Best Vegan Hot Chocolate with Pear & Ginger

A luxurious recipe for the best vegan hot chocolate made with dark chocolate, fresh pear and ginger. A warming hug of a drink for chilly days.

Best Vegan Hot Chocolate with Pear & Ginger

The best hot chocolate isn't made with powdered cocoa powder or drinking chocolate.

No, the best hot chocolate is made with real dark chocolate.

Good quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content.

Good quality dark chocolate

You can really taste the difference when you buy a good quality dark chocolate.

It's more expensive, but it's really worth it and you don't need much to get a good chocolate hit.

Choose a chocolate that is no less than 70% cocoa content, or higher if you like.

It goes right up to 100%, but the higher you go, the most bitter it is and dry to the taste.

Health benefits of dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and has polyphenols which are good for the cut and flavanols which are said to help with heart health.

It's full of fibre, minerals and vitamins including magnesium, iron and zinc.

So, it's a good idea to add some into your daily diet, in either a warming hot drink or just a couple of squares of dark chocolate as a sweet treat.

You can read more about the health benefits of dark chocolate in this article by Which called The Hidden Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate.

Is all dark chocolate suitable for vegans?

Even though you would assume that all dark chocolate is suitable for vegans and those on a dairy-free diet, that's not actually the case.

Many dark chocolate bars still contain milk.

It's important to check the label to make sure you don't get caught out.

The milk is usually in bold as an allergen in the ingredient list, so it's easy to spot.

If you're not familiar with the brand, then do check first.

What you need to make hot chocolate with real chocolate

Many hot chocolate recipes use a basic chocolate drink, either hot chocolate, hot cocoa or cacao powder, but do try it with a dark chocolate bar.

For a basic hot chocolate made with dark chocolate, you can just make it with chocolate and milk melted together in a pan or in a jug in the microwave, then give it a good whisk.

Adding a pinch of spice is a nice idea too.

Chilli powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger are all good options.

Use your regular milk. 

I use plant-based milk, but you can use any dairy-free milk like oat milk, almond milk or even tinned coconut milk for a bit of extra luxury or the drinking light coconut milk you mind beside other milks in the supermarket.

And of course, if you like your hot sweet, you can add a little sugar to sweeten it.

Take away the winter chills

This hot chocolate is an easy recipe that's such a treat to serve on a chilly day.

It's perfect for the holiday season and it's one I often make on Christmas morning for us to enjoy while everyone is arriving and we are getting ready to open our presents.

It's wonderfully warming and tastes really special.

Ingredients for the best vegan hot chocolate with pear and ginger

Here are the simple ingredients for my favourite and easy homemade hot chocolate.

• Dark chocolate - a bar or chocolate chips
• Oat milk - or your favourite milk
• Fresh pears - make sure they are ripe
• Ginger - for a warmth and hint of spice

The full recipe is below with quantities, method and nutritional values.

Can you use fresh ginger?

I use ground ginger as I always have it on my spice shelf and I like my recipes to be easy for you, using ingredients you have to hand.

However, you can use fresh ginger if you have it, but I wouldn't use too much as it packs a punch.

Rather than grate it into the hot chocolate mixture, which would leave lumps in your hot chocolate, why not infuse the ginger into the milk.

Heat the milk with a piece of ginger, then remove the ginger before adding the other ingredients.

What about crystallised stem ginger?

Crystallised stem ginger (which is often stored in a syrup) takes this drink to a whole other level.

If you happen to have some, you can add that instead of ground or fresh ginger.

Half a piece of this stem ginger is enough for this recipe.

What to serve with hot chocolate for a luxury breakfast or brunch?

Here are a few serving ideas for this hot chocolate. Of course, you can serve it with your regular breakfast or brunch, or at any time of the day or evening.

Here are a few ideas.

• Apple Crumble Danish
• Blueberry & Lemon Breakfast Oat Bars
• Creamy Blueberry, Banana & Coconut Porridge
• Easy Danish Pastries made with Puff Pastry
• Peach Overnight Weetabix

For more breakfast ideas, check out my breakfast recipes page and for more hot drinks, check out my drinks recipe page.

hot chocolate, hot chocolate made with dark chocolate, vegan hot chocolate, dairy-free hot chocolate, ginger hot chocolate, pear hot chocolate, luxury hot chocolate

Drinks

British, vegan

Yield: 2

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Best Vegan Hot Chocolate with Pear & Ginger

A luxurious recipe for the best vegan hot chocolate made with dark chocolate, fresh pear and ginger. A warming hug of a drink for chilly days.

Prep time: 2 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 5 Min

Ingredients

• 250ml (1 cup) oat milk, or your regular milk
• 40g (1 ½ oz approx) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa content or higher
• 1 ripe pear, peeled and cored
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1/2 piece of crystallised stem ginger)

Instructions

1. Break the chocolate into a small pan, add the milk and heat gently until the chocolate has melted.
2. Peel and core the pear, then cut into quarters.
3. Add the pear, chocolate milk and ginger to a blender. Whizz until smooth.
4. You can drink this hot or cold.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

1. If you are using fresh ginger, infuse the milk, by heating the milk with some fresh ginger in it, then remove the ginger before adding the other ingredients.
2. You can heat the ingredients in a jug in the microwave instead of a pot.
3. If you need to you can add a little sugar.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

287

Fat (grams)

9 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

5 g

Carbs (grams)

50 g

Fiber (grams)

9 g

Net carbs

41 g

Sugar (grams)

17 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Sodium (milligrams)

192 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

1 mg

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