This vegan peppermint hot chocolate is extra creamy and rich with the help of some blended cashews. Serve with your favorite toppings like vegan whipped cream and a candy cane.
As the holidays wrap up, I start thinking about the long winter ahead and I dream of cozy, comfort foods. This vegan peppermint hot chocolate is exactly what I want to curl up with on a cold winter night. The recipe below makes enough for one, but can be easily be doubled or tripled so you can share with family or friends.
How to Make Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Making homemade hot chocolate is super easy and so much tastier than those store-bought packages. Most of those also contain a whole lotta sugar so making your own gives you more control over just how much sugar you want to use. I normally add maple syrup to sweeten mine, but I didn’t like the flavor of the maple with this peppermint version so I just used granulated sugar. Everything except the cashews gets whisked together on the stovetop in a small saucepan. After it is warm, you transfer it a blender and add the cashews. The addition of the cashews is my healthy-ish hack for getting the indulgent richness of regular dairy and cream based hot chocolate. It’s so simple, but so good! If you don’t have a high powered blender, try soaking your cashews overnight or for 15 minutes in hot water to soften them before blending.
This recipe is…
As you may have guessed by the title this recipe is vegan. It is also vegetarian and gluten free. My favorite plant-based, non-dairy milk to use for these is Califia almond milk. (Not sponsored – just love them!) If you want an extra frothy cocoa, try using a oat based milk like Oatly. Since I am still not a pro at making coconut whipped cream, I used this non-dairy almond milk whipped cream from Reddi-wip and thought was super tasty (also not sponsored!).
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This vegan peppermint hot chocolate is extra creamy and rich with the help of some blended cashews. Serve with your favorite toppings like vegan whipped cream and a candy cane.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used this one from Califia)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (Adjust to your preference – I used 1/4 teaspoon because I love peppermint)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- For serving: vegan whipped cream, vegan marshmallows (I like these from Dandies), candy cane
Instructions
- Add your almond milk, cocoa powder, sugar, peppermint, and salt to a small saucepan. Use a whisk to stir everything together as you heat it over medium-low flame until warmed through; do not boil.
- Transfer to a high-powered blender and add cashews. Blend until cashews are pureed and mixture is frothy (about 45 seconds on high). I hold the stopper on the lid open to allow steam to escape.
- Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream and toasted marshmallows. Garnish with a candy cane.
Notes
If you don’t have a high speed blender, try soaking your cashews to soften them before using in a regular blender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Mug
- Calories: 105 kcals
- Sugar: 12.5 g
- Sodium: 357 mg
- Fat: 1.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run says
January 2, 2019 at 1:17 pmYummm, this looks so cozy. And your photos just pop!
Kylie Aaron says
February 18, 2019 at 8:16 pmHey Debbie, just wanna pop in a little question about the ingredients. What is the significance of cashews in the recipe? I was thinking of excluding it.
Dietitian Debbie says
February 19, 2019 at 3:12 pmHi Kylie,
I like adding the cashews because it adds some richness (ie.fat) which is usually lacking in plant-based milks like almond milk. I think it just helps it taste more like a rich/decadent dairy-based hot chocolate. You can leave them out though if you prefer!