How to Make a Homemade Hot Chocolate Bar

A hot chocolate bar with homemade hot chocolate is a creative way to bring joy to kids and adults at any cold-weather gathering!

I love a serve-yourself spread at a party, whether it’s a make-your-own taco bar, an appetizer board, or a breakfast grazing board. Knowing this, Van knew that Platters and Boards by Shelly Westerhausen would be the perfect gift for me at Christmas last year.

It was too late by then to use one of my favorite ideas from the book: a hot chocolate bar! Well, technically theirs was a “board,” but you know what I mean.

All those toppings in their vessels are so pretty on their own that it’s easy to make it look as simple or fancy as you want. Pair them with a decadent slow cooker hot chocolate and you have a spread that the kids (or adults… more about that below) are sure to love.

Jump to:

• What to Put on Your Hot Chocolate Bar
• Other Items You May Need for Your Hot Chocolate Bar
• What about the adults?
• How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate
• 📖 Recipe
• Love Chocolate?
• More Fun Party Ideas

What to Put on Your Hot Chocolate Bar

• Whipped cream
• Chocolate chips (big, mini, white chocolate, butterscotch, etc.)
• Chocolate and caramel syrups
• Crushed candy (Heath bar, Reese's cups, Butterfingers)
• Crushed Cookies (Oreo, chocolate chip)
• Candy canes and crushed peppermints
• Marshmallows
• Pirouette Cookies
• Sea Salt
• The white chocolate syrup from our White Chocolate Mocha recipe.

Put all of this next to a big plate of Sourdough French Toast and you'll have some happy folks.

Other Items You May Need for Your Hot Chocolate Bar

• Cute mugs or disposable cups with lids and sleeves
• These adorable little spoons
• Chalkboard signs for ingredients
• A slow-cooker for keeping it hot!

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What about the adults?

I’m so glad you asked. If it’s “that kind of party,” bust out those liqueurs and whiskeys because this hot chocolate bar is not just for kids! These spirits are perfect for mixing in to make spiked hot chocolate.

• Kahlua
• Grand Marnier
• Bailey's
• Frangelico
• Peppermint Schnapps
• Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
• Whiskey/Bourbon
• Simple Syrups for Cocktails

How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate

This recipe is made using the simplest ingredients on purpose. We want you to have a clean canvas for all those decadent toppings! It's plenty rich and creamy on it's own, though, so enjoy it however you want it.

Best of all, you can make your hot chocolate on the stove and then transfer it to a slow cooker to keep it hot, or you can just make it right in the slow cooker!

📖 Recipe

Love Chocolate?

If you're here you must, so you'll want to check out these recipes too:

• Double Chocolate Cookies (they're so easy)
• Hot Fudge Pudding Cake (made in a cast iron skillet)
• Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes
• Cookies with Coconut, Brown Butter & Chocolate Chips (did we say Brown Butter? Yup, we did!)
• Mini Brownie Trifles

If you make any of our recipes we'd love for you to leave us a comment and star rating. If you're into sharing your creations, snap a photo and tag us when you post it to Facebook or Instagram.

More Fun Party Ideas