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This easy Instant Pot Hot Chocolate is rich, creamy, flavorful, and only takes 15 minutes to whip up for a warm drink on a cold day! You can easily double or triple this hot cocoa recipe for family gatherings and holidays.
Seriously, it’s the easiest way to make hot chocolate for a crowd. And this time of year is made for comfy cozy drinks.
Why you'll love this recipe
Just when I thought hot cocoa couldn’t get more delish, I started making hot chocolate in my Instant Pot. It only takes a few minutes to make and is better than any of the stuff you pour out of a pouch in the box at the grocery store.
Rich and delicious - No offense, Swiss Miss, even though your teeny tiny mini marshmallows were cute back in the day. But this is the best hot chocolate I’ve made to date and I think it's time for me to scale up. Top it with some whipped cream or even some bourbon whipped cream for an indulgent holiday drink.
It's fast - This is a much faster way to make hot chocolate than in the slow cooker. Because after all, it is called slow….and we don’t want slow while our family is waiting for a cup of hot cocoa on Christmas morning.
Great for entertaining - I love making it in the electric pressure cooker because there’s no jockeying around for stovetop real estate at parties. It's the perfect base for a hot chocolate bar setup.
Ingredients
This 5 ingredient Instant Pot hot chocolate is made with real ingredients.
So here's what you'll need:
- unsweetened cocoa powder - We are using an unsweetened variety of cocoa powder becuase there's already an addition of granulated sugar. This cocoa powder will give a brighter and more intense chocolate flavor to our hot cocoa. Use up your leftover cocoa powder to make a TikTok oreo mug cake or mini brownie bites.
- granulated sugar - For the sweetness mentioned above
- ground cinnamon - This gives a nice and subtle addition of a hint of spice.
- milk - I used whole milk but you can go as low as 2%. I don't recommend skim milk for this recipe.
- heavy cream - Have you ever taken a sip of the perfect hot chocolate and realized that it felt rich and creamy in your mouth? Yep, this is thanks to heavy cream which adds a smooth and silky texture. Use the leftovers to make some cozy baked rice pudding. I've gotcha covered!
How to Make Hot Chocolate in the Instant Pot
While we’re not cooking our hot cocoa under pressure, we are using the Instant Pot’s ability to quickly come to temperature, as well as to keep hot chocolate warm.
Step 1. First, we’ll mix all our dry ingredients together. This is what we’d normally pour from a pouch, at least at my house. The cocoa keeps everything nice and rich!
Step 2. Pour the water and the cocoa powder mixture into the pot and turn the heat on by pressing the saute button. As the pot continues to heat, you’ll give it a good stir and then stir, stir, stir.... It’ll start to get nice and thick.
Step 3. Then, add the milk and heavy cream and keep on mixin’...we don’t want our mixture to come to a boil. The point here is to incorporate all the hot chocolate goodness together while it heats.
Step 4. Finally, turn off the Saute function. Grab your favorite coffee mug, fill it up and enjoy!
Of course, you can find the printable with full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Serving suggestions
Oooh, this is the fun part and probably the real reason we’re making hot chocolate, if we’re being honest. The add-ins!!!
Brace yourself because I have LOTS of ideas!
There are lots of fun ways to serve up your hot cocoa in your favorite coffee mugs.
- Some of my favorite toppings, of course, are a nice dollop of whipped cream or some marshmallows dunked on top.
- Next up, you could do some chocolate shavings or even stir in a little hazelnut spread (yes, Nutella, I’m talking to you…)
- Candy canes make festive stirrers at Christmastime, or you can crush some peppermint candies to sprinkle over the whipped cream.
- The kids love to add some chocolate syrup, or sprinkles to the top or stir in white chocolate chips for a mocha hot chocolate.
- And of course, you could make an adult hot chocolate and add a little peppermint schnapps to your individual mug. I think Santa will thank you!
And sprinkle cookies or chocolate covered strawberries along the side are a nice touch, too 🙂
They call the holiday season the most wonderful time of the year for a reason!
How to Make Hot Cocoa for a Crowd
You can double or even triple this easy recipe, depending on the size of your Instant Pot. If you need more hot chocolate, just stir up another batch of hot chocolate!
Easy peasy, especially since it only takes a few minutes.
You could go all out and make a hot chocolate station with printables, too!
SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!
FAQS
You can take dry ingredients - the hot cocoa mix - ahead of time and store in a covered bowl or mason jar.
If you should happen to have leftover hot chocolate, you can store it in an airtight container (like a mason jar) and keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can rewarm it on the stove top on medium low until warmed throughout.
If you make this easy hot chocolate recipe in the Instant Pota, leave a recipe review or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups milk I used 2%
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Use a whisk to incorporate everything together.
- In your Instant Pot insert add water and your cocoa powder mixture. Select the Sauté function. Keep whisking until it begins to thicken.
- Add in the milk and heavy cream and continue to mix until it becomes creamy and is warmed throughout. Do not allow it to come to a boil.
- Hit the Cancel button to stop the heat and serve. You can press the warm button to keep it warm.
Video
Notes
- Some of my favorite toppings, of course, are a nice dollop of whipped cream or some marshmallows dunked on top.
- Next up, you could do some chocolate shavings or even stir in a little hazelnut spread (yes, Nutella, I’m talking to you…)
- Candy canes make festive stirrers at Christmastime, or you can crush some peppermint candies to sprinkle over the whipped cream.
- The kids love to add some chocolate syrup, or sprinkles to the top or stir in white chocolate chips for a mocha hot chocolate.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
