This velvety lavender hot chocolate is indulgent, easy, and delightfully rich. It comes together in just 10 minutes but feels like a gourmet beverage that embodies coziness. This is hot cocoa like you've never tried before - whisked until extra airy and infused with floral notes of culinary lavender. Bliss!
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With a rich velvety chocolate flavor, this lavender hot cocoa is the comforting drink you need when things get hectic. It's an opportunity to slow down and give your senses a treat with a meltingly smooth aromatic drink.
💌 Why I Love This Recipe
- Soothing, thanks to the calming effects of lavender.
- Homemade & wholesome using simple, no-fuss ingredients
- Simple to make in under 10 minutes
- A great way to surprise your guests
- A hit among all age groups
- Super creamy, rich & frothy with a hint of lavender
- Easy to customize to taste
🛒 Ingredients List
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make a luxurious mug of lavender hot cocoa.
- Cocoa Powder: Provides the base for our mug of hot chocolate. Use unsweetened cocoa powder (no sugar added). If you are in the US I recommend Dutch process cocoa.
- Maple Syrup: Helps balance out bitter cocoa, while adding just enough sweetness and thickness.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a caramel-like sweet note. I used soft brown dark sugar, sometimes called muscovado sugar.
- Oat Milk: For best results, I recommend oat milk but you can use any milk of choice. If you want thickness similar to whole milk, use barista oat milk.
- Culinary-Grade Lavender Buds: The star ingredient that gives the cocoa its distinct floral aroma.
- Sea Salt: Just a pinch of salt helps enhance the chocolate flavor.
💜 What is Culinary Lavender
Even though all lavender is edible, I recommend using food-grade (culinary) lavender. This refers both to the cultivar (type) of lavender as well as the way it's processed (Source).
Culinary lavender is cultivated specifically to be used for food as opposed to perfume, soaps, etc. As a result, this variety has a milder aroma which is more suited to be enjoyed in food and drinks.
You can tell if your lavender is culinary-grade by checking if it’s labeled as such on the packaging.
☕ Equipment
To make this lavender hot chocolate recipe, you'll need:
- Measuring cups or scales: For measuring the ingredients
- Small or Medium Saucepan: For mixing & heating the ingredients
- Fork and Whisk: To ensure a lump-free texture
- Sieve: To remove lavender buds
- Mug: To serve
📝 Steps
Make the cocoa paste. In a mug, combine cocoa powder, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of oat milk (or your preferred plant milk). Stir vigorously using a small fork or a whisk until the mixture forms a completely smooth paste. No lumps should remain (see photo 2). This paste will serve as the rich base for your hot chocolate.
Add milk and lavender. Pour the remaining oat milk over your cocoa paste and stir again. Then transfer the mixture to a small pan and add salt and lavender buds. Stir again to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Heat the mixture. Heat on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Whisk continuously to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth texture. You should see steam rising from the pan, but avoid letting it boil. Pour the hot lavender cocoa into your favorite mug through a sieve to remove bits (photo 6).
Serve and Enjoy. Garnish with your preferred toppings like a sprig of lavender, whipped coconut cream, etc.
Serving Tip - While some recipes recommend sprinkling lavender buds on top of the hot chocolate, I recommend avoiding this. The dry lavender bits tend to stick to your lips and make the drinking experience less enjoyable. Instead, garnish it with a single sprig of lavender to improve the presentation, and then remove it before drinking.
💡 Recipe Success Tips
- Whisk Thoroughly: If your hot chocolate paste isn't fully mixed, it will result in a clumpy and grainy drink.
- Heat Gently: When combining milk and cocoa powder, keep the mixture on medium-low heat to prevent it from curdling or burning.
- Infuse Longer: If you want a more pronounced lavender note, let the buds steep in the hot milk for longer (e.g. 10-15 minutes).
- Extra Frothy: For an extra frothy hot chocolate, use an electric milk frother to add some bubbles right before serving.
