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Mexican Hot Chocolate – Cozy up with a cup of vegan hot chocolate made with cocoa, cinnamon and chili spice! It’s easy to make on the stovetop or in the slow cooker and makes a delicious crowd-pleasing warm and festive winter drink!
I love this time of year! It’s all about bundling up in sweaters, beanies and scarfs while sipping on warm soups and hot drinks.
With chilly temperatures in the air, it’s a perfect time to brew up a warm batch of vegan hot chocolate to help fend off the cold and bring a smile to any face!
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What Is Mexican Hot Chocolate?
Mexican Hot Chocolate, also know as Aztec Hot Chocolate, is a delicious blend of semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and pinch of cayenne for cozy and decadent drink. It’s much creamier than the typical hot chocolate, with the use of chocolate bars or morsels that once melted lend an irresistible thickened and creamy texture. Full of flavor and velvety texture, I know you’ll love it as much as we do!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is everything needed to make Mexican hot chocolate. Plus, suggestions for substituting ingredients to suit your needs.
- Chocolate – Feel free to use either semi-sweet or any dark chocolate or cocoa powder (see notes in recipe card). Chocolate pieces will make a wonderfully thick and velvety hot chocolate, more so than using cocoa powder.
- Non-dairy Milk – Use unsweetened plant milk, plain or vanilla. Some favorites are cashew, oat or almond milk.
- Sweetener – I’ve used pure maple syrup, but pure cane or coconut sugar will work as well. Adjust to taste.
- Cinnamon – Both ground cinnamon or cinnamon sticks can be used as noted in the recipe card.
- Nutmeg – If you don’t have nutmeg on hand, try using ground cloves.
- Cayenne – Adds a nice bit of heat to your hot chocolate. Chipotle powder would also add a nice flavor and heat.
- Vanilla – Vanilla, which originated in Mexico and used by the Aztecs to accent the flavor of chocolate drinks, is a classic ingredient for Mexican hot chocolate. Feel free to double the amount!
- Salt – Salt will bring out all of the flavors. My favorite salt is pink mineral salt (affiliate link) which naturally contains essential minerals and trace elements the body needs.
How To Make Mexican Hot Chocolate
You can make this Mexican hot chocolate recipe two ways, and recipe can easily be halved or doubled if making for a crowd.
- Slow Cooker: Simply place the ingredients in the bowl of your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 – 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Stovetop: This method is the quickest and will be ready in under 10 minutes. To make hot cocoa on the stovetop, place the ingredients into a medium sized pot and cook over medium-low until chocolate is melted or cocoa powder has been dissolved, stirring occasionally.
Best Hot Cocoa Toppings
Some of my favorites hot chocolate toppings are vegan marshmallows, shaved dark chocolate, dash of cinnamon or dollop of coconut whipped cream!
More Chocolate Recipe You’ll Love
- Orange Spice Hot Chocolate
- Favorite Vegan Brownies
- Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
- See allvegan chocolate recipeson TSV!
If you make this Mexican hot chocolate recipe, please let me know!Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 3 reviews
Smooth, velvety and full of chocolatey flavor, this vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate is the BEST! Recipe can easily be halved or doubled. Let the winter warm up begin…
- Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Slow Cooker, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Latin
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (plain or vanilla)
- 6 oz semi-sweet dark chocolate (or any vegan chocolate) or 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or coconut or pure cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (or 2 cinnamon sticks)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch of cayenne
Optional toppings
- light dusting of cocoa powder or dash of cinnamon
- dollop of coconut whip cream
- cacao nibs or shaved chocolate
- vegan marshmallows
Instructions
Crock-Pot: Place ingredients in crock pot, cook on low temperature for 2 – 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
Stovetop: Place ingredients in a large pot and heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is completely melted, about 10 minutes. Turn heat to low and cover, to keep warm until ready to serve.
Serve: Ladle into mugs and serve with a light dusting of cocoa powder. Also pairs well with a dollop of coconut cream on top.
Serves 4 – 6
Store: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove over low or in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds, or until warmed through.
NOTES:
Feel free to roughly chop the chocolate if you like. I added mine in large chunks, but it will help to melt down faster the smaller the pieces are.
You can also mix and match using chocolate pieces and cocoa powder. Use half and half (3 oz. chocolate pieces and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder. If adjusting differently, use 1 oz. chocolate pieces or 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder per every 1 cup of plant milk used.
Updated: Mexican Hot Cocoa was first published December 2016 and has been updated December 2019 with new photos and helpful tips.
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