This pumpkin hot chocolate recipe features real pumpkin puree, smooth and creamy white chocolate, and warm fall spices. Use the stovetop or slow cooker! Be sure to top it off with homemade pumpkin spice whipped cream or your other favorite hot cocoa toppings.
Of course, there’s always a regular hot chocolate route, but what if pumpkin spiced hot chocolate was an option? Have I piqued your delicious fall treat interest now?
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely support the idea of pumpkin spice lattes, but my personal favorite choice for a cold day is this easy recipe for pumpkin spice hot chocolate.
Pumpkin spice white hot chocolate, to be exact.
Contrary to a basic hot chocolate drink made with either unsweetened cocoa powder (like my hot chocolate mix recipe) or melted chocolate for a richer texture, the white chocolate in this easy pumpkin spice hot chocolate creates a lighter flavor that really allows the earthy pumpkin purée to shine through. Mixed with the warming spices found in pumpkin pie spice, you really can’t go wrong with this fall-inspired treat any time of day!
USE THE STOVETOP OR SLOW COOKER
This pumpkin spice hot chocolate recipe can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Personally, I would cook it on the stovetop if I was making a smaller batch between 1 and 4 servings. This recipe makes enough for 4 people, so it is perfect on the stovetop in a medium saucepan.
If you are making hot chocolate for a crowd, however, the slow cooker is the perfect way to make it! That way, you can make a lot of it at once and keep it warm. Then, folks can serve themselves and you aren’t constantly heating up mugs of hot chocolate.
PUMPKIN SPICE WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS
This homemade hot chocolate recipe requires few ingredients, and you might even have them all on hand already!
Make sure you use 100% pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. We’re adding salt to simply balance out all of the flavors, and I promise it won’t make your hot chocolate salty (in fact, without it, you’d probably think it was too sweet!).
For this pumpkin spice hot chocolate, you will need:
• milk
• pumpkin purée
• vanilla extract
• pumpkin pie spice
• salt
• quality white chocolate
HOW TO MAKE THIS CREAMY HOT CHOCOLATE
In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it simmers. Be sure not to let the mixture boil over.
When mixture is simmering, add the chopped white chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate has melted.
Carefully ladle the pumpkin spice hot chocolate into mugs, then top with desired toppings. To store for later, place in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
ADD YOUR FAVORITE HOT CHOCOLATE TOPPINGS
The best part about homemade pumpkin spice hot chocolate is the plethora of topping options! I highly recommend topping it off with pumpkin spice whipped cream, or a simple homemade whipped cream.
For an extra decadent treat, drizzle the whipped cream topping with a caramel drizzle or some mini marshmallows.
PUMPKIN SPICE HOT CHOCOLATE VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
• SWAP THE WHITE CHOCOLATE FOR DARK CHOCOLATE: if you are more of a dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate fan, you can substitute the white chocolate for a high quality dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or even milk chocolate. If you use dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, add 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to the milk in order to sweeten things up a bit.
• USE CHOCOLATE CHIPS: if you don’t have bars of chocolate but have chocolate chips on hand, you can use those as the chocolate in this recipe. Keep in mind that chips don’t melt as seamlessly since they contain stabilizers, so the texture might be slightly different.
• ADD A SPLASH OF BOURBON: for a spiked adult beverage with a twist! To make in bulk for a crowd, throw everything in the slow cooker and spike it at the end.
• MAKE A DAIRY-FREE PUMPKIN SPICE HOT CHOCOLATE: using a plant-based milk like oat milk or almond milk along with dairy-free chocolate will keep this whole recipe dairy-free.
PUMPKIN HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE FAQs
No, Starbucks does not offer a pumpkin spice hot chocolate on their menu! However, you can order a hot chocolate with pumpkin spice syrup. Since making pumpkin spice white hot chocolate is so easy to do at home and so much tastier, I highly recommend skipping the drive thru!
No, this pumpkin hot chocolate does not have caffeine! If you use dark chocolate instead of white chocolate, you might get a little bit of caffeine from the chocolate. But it is significantly less caffeine than you would get from a pumpkin spice latte!
Absolutely! To make this recipe for a crowd, you can double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe! If you are making a large amount of pumpkin hot chocolate, I recommend making it in the crockpot. Find instructions on how to make it in the crockpot in the notes section of the recipe!
MORE FAVORITE PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM FRESH APRIL FLOURS
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Easy Pumpkin Dip
- Pumpkin Fudge
- Pumpkin Spice Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
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Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups (720mL) milk whole milk preferred1
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée2
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (113g) quality white chocolate3,4 coarsely chopped
Instructions
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In a large saucepan or a Dutch oven5, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it simmers. Be sure not to let the mixture boil over.3 cups (720mL) milk, ¾ cup pumpkin purée2, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ⅛ teaspoon salt
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When mixture is simmering, add the chopped white chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate has melted.4 ounces (113g) quality white chocolate3,4
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Carefully ladle pumpkin spice hot chocolate into mugs, then top with desired toppings. I highly recommend pumpkin spice whipped cream or homemade whipped cream. Consider serving with cinnamon sticks for stirring! Store leftover hot chocolate in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Notes
- Milk: you will get the creamiest texture with whole milk, and I have even used heavy cream. You can absolutely use your favorite non-dairy milk choice here, too.
- Pumpkin: I always measure pumpkin purée with measuring cups as the moisture content can wildly change the weight measurements, depending on the brand.
- White chocolate: you can also use white chocolate chips, understanding that they may not produce as smooth of a texture because of the stabilizers in chips.
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate: if you prefer to use a different chocolate, add 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to the milk mixture before heating.
- To make in slow cooker: add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Stir it a few times to be sure ingredients are dispersed. Cover the slow cooker and and cook on LOW for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.