Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

This lightly spiced vegan Mexican hot chocolate recipe combines semi-sweet vegan chocolate with dairy-free milk. Additions of cinnamon and a hint of chili then make for a delicious winter warming drink! Prepare this spiced vegan hot chocolate using regular vegan chocolate or Ibarra Mexican chocolate tablets. And you can make it either on the stovetop or in a crockpot!

What is Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate?

Mexican hot chocolate refers to a drink popular in Mexico that is the ‘Mexican style’ of preparing hot chocolate (usually just called Mexican chocolate). It is generally prepared with Mexican chocolate ‘tablets’ (made with unrefined ground cocoa/ cocoa liquor) that are melted in water or milk and combined with sugar and spices (usually cinnamon and Chile powders). The result is a thicker and slightly grainy warming chocolate drink with a heat that lingers on your tongue, without overwhelming your palate in comparison to ‘regular hot chocolate’.

In this recipe, I’ll show you two versions of preparing this vegan hot chocolate drink. One is from scratch, with cocoa powder (not as authentic, but delicious), and one uses Ibarra’s ‘accidentally vegan’ Mexican chocolate tablets.

It’s not overly sweet, creamy but not too rich, and lightly spiced with ‘just enough’ heat. The result is a vegan hot chocolate you never knew you needed, but will never want to go without again!

The Ingredients

• Dairy-free Milk: Use your favorite dairy-free milk, as they should all work fine. You can even omit the milk and use plain water or fruit juice (apple or orange work best).
• Semi-sweet Chocolate: Use your favorite vegan semisweet chocolate in chunks or chocolate chips. Alternatively, use the Ibarra Mexican chocolate tablets (and reduce the amount of additional cinnamon used, to taste). You’ll need around 3-4 triangles (1/2 disk) from one Ibarra disk per serving.
• Spices: Cinnamon, chili powder, and cayenne pepper (alternatively, ancho or chipotle powder would also work) are needed for this Mexican hot chocolate.
• Vanilla extract: Helps to enhance the chocolate flavor in this Mexican chocolate drink.

The Toppings/Add-ins:

One of our favorite things about homemade hot chocolate from scratch is being able to load our mugs up with plenty of toppings/garnishes like:

• Cinnamon sticks: Even better if you plan on refilling your mug as the flavor will carry over to each new serving. Plus, they double up as stirrers, too.
• Dairy-free whipped cream: Like this rich whipped coconut cream.
• Extra shaved chocolate: Sprinkled on top.
• Marshmallows: Mini vegan marshmallows are available in several grocery stores now.
• Pinch of spice: Either cinnamon, cayenne, or chili powder. It looks especially fancy sprinkled on top of vegan whipped cream.
• Vegan caramel sauce: To drizzle over the top.
• Vegan churros: Okay, not really a ‘topping,’ but dipping churros into the creamy vegan hot chocolate makes for a delicious dessert!

Other simple Add-Ins & Variations

• Salt: A pinch of salt can help to enhance the chocolate flavor and add depth to the Mexican hot chocolate.
• Nutmeg: A pinch of nutmeg pairs well with cinnamon and chili.
• Sweetener: If you have a sweet tooth, you might find that the sugar from the chocolate alone isn’t enough. Feel free to add a little brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup. Piloncillo is the traditional choice, if you have access to it.
• Almond extract: Use almond extract instead of vanilla for even more depth to the Mexican hot chocolate.
• Using cocoa powder: Add depth to the Mexican hot chocolate with a combination of cocoa powder AND semi-sweet (Around 60%) or bittersweet (70%) chocolate. We recommend reducing the chocolate to ½ cup and using 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (or slightly more).
• Espresso powder: Adding around ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to hot chocolate will help to enhance the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
• Champurrado: Champurrado is a type of Mexican atole (Masa-based drink), that combines Mexican hot chocolate with masa harina (corn flour) for a thickened drink. We recommend adding around ¼ cup. To do so, combine ¼ cup masa harina with ¾ cup warm water. Then whisk until smooth, and add to the saucepan with the hot chocolate mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, constantly whisking, until velvety and smooth. If you cook it for longer, it will become even thicker (enough to coat the back of a spoon).

How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions. 

From scratch with cocoa powder:

How to make Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate:

When using the Ibarra Mexican chocolate tablets, it should give the directions on the box. However, there’s a couple of tips I like to add. Plus, since the tablet is already spiced, you’ll need to adjust how much additional spice (if any) that you add to this vegan Mexican hot chocolate version.

1. First, use a knife to slice the tablet/s into smaller wedges. While it’s possible to leave them whole, they’ll take a LOT longer to melt. We recommend between 6-8 triangles for this 2-serving recipe.
2. Next, heat the plant-based milk in your saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Then add in the Ibarra tablet pieces and whisk (with a molinillo or regular whisk) constantly until melted. Turn the heat down slightly so that it only simmers and never boils.
3. Once fully melted, taste the mixture. Finally, at this point, add any extra cinnamon and spices or sweetener, to taste.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

While Mexican hot chocolate tastes best when fresh, you can allow any leftovers to cool. Then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

FAQs

Toni’s Recipe Tips and Notes

• For a more decadent vegan hot chocolate: Use a combination of dairy-free milk with a few tablespoons of vegan cream (or the thick part from a can of coconut milk), or vegan condensed milk. Also, slightly increase the amount of chocolate used.
• For frothy hot chocolate: Mexican hot chocolate is naturally very frothy, thanks to the use of a molinillo (a special hot chocolate wooden whisk that you spin between two hands to froth the hot chocolate). If you don’t have one, you can use a regular whisk, handheld milk frother, or immersion blender/ blender (blend for 2 minutes).
• Ibarra vs. chocolate: Ibarra Mexican chocolate tablets already contain sugar and cinnamon, so you’ll need to adjust those elements, to taste. The Ibarra tablets will also yield a grainier hot chocolate due to the texture of ground cacao vs. refined cocoa powder.
• Serve with stirrers: No matter how well you stir this Mexican hot chocolate, it’s naturally grainy (especially when using the Ibarra tablets – but that’s the way it’s supposed to be), and solids tend to settle at the bottom of the cup. So, serve with stirrers (either teaspoons or even cinnamon sticks) to use while drinking.
• Using water instead of plant-based milk: This will make the chocolate flavor more pronounced but obviously won’t be as creamy.
• For a milder Mexican hot chocolate: You can omit the cayenne entirely (which is hotter than the chili powder) and reduce the amount of chili powder.

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Homemade Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix

If you tried this Mexican hot chocolate recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!

You might also enjoy browsing through our entire collection of vegan Mexican recipes!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla