Valentine’s Day Pink Hot Chocolate Recipe

This is the best Valentine’s Day Pink Hot Chocolate recipe!

Valentine’s Day falls in February, so technically it’s still hot chocolate season! The insane cold of the new year makes all of us crave a warm and cozy drink so why not turn your favorite holiday drink into a pink Valentine’s Day-inspired sweet chocolate treat? 

In this recipe, you will be able to learn how to make a delicious pink hot chocolate with simple ingredients that you probably have on hand! 

Yup, go check that pantry of all those leftover half-used white chocolate bags!

Why do you need to make this recipe?

• It’s super cute and will be loved by the whole family!
• Get your little ones involved in making this delicious treat. the most fun part has to be decorating with sprinkles. 
• This drink is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday of love with your favorite people. 
• It takes a simple and delicious cup of hot chocolate and adds a unique twist to it, making it extra eye-catching. 
• The gorgeous pink hues of this cup of hot cocoa make it the perfect treat to post on social media!
• It’s all made from scratch no hot cocoa mix is needed. 

Ingredients for this Valentine’s Day Hot chocolate

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this pink beverage. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements. 

• Whole milk or half and half: The higher the fat content of your milk the better the hot chocolate will taste. It can be cold or at room temperature. 
• White chocolate: Keep in mind that using the highest quality chocolate will yield a better-flavored drink so make sure that you are using a high-quality chocolate chip like the Guittard ones or the Guirardelli ones. Alternatively, you could also use a high-quality white chocolate bar that is chopped up so that it melts more easily. I love using Lindt Chocolate or Ghirardelli chocolate bars here. White candy melts wouldn’t be a good choice for this recipe.
• Salt: Always add a little salt to anything sweet to help balance out those flavors. 
• Vanilla extract: This adds beautiful notes of vanilla throughout our drink.
• Pink Food Coloring: This will be used to get that beautiful pink hue!
• Whipped Cream: You can either make homemade whipped cream using heavy cream and powdered sugar or you can use store-bought whipped cream. I made homemade whipped cream and added it to a piping bag to top my hot chocolate with it. It’s an extra step that makes all the difference.
• Valentine’s Day Sprinkles: Pick your favorite festive sprinkles and top your whipped cream with that for an added touch of Valentine’s Day cheer! I love anything that an addition of chocolate heart sprinkles. 

How to make the best pink hot chocolate?

This is how you can make this delicious Valentine’s Day version of your favorite hot chocolate. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions! 

1. Add the milk or half and half to a pot and place on the stove top on medium heat. We want to bring the milk to a very light simmer. 
2. Remove from the heat add the white chocolate, salt, and vanilla extract to the hot milk, and whisk until the chocolate has completely melted.
3. Add in the pink food coloring and whisk again. 
4. Pour this Valentine’s Day version
5. Top your mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream and decorate with extra chocolate chips on top and sprinkles or whatever would make this fun treat stand out to you! It’s really the little things!

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

Can I make this white hot chocolate recipe vegan?

You sure can!

Using dairy-free milks like coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, or even cashew milk would work great here. Just make sure that you are also using dairy-free white chocolate to use in your hot chocolate drink. 

For the whipped cream I would go for the canned whipped creams that don’t use any dairy to make it easier on yourself!

Is there a natural way to color my hot chocolate?

One of my favorite ways to get that gorgeous pink hue is to use beet powder in my hot chocolate. I like to mix it in the cold mix firm so that it dissolves easier and then heat everything up together before mixing in the white chocolate. 

Some actual food coloring brands sell naturally colored food dyes like the India Tree natural food coloring. I’ve used this brand before and I love it!

Can I use red food coloring instead of pink food coloring in this drink?

This is a great question. If you don’t have pink food coloring you could use less red food coloring to get to that same color that we have here in the photos.

What are some fun toppings to serve on the side of your hot chocolate?

If you’re like me and are looking for any reason to celebrate you can turn this into a hot cocoa bar or a hot cocoa board by serving the hot chocolate to everyone and allowing them to get creative with their toppings. 

Here are some ideas of what you could add to your board for people to pick from:

• Flavored whipped creams
• Mini marshmallows
• Dehydrated marshmallows
• Caramel sauce for drizzling
• Chocolate sauce for drizzling
• Holiday sprinkles
• Mini chocolate chip cookies (you know those super tiny Trader Joe’s chocolate chip cookies)

Tips and tricks for a successful Valentine’s Day hot cocoa

One of the biggest things that you have to keep in mind when making this recipe is that you shouldn’t overheat the milk before adding the white chocolate. We don’t want to burn the chocolate or worse have the oils separate. 

The next thing is to serve your hot chocolate in a glass so you can see the beautiful color layering and really enjoy it! Using anything else would take away from the experience so make sure you can see the stunning pink colors of this drink. 

​Can I use dark chocolate for this recipe?

I recommend you stick with the white chocolate because if you change it you won’t be able to see that pink color that we’re going for her. Even using milk chocolate in this recipe wouldn’t allow the pink to show through to stick to white chocolate for this sweet treat this time. 

Pink Valentine’s Day Hot Chocolate

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