Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin spice hot chocolate, a rich and decadent treat made with real pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and melted dark chocolate. The perfect fall beverage and a great way to use up extra pumpkin puree.

Coffee and I don’t mix. Too much of it unfortunately upsets my stomach, so typically around this time of year I tend to watch everyone else enjoy their PSLs. But, that’s okay because as soon as I start collecting leftover canned pumpkin puree from different recipes I’m testing, I always come back to this pumpkin spice hot chocolate mix.

So, if you’re interested in grabbing a mug of this velvety chocolate goodness, then let’s get to making it.

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

• Ready in 5 minutes. Just place all the ingredients in a saucepan and warm through until the chocolate melts.
• Easy to customize. Feel free to adjust the ratio of ingredients to your liking.
• Loaded with nutrition. This hot chocolate is refined sugar free and has extra nutrition thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree, raw cacao powder and nut butter.

How Do You Make Hot Chocolate Healthy?

Pumpkin

The warm orange tones of pumpkin indicate a high concentration of beta carotene, a potent antioxidant that is associated with supporting our immune system and eye health. But pumpkin is more than just beta carotene. It also provides vitamin C, fiber, and potassium, all great for supporting heart health.

Cacao Powder

While regular cocoa powder is already nutrient rich, using raw unprocessed cacao powder helps to preserve more of the nutrition of chocolate. It’s rich in magnesium, iron, fiber and even surprisingly adds a bit of protein to our beverage. Not to mention, it’s very rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, which may be associated with lower heart disease and cancer risk along with less cognitive decline.

Nut Butter

For the cheapest alternative I used peanut butter, which I feel went really well with the chocolate and pumpkin flavors. Peanut butter adds protein, healthy fats, magnesium, zinc and fiber. Adding peanut butter or any nut butter also helps better manage blood sugar levels thanks to the presence of the protein and fat, so you end up seeing more steady and controlled sugar levels after drinking this.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pumpkin Puree: The puree used in this recipe comes from leftover canned pumpkin from past pumpkin recipes that don’t use the whole can of pumpkin like my pumpkin baked oats or my pumpkin bread.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: To make this come together quickly, I opted for a premade pumpkin pie spice blend, but feel free to make a fresh batch yourself.
• Cacao Powder: I used raw cacao powder, but any unsweetened cocoa powder should work here. You can get a really dark and rich tasting chocolate beverage if using Dutch-processed cocoa powder as opposed to regular cocoa powder. If you want to read up more on the differences between cocoa powders I love this article.
• Nut Butter: This helps thicken and make the beverage extra decadent. I like to make this with either peanut butter (cheapest option) or almond butter (for a more neutral taste). You can also opt for other nut or seed butters based on your preference.
• Maple Syrup: Sweeten to your liking. My preference is always maple syrup, but you can use other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup or choose a dry sugar like cane sugar or brown sugar. Feel free to lessen the amount you use or omit based on preference.
• Chocolate Chips or Bar: To keep this vegan, make sure to choose dairy-free chocolate chips or bars to melt into your drink.
• Plant Based Milk: I tend to make this beverage with either oat milk or soy milk as both are nice and creamy. For slightly more sweet flavor, the oat milk is great. If you’re looking for a little more protein, soy milk is a great option. Feel free to try this recipe with other plant milks like almond or cashew milk as well.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Add your pumpkin puree, cacao powder, nut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips, pumpkin spice, vanilla, milk and a pinch of salt to a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk the mixture together and bring to a rapid simmer, making sure to whisk regularly until the chocolate chips have fully melted and the mixture has become smooth and uniform. (Alternatively, you can heat the mixture then use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.)

Ladle the mixture evenly between two mugs and enjoy as is or top with whipped cream and extra spices.

Expert Tips

• Add more protein. Choose a high protein plant based milk like soy milk or pea milk as your base.
• Make it decadent. Choose a nice and creamy plant based milk like oat milk as the base. It’s natural sweetness also helps to compliment the velvety melted chocolate in your drink.
• Whisk well. Whisking will help to remove more lumps and smooth out your mixture faster and easier than using a spoon or spatula. You can also use an immersion blender to blend the mixture completely smooth.
• Adjust the thickness to your liking. If the drink is too thick, you can add a little more milk or water to the pot and whisk until you reach your desired consistency.
• Customize the drink to your liking. You can omit the maple syrup if you feel the drink is naturally sweet to your liking. Also, feel free to replace one of the cups of plant based milk with 1 cup of water if you don’t want to use up too much of your milk in the recipe (your beverage will still be nice and creamy thanks to the nut butter).

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Serve

You can serve the hot chocolate as is or top with vegan whipped cream, some shaved chocolate and/or some extra pumpkin spice. I also love to serve this hot chocolate with some other goodies like these Healthier Chocolate Cherry Breakfast Cookies or my Chewy S’mores Pumpkin Cookies.

More Vegan Fall Sweets to Try

• Apple Crisp Stuffed Baked Apples
• Chocolate Churro Rice Crispy Bars
• Fluffy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
• Crock Pot Cinnamon Baked Apples

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★ Catherine

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