The Best Orange Hot Chocolate

Name: Orange Hot Chocolate
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup/ 250 ml Milk (of choice - use full-fat coconut milk for an extra creamy hot chocolate); 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder; 1 tbsp Sugar (or maple syrup); 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/2 Medium Orange (zested); 4 Marshmallows (to serve)

Updated September 9, 2022

This orange hot chocolate is the perfect drink to keep you warm this winter. It's thick, creamy, and made with just 5 ingredients!

Total Time 10 mins

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There’s nothing quite like the comfort of a hot cup of liquid chocolate. And marshmallows. Always marshmallows. And this isn’t just any hot chocolate recipe, it’s an orange hot chocolate recipe. YAY.

Why you’ll love this recipe

I just know you’ll love this recipe! It’s:

Deliciously thick and creamy
The perfect blend of rich and chocolatey meets fresh and citrusy
Topped with easy homemade toasted marshmallows!

a mug of hot chocolate topped with toasted marshmallows

The trick to perfect orange hot chocolate:

What’s the secret to making your orange hot chocolate taste extra orangey? It’s all in the zest!

The zest of the orange is concentrated with flavour and aroma, and it’s what makes our orange hot chocolate so damn delicious!

You can zest oranges using a fine grater or citrus zester – just make sure to buy unwaxed citrus or you won’t be able to zest the fruit. I like to add the zest of half a medium-sized orange to this recipe, but feel free to increase this if you wish!

And if you’re a big chocolate orange fan like myself, I just *know* you’ll love my chocolate orange granola recipe!

a mug of hot chocolate being held with two hands

FAQ

Which milk is best for making hot chocolate?

You can use any milk of your choosing. For an extra thick and creamy hot chocolate, use canned full-fat coconut milk.

How can I toast marshmallows at home?

The easiest way to toast marshmallows at home is over the gas flame of your stovetop. Place two marshmallows at the end of a wooden kebab skewer and hold it close to the flame. Be careful not to burn the marshmallows!

If you have an electric or induction cooker, you can purchase a blowtorch to flame your marshmallows instead.

What can I use if I don’t like marshmallows?

Marshmallows are an optional topping, but you could also top your hot chocolate with coconut whipped cream if you prefer.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please leave a rating + review below and share your photos on Instagram tagging #shivanilovesfood!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Orange Hot Chocolate

This orange hot chocolate is the perfect drink to keep you warm this winter. It's thick, creamy, and made with just 5 ingredients!

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Drinks

Servings: 2

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Shivani Raja

Ingredients

1 cup/ 250 ml Milk of choice – use full-fat coconut milk for an extra creamy hot chocolate
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Sugar or maple syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Medium Orange zested
4 Marshmallows to serve

Instructions

Add the cocoa powder and sugar to a saucepan and pour in a little milk (about 1/4 cup), whisking to form a thick paste. Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and orange zest.
Turn the heat on to medium-low and heat the hot chocolate, stirring frequently to prevent lumps forming.
Pour the hot chocolate into your favourite mugs. If you have particularly large chunks of orange zest, you may wish to strain the hot chocolate first.
To toast the marshmallows, skewer 2 marshmallows at a time onto a kebab stick and hover over an open gas flame. Be careful not to burn the marshmallows!
Top the hot chocolate with the marshmallows and enjoy.

Shivani’s Tips

Best served immediately.

NUTRITION

Per serving prepared with semi-skimmed milk

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram @shivani.lovesfood and use the hashtag #shivanilovesfood!