Instant Pot Hot Chocolate Recipe (2024)

Whip up a batch of homemade Instant Pot Hot Chocolate for a creamy, dreamy drink to enjoy on those cold winter days. This is a great chocolatey treat to make for an indulgent after school treat and it is also a great way to warm your family up on a snowy day.

We always have store bought packets of hot chocolate on hand in the winter. You never know when it’ll snow here in Minnesota in the winter (or spring or fall, ha!) and somehow snowy cold days necessitate a warm, creamy cup of hot chocolate.

There’s nothing wrong with those packets that magically transform into a drink, but there is a variation that is SO MUCH tastier.

Making this recipe on your stove top is definitely possible and still delicious. The Instant Pot adds an extra element of YUM, though, so take that extra step if you have a few minutes to spare.

My boys love this recipe. I love this recipe. It produces such a uniquely tasty and creamy end result that cannot be replicated any other way. This is the best hot cocoa recipe you’ll find!

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HOT COCOA

STEP 1

Place the following ingredients in an Instant Pot:

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Press saute button and whisk until marshmallow creme has melted. Place the cover on the pot and set timer to 3 minutes on high pressure (pressure cook setting). It will take the IP around 6 minutes to build up pressure before it begins cooking.

STEP 2

When cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally until the silver float valve drops. Remove cover and use a ladle to pour hot chocolate into mugs. Top with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and shaved chocolate and serve immediately.

RECIPE NOTES: INSTANT POT HOT CHOCOLATE

• Any type of milk works great in this recipe (skim, 1%, 2% or whole), but the fattier, the creamier.
• Replace up 2 cups of the milk with heavy whipping cream for an extra creamy and indulgent drink.
• Use dark cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor.
• There is so much room for yummy toppings! Think whipped cream, mini marshmallows, shaved chocolate, chocolate chips, crushed candy canes or an extra dusting of cocoa.
• Heed my advice on this because I learned this one the hard way.. Let your pressure cooker naturally release until that silver float valve drops. If you try to do a manual quick release, you may end up with chocolate splattered all over your wall.
• Make this drink easily on your stove top by combining all ingredients and letting it simmer for up to 15 minutes.

OTHER COZY WINTER TREATS

• Transform hot chocolate into a batch of Hot Cocoa Cookies! These are life changing.
• Another indulgent dessert drink is Harry Potter’s Butterbeer. If you haven’t tried this yet, you must!
• Candied pecans are a great winter snack and also the perfect addition to any leafy salad.
• Salty Toasted Coconut Chips are the perfect anytime snack, but they’ll also go fast on a party table!
• Transform the tart cranberry into a poppable snack by making these sugared cranberries. These come with a warning, though. They’re very hard to stop eating once you start.
• Holiday Snack Mix is one of my favorite snacks to bring to parties in the winter. Every time I do, it gets rave reviews!
• Double Chocolate Puff Corn is addicting and also gluten free!

OTHER SWEET INSTANT POT RECIPES TO ENJOY

The list of recipes you can make in an Instant Pot is endless! One of my favorite things about my favorite little pressure cooker is that it produces KILLER desserts. Here is a selection of my faves:

• Instant Pot Cake made with a BOX MIX is super moist and flavorful and much less porous than its oven-baked counterpart. Use any box cake variety of your choice!
• Avoid cracking and hassle by making creamy, flavorful cheesecake in your Instant Pot! Cooks perfectly every time and tastes delicious served solo or with fruit, chocolate or caramel as a topping.
• Make creamy, fudgy chocolate pudding effortlessly and PERFECTLY in your Instant Pot! This rich, decadent treat will bring you back to childhood. Skip the box mix! Pudding is so much better homemade.
• Make Cherry Dump Cake in your Instant Pot using only THREE ingredients! There is not a dessert in the world that is easier than this one. Throw everything into a single pan and let the pressure cooker work its magic.