- Top it Up: Make it into a lavish dessert by adding a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkling it with chopped chocolate, and adding a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
No. Do not substitute lavender buds with lavender essential oil. Companies producing essential oils sometimes claim that their products are natural and therefore safe to consume. While it's safe to use them topically (on your skin) or in aromatherapy, they are never safe to consume.
Technically, you can. The drink will be very bitter though. You can use sugar-free sweeteners like stevia or xylitol if desired.
Yes! Store a large batch in an airtight jar (e.g. mason jar) in the fridge.
Consume any leftovers within 2-3 days.
Reheat while whisking well when you're ready to serve.
This could be for two reasons:
- You added too much lavender, making the beverage too intense.
- You used the wrong cultivar (type) of lavender, such as those not meant for cooking
🔄 Substitutions
- Maple Syrup: Honey (if you're not vegan), agave yrup, or any other liquid sweetener can be used instead. You can also leave it out altogether and just use sugar.
- Oat Milk: You can swap out oat milk for any other milk of your choice. Coconut milk will add creaminess, while almond milk will make it lighter and nuttier. You can also add a splash of cream if desired.
- Cocoa Powder: Substitute it with finely chopped dark or semisweet chocolate. Simply skip the paste-making step in this recipe and add chopped chocolate to warm milk. Keep stirring until the chocolate is fully melted.
🍫 Toppings & Variations
Here are some ways to customize lavender hot chocolate and serve it in a fun way.
- Marshmallows: Top a dollop of whipped coconut cream and vegan marshmallows.
- Chopped Dark Chocolate: Add some shaved or finely chopped chocolate to intensify the
- Vanilla Extract: Add ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla paste to the chocolate and mix well.
- Boozy Twist: Add a shot of schnapps, brandy, rum, or tequila for an adult version.
- Cookies: Serve it with my chocolate shortbread cookies for an all-out chocolate treat.
👋 Conclusion & More Lavender Recipes
Got any questions about homemade hot chocolate? Just leave a comment below!
Made this recipe? If so, it would mean a LOT to me if you could leave a comment & star rating below. This helps more readers find my blog and get a real insight into the recipes.
🍴Recipe
Easy Lavender Hot Chocolate - Gourmet Hot Cocoa
EQUIPMENT
- Measuring cups or scales
- small saucepan
- Fork and whisk
- Sieve
- Mug
INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate paste
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave syrup, etc
- 2.5 tablespoon unsweetened oat milk or another milk of choice
Remaining ingredients
- 1 cup (235 ml) unsweetened oat milk
- A pinch sea salt
- 1.5 teaspoon culinary grade lavender buds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the cocoa paste. In a mug, combine cocoa powder, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Slowly add 2.5 tablespoons of oat milk (or your preferred plant milk). Stir vigorously using a small fork or a whisk until the mixture forms a completely smooth paste. No lumps should remain.2 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2.5 tablespoon unsweetened oat milk
- Add milk and lavender. Pour the remaining oat milk over your cocoa paste and stir again. Then transfer the mixture to a small pan and add salt and lavender buds. Stir again to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.1 cup unsweetened oat milk, A pinch sea salt, 1.5 teaspoon culinary grade lavender buds
- Heat the mixture. Heat on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Whisk continuously to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth texture. You should see steam rising from the pan, but avoid letting it boil. Pour the hot lavender cocoa into your favorite mug through a sieve to remove bits.
- Serve and Enjoy. Garnish with your preferred toppings like a sprig of lavender, whipped coconut cream, etc.
Notes
- Tip 1 - Whisk Thoroughly: If your hot chocolate paste isn't fully mixed, it will result in a clumpy and grainy drink.
- Tip 3 - Heat Gently: When combining milk and cocoa powder, keep the mixture on medium-low heat to prevent it from curdling or burning.
- Tip 4 - Infuse Longer: If you want a more pronounced lavender note, let the buds steep in the hot milk for longer (e.g. 10-15 minutes).
- Extra Frothy: For an extra frothy hot chocolate, use an electric milk frother.
- Toppings: Make it into a lavish dessert by adding a dollop of whipped cream, chopped chocolate, chocolate sauce, etc.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information above is calculated automatically. The author of this post cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of this data.
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