Dairy-Free Hot Chocolate Bar for Hot Chocolate Day

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Happy Hot Chocolate Day! What a perfect day to have in the middle of winter. I'm sure someone planned this on purpose.

But what is one to do when they can no longer stomach regular hot chocolate? You know, the kind that comes in a packet and is all powder and you pour it into boiling water and stir?

You turn to your trusty friend Pinterest and search for dairy-free hot chocolate recipes. And then you throw your own Hot Chocolate Day hot chocolate bar party with your 4-year-old.

I managed to track down a handful of dairy-free hot chocolate recipes that I thought might be promising. If you head over to my Get Yo Drink On Pinterest board, you'll see them all.

But the one I decided to try for my first go at homemade dairy-free hot chocolate was this Healthy Hot Chocolate recipe from Elizabeth Rider. It's gluten-free, too! All I needed was coconut milk (or some other plant-based milk), maple syrup, cocoa powder, and vanilla.

It was very easy to make - basically heating up the milk on the stove top, whisking in the other ingredients, and letting everything warm up. The taste was not as chocolate-y as I'm used to from the powdered variety, and my daughter was not a fan. I think next time I might add a bit more vanilla or even syrup to make it sweeter. Or maybe use a sweetened coconut milk. Cocoa powder always has a tendency to be too bitter for my taste.

Or I'll just try one of the other recipes that I pinned!

I paired it with some of my favorite hot chocolate toppings: mini marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, peppermint stir sticks, and dairy-free Reddi Wip. If you haven't tried that last one, you don't know what you're missing. It's made with almond milk (though I think they have a coconut milk one, too) and it is AMAZING. I could eat it straight out of the can.

It's so easy to throw a hot chocolate bar party, whether you're making your own recipe or just pouring in the powdered stuff. Put the toppings out where everyone can reach them and let people make their own personalized mugs of hot cocoa.

I hosted a hot chocolate bar party a couple years ago, and it was such a fun theme!

What are some of your favorite hot chocolate toppings?