The Best Rose Hot Chocolate

Made with just 5 ingredients, this luxurious Rose Hot Chocolate is rich, sumptuous and silky smooth, but incredibly easy to make. Can be made vegan.

It's taken me a long time to figure out the perfect hot chocolate recipe.

But I think I've done it with this Rose Hot Chocolate! This delicious drink is creamy, thick and silky smooth while also being incredibly easy to make.

The delicate rose flavour (from rose water) gives it a delicious twist and makes it feel like you're drinking a fancy restaurant hot chocolate.

When I'm looking for a comforting, hug-in-a-mug warm drink, this is my go to. I make it almost as much as my Rose Latte, and I love it topped with Coconut Whipped Cream, marshmallows and shaved chocolate.

Being vegan, I wanted to create a hot chocolate that was dairy-free but could also be made with regular milk if desired. And this one works perfectly, as I think you'll agree. Give it a try!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• It's rich and luxurious - tastes like hot chocolate you'd get at a restaurant or coffee shop. Great when you want to spoil yourself. (Makes a lovely Valentines Day treat too with the rose flavour.)
• It needs just 5 ingredients - chocolate, cocoa powder, maple syrup, rose water and milk.
• It's the most warming, satisfying drink. Plus the rose water gives it a hint of the exotic.
• It takes 5 minutes to make.
• It also works well as a vegan, dairy free hot chocolate. Just make sure you use vegan chocolate and dairy-free milk.

Rose Hot Chocolate Ingredients

Dark Chocolate - Gives the hot chocolate its luxurious, rich quality. I recommend using dark rather than milk as you'll get a much stronger chocolate taste.

Cocoa/cacao powder - Cocoa - combined with chocolate - helps give the drink its deep, rich chocolatey flavour.

Milk - The creamier the milk, the creamier your hot chocolate! I use oat or soy milk, but any can be used, regular or dairy free.

Maple Syrup - My sweetener of choice for hot drinks, as it has such a rich taste. Also, it's already liquid so you don't have to wait for it to melt.

Rose water - Adds the most delicious floral notes to this hot chocolate. Any rose water should work here. I buy mine from my local Persian grocery store.

Salt - Totally optional, but I like to add it because I find it enhances the flavour and takes the whole drink up a notch!

Substitutions

Chocolate - There's really no substitution for this, as it's a pretty integral part of the recipe. You could try making this drink with only cocoa powder, but you will end up with a much thinner, weaker hot chocolate that's more like a hot cocoa. That said, if it's all you have, give it a go!

Cocoa powder - If you just have chocolate and no cocoa powder, try using it on its own. You hot chocolate may lack a little bit of depth in flavour, but it will still be tasty!

Milk - Any milk can be used. I find this recipe works really well with dairy free milks such as oat, hazelnut and soy.

Maple Syrup - You can use any other sweetener here 1:1. I like using maple because it's already a liquid and doesn't need to melt, but other liquid sweeteners like date paste would work well too. Brown sugar or coconut sugar are also great.

If desired, you could try making a low sugar version by using monk fruit, stevia or erythritol.

How to Make Rose Hot Chocolate

1) Add all ingredients to a saucepan.

2) Heat gently, whisking frequently, until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated.

3) When hot, pour into a mug and optionally top with any of the following: marshmallows, whipped cream or coconut whipped cream, cocoa powder, shaved chocolate or rose petals.

Expert Tips

Use a whisk - You won't regret it! As you can see, I started off using a wooden spoon to mix this rose hot chocolate, and it just wouldn't get completely smooth. Using a whisk makes all the difference because it breaks the cocoa clumps down and make a really frothy hot chocolate.

Add a pinch of salt - While not essential, it really helps bring the taste of the chocolate out and gives a full-bodied flavour.

Flavour Variations

Add these optional flavours to your mix before whisking:

Rose Hot Chocolate with Cardamom - ¼ teaspoon cardamon powder

Chili Cinnamon Rose Hot Chocolate - ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Rose Vanilla Hot Chocolate - ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

Toppings

Try topping your rose hot chocolate with any of the following (or a combination of them) to take it to the next level.

• Rose petals
• Coconut whipped cream
• Shaved chocolate
• Cocoa powder
• Marshmallows

FAQs

More Cosy Hot Drinks

If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a comment or tip for others below. I'd love to know how you’ve made it your own!

Follow Vancouver with Love on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook, and Subscribe to my newsletter!