A cozy vegan peppermint hot cocoa made in the blender. This easy hot cocoa is sweetened with dates and made creamy with cashews. It’s the perfect nutritious drink to enjoy around the holidays.
I’ve been making this drink for years, inspired by my peppermint mocha (minus the coffee) and I thought it was time to give it its own post. This recipe is incredibly simple. All you need is 5 ingredients, 5 minutes and a blender.
If you prefer a latte over a hot cocoa, you can find my peppermint mocha recipe here. It’s just as delicious!
Here are the simple steps to make a peppermint hot cocoa at home.
I use a kettle to boil the water. You could use a saucepan but be careful when pouring the hot liquid in the blender.
Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender, including the hot water. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. There shouldn’t be any noticeable pieces of dates or cashews.
You don’t need to use any milk in this recipe as the cashews get blended in the water to create a homemade cashew milk. Don’t worry, this hot cocoa is still very creamy! That being said, I sometimes like to add a splash of full-fat coconut milk if I have any leftovers. It makes it extra creamy. You can try the recipe with warm plant-based milk instead of water if you want.
Many use the terms interchangeably, but hot cocoa is actually a drink made from cocoa powder, sugar and milk. On the other hand, hot chocolate is made of finely chopped or shaved chocolate melted in hot water, milk or cream. Hot chocolate is thicker and doesn’t usually have added sugar as the chocolate is sweet already.
Unfortunately not. You do need a good blender to get the creamy finish. If your blender is on the weaker side, you might have some small date and cashew pieces floating in your drink. You don’t want that! Your options: You can try soaking your cashews overnight and letting your dates soak in boiling water for 5 minutes. You can also replace the dates with a liquid or granulated sweetener and the cashews for cashew butter (about 1-2 tablespoons). The results won’t be the same though. For a tested recipe that doesn’t require a strong blender, I recommend this salted maple hot cocoa.
If you make this peppermint hot cocoa, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
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