Silky and festive, this peppermint hot chocolate blends whole milk, real white chocolate, and cool peppermint for a café-style sip at home. Warm gently, melt until glossy, then crown with peppermint whipped cream, sprinkles or hot chocolate stir sticks.
Why You’ll Love This Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
- Customizable for parties – Having an adult party? Spike it with peppermint schnapps! Or make a zero-proof hot chocolate bar with fun toppings.
- Only 3 ingredients – A few more if you include the toppings, but you only need a few simple ingredients to make this festive drinks.
- Ready in 10 minutes – Making a cozy and festive drink with real ingredients only takes 10 minutes of your time.
What You’ll Need
You only need three simple ingredients to make this easy white hot chocolate that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Scroll down for the full printable recipe card with amounts.
- White chocolate – Use a good quality chocolate which can be white chocolate chips or bar chocolate. It does best when added in smaller pieces.
- Milk– Whole milk is certianly the best choice for richness. Alternative milks like oat milk, almond milk or even soy milk can also be used. Pick flavors like vanilla to take the flavor up a notch.
- Peppermint Extract– This is the base flavor of our white hot chocolate. but feel free to also add vanilla extract for more warmth. For a boozy drink, give it a quick pour of peppermint schnapps. If you want a more subtle peppermint flavor, opt for using vanilla extract, but then having the peppermint whipped cream or a candy cane is essential to slowly seep into the drink is necessary.
- Candy Canes– Pop a candy cane into the cup and stir! Now you’ll have have a lovely aroma.
- Peppermint Whipped Cream– This topper is not only festive, but also delicious! Homemade whipped cream using oodles of festive peppermint flavor.
Pro Tip
For subtle peppermint flavor, choose just ONE form of peppermint- extract, schnapps, candy cane or peppermint whipped cream. For the most flavor, use TWO, but do not use all three or four- it will be like you got slapped in the face with Christmas.
Test Kitchen Tips
Although it’s quite easy, I’ve tested this peppermint white hot chocolate recipe several times to bring you the best tips and tricks.
- Chop chocolate finely – The finer your chocolate it chopped, the faster it will melt and lumps will be prevented.
- Too thick? If your hot chocolate is a little too thick to sip, try adding a few tablespoons of whole milk or heavy cream.
- Too thin? If you’d like to thicken the mixture a bit, try adding more melted white chocolate and whisking.
- Double it – One thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to double, triple or even quadruple. This particular recipe makes 4 servings but can easily serve a large group of guests too.
Variations
There are lots of fun ways to make this peppermint white hot chocolate recipe your own. Here are a few ideas.
- Candy Cane Crunch: Top your hot chocolate with crushed candy canes.
- Milk Chocolate– Swap the white chocolate for milk or even dark chocolate. The peppermint flavors will shine through like you are eating peppermint bark.
- Salted Caramel Peppermint: Swirl in 1-2 tablespoons of caramel and a pinch flaky salt for that salted caramel flavor.
- Mocha Mint: Dissolve ½–1 teaspoons of instant espresso in the hot milk before adding chocolate.
- Spiked (Adults): Stir in 1 oz Kahlúa, peppermint schnapps or Irish cream per mug for a fun boozy twist.
Toppings & Stir Stick Ideas
Making a hot chocolate bar with fun toppings is always a fun idea- especially for the kids! Simply add your peppermint white hot chocolate to a slow cooker and gather a bunch of toppings.
Some of our favorite toppings include: whipped cream, chocolate whipped cream, white hot chocolate, mini marshmallows, red/green sprinkles, shaved white/dark chocolate, peppermint bark shards, DIY stir sticks dipped in chocolate + crushed candy cane.
More Fun Drink Recipes
Whether cozying up next to the fire or sipping during Christmas dinner, these drink recipes are not only fun, but delicious too.
Peppermint White Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup white chocolate , if using a bar, finely chop
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 4 candy canes
- Peppermint Whipped Cream
- Toppings of Choice
- Hot Chocolate Stir Sticks
Instructions
- Heat the 4 cups whole milk in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, but do not boil.
- Reduce to low heat and add the chopped 1 cup white chocolate and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, stirring until completely melted. Do not let the mixture boil, the chocolate will settle to the bottom and scald.
- Remove from heat and ladle into cups while hot.
- Garnish with a candy cane or peppermint whipped cream.
- If you've tried this recipe, come on back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
