Cardamom-Spiced Vegan Hot Chocolate

Velvety melted chocolate and creamy coconut milk form the perfect base for my homemade vegan hot cocoa recipe! Fresh cardamom pods lend a warm and lightly spicy flavor, while the floral aroma of sweet vanilla unfurls with each and every sip. 

If you have cooked with cardamom before, chances are you already know how well it pairs with milky chocolate and other sweet treats. If you have not worked with this wonderful ingredient, this Spiced Hot Cocoa recipe offers a great introduction! 

Cardamom has an entirely unique flavor profile that is somehow peppery yet floral, piney yet citrusy, and ever so sweet. When infused into the background of creamy vegan hot cocoa, an incredibly special beverage experience is created. 

This hot chocolate is one of my go-to cozy drinks each and every year during the fall and winter months. It’s special enough to stand apart from other hot chocolates, but classic enough to hit the spot that only a good mug of cocoa can fill.

It tastes just as great around an autumn campfire as it does on a cold winter days at home! 

Ingredient Notes

• Almond milk – I find the subtly nutty flavor and medium-weight texture of unsweetened almond milk to be just perfect for making vegan hot cocoa. If you don’t care for or can’t have almond milk, other dairy-free milk options such as oat milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk should work well too! 
• Cardamom pods – It’s important to use cardamom pods here as opposed to ground cardamom seeds, as we will be infusing the flavor into the plant-based milk before straining the pods out. You can find cardamom pods at most grocery stores, but if yours doesn’t carry it, check online or at any Asian or Middle Eastern market. 
• Chopped vegan chocolate – Up to you what type of vegan chocolate you use for your cocoa! Dark or milk, chips or chunks–any and all will work here! Personally, I like to use dark chocolate as I find it gives this cocoa a very rich chocolate flavor.  
• Vanilla extract – It might seem counterintuitive to be flavoring a chocolate beverage with vanilla extract, but one of the best kept chef secrets is that vanilla actually enhances chocolate’s natural, well, chocolatiness! 
• Salt – Optional but highly recommended, a pinch of salt acts as another flavor enhancer here–bringing out the sweet and floral flavors of your hot cocoa. 
• Whipped coconut cream – To me, no cup of cocoa is complete without some toppings! A floater of sweet whipped coconut cream does just the trick. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice for whipped coconut cream, but you can use coconut sugar or anything else you like.