Peppermint Hot Cocoa Recipe (Hot Chocolate)

This homemade peppermint hot cocoa recipe made with cocoa powder and peppermint extract is a delicious warm drink for the holiday season. Tastes just like a peppermint mocha!

Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe

I love coffee, but when it’s cold at night, there’s nothing like a steaming mug of homemade hot cocoa to warm you up. Honestly, if I drank coffee at night, I’d be up for hours. Since it’s officially the holiday season, I decided to tweak our favorite hot chocolate recipe and make it a little more festive.

So I made some homemade Peppermint Hot Cocoa for the family, and it was just perfect for this time of year. This smooth, minty and very chocolaty drink will have you feeling warm and cozy in no time!

This peppermint version is very rich. It’s made with with cocoa powder on the stove, and it’s flavored with peppermint extract for a hint of peppermint flavor, but it’s perfect for the holidays and better than hot chocolate packets!

Ingredients

You can find the simple ingredients for this easy recipe in your grocery store. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.

• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Granulated sugar — white sugar for sweetness
• Ground cinnamon — for a hint of warmth
• Sea salt — to balance the flavors
•  Water
•  Milk — use whole milk or 2 percent for best results
• Heavy cream or half and half — to make the drink rich and creamy
• Peppermint extract — or peppermint oil
• Whipped cream and peppermint candies — optional

How to Make Peppermint Hot Chocolate with Cocoa Powder

It’s super easy to make hot cocoa with cocoa powder and a few other ingredients. Just mix the cocoa powder with sugar, salt and a little bit of cinnamon. Bonus points if you make everything match!

Then, add water and heat until boiling — stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick, but you’ll be adding milk and cream to thin it out.

Stir in the milk and cream, and let the hot cocoa warm up gradually over medium heat. You don’t want to let it boil. Then, add the peppermint extract, and you’re ready to serve!

The heavy cream makes this peppermint hot chocolate extra rich, but you could use all milk if you want to. You could also reduce the peppermint, but since I love the combination of chocolate and peppermint, this was perfect.

My teen thought it tasted just like a peppermint mocha, which is one of my absolute favorite drinks. I guess that explains why I liked this hot chocolate so much!

So, if you’re cold and worn out from braving the holiday shopping crowds, make some creamy homemade hot chocolate with peppermint when you come home, and you’ll probably feel better almost instantly. It worked for us!

More Easy Peppermint Recipes

• Peppermint Mocha Dessert Dip
• Peppermint Bark
• Peppermint Brownies
• Peppermint Fudge
• White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
• Peppermint Mocha Cookies
• Peppermint Pie

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5 from 9 votes

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

By: Dee

Homemade peppermint hot cocoa recipe made with cocoa powder and peppermint extract is rich, creamy and perfect for the holiday season. Tastes just like a peppermint mocha!

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅙ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ 3 ½ cups milk
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
• ▢ ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

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Instructions 

• In a medium saucepan, heat the cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, salt and water until boiling, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to medium, and stir in the milk and cream.
• Heat mixture until warm, but not boiling, and then turn off heat and stir in the peppermint extract.
• Pour into large mugs, and top with whipped cream and peppermint candies, if desired.

Notes

You can substitute peppermint oil for the extract, but you’ll need less of it. You can also use peppermint syrup.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 185mg, Potassium: 475mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 650IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

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I hope you enjoy this homemade peppermint hot cocoa as much as we do! For more easy recipes, sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow me on social media.

Recipe first published in 2018 and updated in 2023.