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French hot chocolate – chocolat chaud (pronounced shoh-koh-lah shoh) in France – is far more than hot chocolate from a powder. It’s a deeply chocolatey, thick hot chocolate – a proper treat. Unlike typical hot cocoa made with powder, French hot chocolate uses real chopped chocolate, whole milk, and a saucepan to create a rich, silky texture.
Table of Contents
In Paris, sipping chocolat chaud is part of the café ritual, and many cafés serve theirs like this – as a thick, indulgent beverage (sometimes nearing the consistency of a light pudding) rather than a thin sweet drink. In this post, you’ll get a perfect French hot chocolate recipe, tips, variations, and FAQs to make the perfect mug of hot chocolate.
Why you will love this recipe
- It’s really easy to make in one pan but has the most delicious texture and flavor for a hot chocolate.
- Uses a lot of cupboard ingredients, so you may have a lot of the ingredients on hand already.
- Easy swaps mean you can make this plant-based or dairy-free if you like.
- I love to serve this as a delicious dessert to friends or for an indulgent mid-afternoon drink.
Ingredients
- Milk – I like to use whole milk, but use your favorite kind. You can also use a plant-based milk too.
- Chocolate – I like 54% cocoa solids dark chocolate (semi-sweet). You can choose a darker chocolate or even milk chocolate (this will be very sweet!). I would advise chopping up a bar of chocolate, not using chocolate chips. You might also like to try making Hot Chocolate Bombs.
- Cocoa powder – Use unsweetened Dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder, not hot chocolate powder.
- Heavy cream (double cream) – Adds an extra luscious creaminess and makes the hot chocolate indulgently thick.
Substitutions and variations
Cream: Cream is obviously very indulgent in a hot chocolate, but it gives it a lovely thickness. If you like, you can skip the cream and just make it with milk.
Superfine (caster) sugar: You could also use granulated sugar.
Marshmallows: Of course, any hot chocolate is made even better with marshmallows on top. My Easy Homemade Marshmallows would be incredible here!
Make it plant-based/dairy-free: Swap the milk for your favorite non-dairy milk and cream. Then make sure to use a vegan chocolate. Most dark chocolates are vegan and dairy-free!
How to make easy French hot chocolate
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the cinnamon stick (and vanilla, if using). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
TWO: Remove the cinnamon stick, then whisk in the cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
THREE: Return the pan to a low heat and whisk continuously until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.
FOUR: Stir in the heavy (double) cream and continue to heat gently for another minute, taking care not to let it boil.
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Don’t let the milk burn – When it comes to infusing the milk with the cinnamon or whisking the chocolate milk together, you don’t want it to boil at any point. A gentle simmer at the most. Letting the milk boil will scald it and it won’t taste as great.
- Thickening the hot chocolate – Whisk gently and keep over a low heat. The chocolate and the cocoa powder together will thicken it eventually, but be patient and don’t turn the heat up too high to speed it up. It will take around 5 to 10 minutes to thicken. The dash of cream helps this too.
- If it forms a skin, don’t worry! Just whisk it back into the pan and it should dissolve again. If it’s really been left to sit too long and it’s a bit too thick to re-whisk, just use a spoon to gently lift it from the pan and discard.
Frequently asked questions
French hot chocolate often has heavy (double) cream and real chocolate melted into it, which thickens it up rather than it just being milk and hot chocolate powder.
Aim for 54-72% dark chocolate. I like a chopped-up bar of chocolate so it melts easily, rather than chocolate chips you use for baking.
Always melt chocolate over low heat and then whisk constantly. If you see grainy bits or slight separation, immediately remove from the heat, then pass through a fine sieve. Then gently re-whisk while warming.
Other recipes you might enjoy
If you like this recipe for a French hot chocolate, you might like my other French recipes on my website, like my French Chocolate Mousse, Clafoustis aux Cerises (it’s a delicious custardy dessert with a crispy top and cherries), or my Courgette Gratin, if you want something savory.
Easy Baking Recipes
Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Brownies
Easy Baking Recipes
Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Easy Baking Recipes
Raspberry and Chocolate Cake
Puddings
Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding
If you tried this French Hot Chocolate or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Easy French Hot Chocolate (Chocolat Chaud)
Ingredients
- 17 fl oz whole milk, about 2 cups
- 7 oz chocolate, chopped (I like 54% dark); about generous 1 cup
- 3.3 fl oz heavy cream (double cream), about scant 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp superfine sugar (caster sugar), or granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the cinnamon stick (and vanilla, if using). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, then whisk in the cocoa powder, chopped chocolate, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Return the pan to low heat and whisk continuously until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy (double) cream and continue to heat gently for another minute, taking care not to let it boil.
- Pour into mugs and serve immediately – thick, rich, and perfectly luxurious. For an extra touch, top with softly whipped cream, marshmallows, or a sprinkle of cocoa powder. My Easy Homemade Marshmallows would be incredible here!
Video
Notes
Storage and reheating
To store: I wouldn’t recommend making it ahead of time, but if needed, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day. To reheat: Reheat in a pan on medium heat until it comes back together and is thickened.More quick tips
Cream: Cream is obviously very indulgent in a hot chocolate, but it gives it a lovely thickness. If you like, you can omit the cream. Make it plant-based/dairy-free: Swap the milk for your favorite dairy-free milk and cream. Then make sure to use a vegan chocolate. Most dark chocolates are vegan and dairy-free! Cinnamon stick: If you don’t have this, swap for 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Skip step 1 of the recipe. Heat the milk gently, then whisk in the ground cinnamon and the other ingredients in step 2.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OMG, SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC EXPEDOCIOUS
I do a 1/4 less chopped chocolate so it’s not AS rich (still rich though!) I’ve made it several times this holiday season and it’s been a hit every time!
Hi, the taste turned out delicious, however my chocolate never thickened and I followed the recipe exactly. Could you advise on what may have gone wrong?
Oh that is weird! Glad it was still delicious. It maybe didn’t get quite hot enough, it needs to stay over low heat but will take a good 5-10 minutes to full heat up and thicken. It could also depends on the chocolate you used.
This was so delicious! Because my cocoa powder is 100% dark chocolate, I used only 100g of a 100% dark chocolate bar; because we couldn’t find a 54% and I knew it would be too much chocolate for us. I also increased the sweetness by adding maple syrup. Now we will try your marshmallow recipe.
Sounds and looks like this would be my new go to!!! Can’t wait to try this.
So decadent and rich! Definitely a new family favorite.
So happy to hear this! Thank you x
What is double cream & caster sugar?
Heavy cream and superfine sugar – it’s common in the UK but not always in other parts of the world. You can use granulated sugar too.
Clearly, using homemade marshmallows in the photographs and videos and not mentioning them at all in the recipe?
Hi Lynette, they are linked in the post but I’ve just added to it to the recipe card to so you can find the link easily!
Wow!! Just wow! This is the most amazing hot cocoa I have ever had!
Wow this French hot chocolate is one of my favourites! It’s thick and luxurious, full of chocolate. You need to try it this winter!