Best Chocolat Chaud (French Hot Chocolate)

Enjoy this easy 2-ingredient French hot chocolate recipe for authentic chocolat chaud, a Parisian chocolate drink. You are only 10 minutes away from the best chocolate experience of your life.

Whenever you look for a delicious dessert to finish your weekend brunch, come back from a ski descent to warm up, or need comfort on a weekday, French hot chocolate (Chocolat chaud in French) is your remedy and pure pleasure.

If you are a purist who pays great attention to what you eat and drink, you must bring the best hot chocolate into your life.

If you love French cuisine and consider it the best in the world, you will appreciate this Parisian hot chocolate drink.

And finally, if you are one of the true chocolate lovers, this chocolate intense paired with a beautiful hot chocolate quote will be enough to satisfy your craving.

What is hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate, hot cocoa, or le chocolat chaud in French, is a hot drink made with real chocolate or cocoa powder (also sometimes sugar) added to milk or water.  

You will love the sound of hot chocolate in French: 'chocolat chaud' [ʃɔ.kɔ.la ʃo]; listen to native French speakers.

The history of a chocolate-based drink can be said to date back to 2 thousand years ago, when the Mayans first created it. Over time, it became popular in Europe and had various adaptations.

Nowadays, it is different depending on the country. For example, while American hot chocolate looks pretty diluted, Italian hot chocolate is quite dense. French hot chocolate is rich and is made with milk and melted chocolate.

The French usually start the day with a hot drink (coffee or tea) which is the star of a French style breakfast. Drinking hot chocolate takes third place among the breakfast habits of the French.

Why you should try this recipe

• French hot chocolate, with its velvety texture and rich chocolate taste, is an intense chocolate-tasting experience to try and start making it regularly.

• The delicious hot chocolate drink is perfect anytime: enjoy it for breakfast, have it as a snack in the middle of the day, or finish your dinner as a dessert.

• It is a comforting ritual to indulge in on cold nights in the middle of winter and early mornings during rainy days.

• You will fall in love with this easy 2-ingredient original hot chocolate recipe. It is guaranteed.

• Finally, this liquid chocolate drink makes a romantic treat shared with your loved one by the fire.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Milk: To make the recipe below, use whole or semi-skimmed (in the UK). Please, avoid skimmed milk called in the UK and skim milk called in the States.

You can replace milk with vegetable milk (oat or coconut milk, for example), but do not switch milk for fruit, vanilla, or flavored coconut drinks since they modify the taste of chocolate.

• Chocolate is one of the main ingredients to make the recipe. Opt for top-quality dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao). Purchase it as dark chocolate bars or chocolate callets. Please do not use baking chocolate or chocolate chips for the best results.

Recipe variations

While this typical hot chocolate recipe sounds basic, there are many variations to customize this drink. 

• A little touch with warm spices, even a pinch of cayenne pepper, makes a difference to French sipping chocolate.

• Add a pinch of cinnamon or scraped vanilla seeds of vanilla bean pods to soften the taste of your hot chocolate.

• Use a bit of ground pepper, anise, or/and/or cloves to make your drink spicy, especially during cold winter days.

• Add ground ginger and cardamom to make a tangy hot chocolate.

• But when adding spices to hot chocolate, be careful with the amount; otherwise, they can mask the taste.

Interestingly, against the popular belief that real hot chocolate can only be made with milk, the French love their hot chocolate with water.

But whether you prefer milk or water, you can make life easier by preparing this homemade hot chocolate mix in advance. Store it in an airtight container and enjoy a cozy cup anytime you like.

How to make French hot chocolate

Chop the chocolate into small pieces with a serrated knife and set it aside. Pour milk into a medium saucepan and heat the milk over medium heat until hot.

Remove from heat, add chopped chocolate to hot milk, and stir with a hand whisk letting the chocolate melt.

Bring the pan back for a slow simmer over low or medium-low heat for 1 minute, constantly whisking. Pour the hot chocolate into the cups and serve immediately.

Expert tips

1. Use top-quality chocolate, ideally bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70% cacao).
2. Make sure to add chocolate off the heat to make the hot chocolate smooth.
3. Top your hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream if desired.
4. Decrease the amount of chocolate, but not less than 2.5 oz./70 g, according to your taste.

How to choose the best chocolate

Good quality chocolate is the key to making French hot chocolate. So what kind of chocolate is best? The best is to go for bittersweet chocolate, between 60 and 70% cacao.

If you want to taste rich chocolate, do not choose one below 50% cacao. But do not exceed 70% either; otherwise, the bitterness will dominate your hot chocolate drink.

Can you use a dark chocolate bar? Yes, it is easy to dose the chocolate due to its squares, and much more cream-like thanks to the butter in the bar.

Choose one of the top-quality dark chocolate bars: Ghirardelli dark chocolate 60% cacao, Scharffen Berger semi-sweet chocolate 62% cacao, Lindt dark chocolate 70% cacao, or Moser Roth dark chocolate 70% cacao.

In any way, choosing chocolate to make French-style hot chocolate, respect your tastes. According to the French Le Journal des Femmes,

Dark, milk, white, or other chocolate will be equally suitable, only the texture and intensity of the cocoa will be modified.

How to serve it

To get the whole French experience, serve Parisian hot chocolate warm, or let it sit for a few hours to enrich the chocolate taste. Reheat it before serving if needed. And then serve your drink in the most beautiful cup and enjoy.

• The French usually serve hot chocolate in small cups: demitasse cups, coffee cups containing about 2 to 3 fl. oz. or 60 to 90 ml. or pretty tiny teacups.

• You can serve your chocolate drink plain or add a few drops of vanilla extract, a few flecks of coarse salt, or a pinch of sea salt or fleur de sel to accentuate the flavor.

• You can also add granulated or brown sugar, honey, caramel, espresso powder, you name it.

• Top your hot chocolate with sugar-free whipped cream for an irresistible gourmet touch. Flavor it with a bit of ground cinnamon if you desire.

• Or add a few pieces of mini dehydrated marshmallows, duo chocolate curls, or chocolate vermicelli sprinkles. And why not add all three?

• Enjoy your hot chocolate drink with French madeleines or financiers. Yes, you want to indulge and feel like you are in Parisian cafés. And it is not surprising why French and Parisian hot chocolate are used interchangeably.

Storage instructions

You can store the leftover hot chocolate in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Film your chocolate drink with plastic wrap or pour it into a sealed container and refrigerate it. To reheat, use a microwave or low heat.

Recipe FAQ

Love chocolate desserts? Try these next!

• French Chocolate Cake
• French Dark Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Cherry Financiers
• Royal Chocolate Cake - Trianon
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.