Grab your favorite slow cooker and let’s make a whole pot of hot chocolate! In fact, this Easy Crock Pot Hot Chocolate will not only be a huge kid for the kids, but the adults will love it too. It’s easy to make and will have your whole house smelling like the holidays. Let me show you how to make this crock pot hot chocolate today!

Hot chocolate has to be the best drink to have during the holiday season. It’s creamy, delicious, hot on cold days and can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. In fact, it’s a drink that my kids look forward each holiday season. The best part of this drink? It’s super easy to make in the crock pot!

If you love white chocolate, be sure to check out my white hot chocolate recipe! It’s decadent, creamy and perfect for white chocolate fans!

What is crock pot hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate is a combination of chocolate and milk mixed together. It creates a creamy and delicious drink that is perfect for the cooler months. This recipe takes traditional hot chocolate and makes it even simpler by using your slow cooker. My kids love hot chocolate in any form, but they get super excited when we make it in the crock pot!

Easy crock pot hot chocolate ingredients

Like most hot chocolate recipes, you only need a few common ingredients to make it. This crock pot version is no different! To make this creamy slow cooker hot chocolate you will need:

• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• cocoa powder
• sugar
• heavy cream
• milk
• vanilla extract

Chocolate chips – You can use any kind of chocolate chip that you prefer in this recipe. We enjoy semi-sweet chips, but dark chocolate and even milk chocolate are great options.

Cocoa powder – Use a high quality cocoa powder. The better the quality the cocoa powder, the better tasting your hot chocolate will be. I suggest a Dutch process cocoa, but any cocoa powder will work.

Sugar – Plain, white sugar is what you will need for this hot chocolate recipe.

Heavy cream – Don’t skip the heavy cream in this recipe! It is what makes the hot chocolate creamy and extra delicious!

Milk – Use whatever milk you prefer, but I have found that whole milks makes this hot chocolate creamier than 2% or skim.

Vanilla extract – I love making and using homemade vanilla extract since it’s so much cheaper. (It also makes a great gift!) Feel free to use whatever extract you have on hand.

How to make hot chocolate in the crock pot

Once you have gathered all the ingredients, you will also need to grab your slow cooker, measuring cups and spoons, a large spoon and a ladle. This recipe really couldn’t be any easier.

Step 1 Add ingredients to crock pot Place all of your ingredients in the slow cooker and give it a stir to combine. Put the lid on.

Step 2 Melt the chocolate Cook the hot chocolate on LOW for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the chocolate chips are melted and everything is heated through. Stir to combine the melted chocolate chips well.

Step 3 Serve Pour your easy crock pot hot chocolate into mugs and top with marshmallows.

How to make hot chocolate in the Instant Pot

You can easily make this hot chocolate in your Instant Pot! It’s a great way to be able to enjoy this sweet drink even faster. Follow these simple directions on how to make hot chocolate in the Instant Pot. (This recipe uses white chocolate to make it a “zebra” version, but you can use all milk chocolate chips instead.)

How to make hot chocolate on the stove top

Don’t want to use your Crock Pot or your Instant Pot? No problem! You can make this easy hot chocolate recipe on your stove top! Follow my recipe for white hot chocolate but replace the white chocolate chips with milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips.

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We love this hot chocolate on a cold day. We set it to cook and can smell it throughout the house. It also makes a great addition to any holiday party or event. This hot chocolate is great plain, but we love to add toppings to it. Some of our favorite toppings are:

• mini marshmallows
• chocolate sauce
• sprinkles
• cookie crumbles
• ice cream – A scoop of ice cream in this hot chocolate is amazing!
• peppermint sticks

How do you melt chocolate in a Crock Pot?

You can easily melt chocolate in your crock pot! For this crock pot hot chocolate, add all of your ingredients, including your chocolate, to your slow cooker. Set your slow cooker to cook on LOW for 2 hours. The heat from the slow cooker and the liquid will melt the chocolate. All you need to do is stir it together to combine.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Yes, you absolutely can! I would swap the milk for your favorite dairy-free alternative and use full fat coconut cream for the heavy cream.

Hot chocolate variations

This hot chocolate is delicious just the way it is, but you can always jazz it up a bit by trying some of the variations below.

• Add peppermint syrup to make a peppermint hot chocolate
• Add pumpkin to make a pumpkin hot chocolate
• You can add caramel sauce and a pinch of salt to make it a salted caramel hot chocolate
• Use a combination and white and regular chocolate to make a zebra hot chocolate
• Add instant coffee to make a caffeinated version
• You can also make it adults only by adding marshmallow vodka

How to store leftovers

Place any leftover hot chocolate in a Tupperware with a secure lid and set it in the fridge. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or if you have time, add it back to your Crock Pot to warm up again.

Other hot chocolate recipes to try

I’m not kidding when I say we love hot chocolate at our house! Some of our other favorite hot chocolate drinks are:

• Smores hot chocolate
• Peppermint white hot chocolate
• Pumpkin hot chocolate
• Hot chocolate cake (with marshmallow frosting!)
• Zebra hot chocolate
• Starbucks copycat white hot chocolate
• Hot chocolate cheesecake

Did you make this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a review in the recipe card above or in the post below.

Want to make it later? Pin the image below to your favorite drink board! Either way, THANK YOU for the support!