. It’s the kind of cold where I just ordered two more winter jackets (on sale!) cold. It’s the give me all of the hot chocolate for every meal cold. It’s cold, but at least there’s hot chocolate in my life and now in yours, too!
I know you don’t want to leave the house, so what if I told you that you probably don’t have to in order to have delicious vegan peanut butter hot chocolate. You most likely have all of the ingredients in your house already. I swear – it’s true! If you’re like me and your favorite dessert (or breakfast) is a spoonful of peanut butter with dark chocolate chips, then you most definitely will have the ingredients on hand.
Making dairy-free or vegan hot chocolate at home is so incredibly easy you’ll never want to use a packet again! I’ve made dairy-free hot chocolate a few different ways before using just cocoa powder, just vegan chocolate chips, and a combination of the two. For this recipe, we’re using JUST the vegan chocolate chips. I wanted to use the least amount of ingredients here to get this warm hot chocolate in my belly in the least amount of time.
Classic hot chocolate is always good but why not kick it up a notch if we’re making it from scratch anyways right? I love adding flavors to my hot chocolate like tahini, peanut butter, orange and peppermint just to name a few. I had you guys vote on Instagram yesterday if you wanted to see a recipe for vegan peanut butter hot chocolate or an orange hot chocolate… and here it is! Peanut butter hot chocolate won with a majority vote of 60%!
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I used Guittard extra dark chocolate chips for this recipe, but other brands that I like that are dairy-free are Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value dark chocolate chunks, Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips, and Kirkland signature semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Depending on the dairy-free chocolate chips you use you may want to add more or less pure maple syrup to the hot chocolate. I like to taste the hot chocolate after stirring in the peanut butter and chocolate chips and see if it’s sweet enough. Since my chocolate chips aren’t very sweet, I always end up adding two tablespoons of pure maple syrup.
As for vegan marshmallows, I like Dandies but if you’re not vegan, any kind of marshmallow will do as majority are gluten-free and dairy-free! This hot chocolate is super creamy from the peanut butter and not too sweet. Nothing is better than a large cup of this peanut butter hot cocoa on a cold day!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see! Tag me in your photos on Instagram or Facebook and you might be featured on one of my social media channels!
A super creamy and luscious vegan peanut butter hot chocolate without any of the dairy! Top with vegan marshmallows, a drizzle or peanut butter, or some dairy-free chocolate chips for the ultimate cup of hot cocoa!
Vegan Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard extra dark chocolate chips)
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (add more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 tbsp melted vegan chocolate chips (optional for topping)
- 1 tbsp melted peanut butter (optional for topping)
- 2 tbsp vegan marshmallows (optional for topping (I like Dandies vegan marshmallows))
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add almond milk. Heat over medium heat until milk is warm. You don't want the milk to come to a boil, though.
- Add the peanut butter and vegan chocolate chips. Whisk until melted and combined.
- Taste and add pure maple syrup to suit your taste. If you're using a semi-sweet chocolate you may not need it, if you're using a very dark chocolate you may need the full two tablespoons.
- Top with melted peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallows if desired.