Sweet and salty in one delicious hot chocolate. It’s topped off with homemade whipped cream (so easy to make at home) and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
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Homemade Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
Chocolate sauce and toffee nut syrup are combined with frothed milk to make this delicious salted caramel hot chocolate.
Using toffee nut syrup is how Starbucks makes their salted caramel hot chocolate and it’s how this drink is made.
Toffee nut syrup gives it a rich and buttery caramel and nutty flavor while making it very easy to stir into a hot drink.
The drink is topped with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and a sprinkling of sugar and salt.
Recipe Highlights
- Salted caramel hot chocolate made sweet and salty with toffee nut syrup and chocolate syrup.
- The drink is topped off with fluffy whipped cream, which can be made in seconds using a handheld milk frother.
- This is a Starbucks copycat recipe, recreated to be made at home.
RELATED: Salted Caramel Mocha Latte
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate sauce: Store-bought or homemade chocolate syrup can be used. It’s the base for hot chocolate and you can use it to make mocha drinks too.
- Toffee nut syrup: This is the syrup that adds a caramel and nutty flavor to the drink.
- Caramel sauce: The caramel sauce is only used for the drizzle.
- Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk to make this drink but you can use any milk you like.
- Vanilla syrup: To sweeten and flavor the whipped cream. Use store-bought or homemade. Instead of vanilla syrup, use 2 teaspoons of sugar.
- Heavy cream: This is for the whipped cream topping.
- Sea salt: The sea salt is used to garnish and it’s sprinkled on top with the sugar.
- Turbinado sugar: To top the drink along with the sea salt.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together vanilla syrup and heavy cream. Set aside.
Use a handheld frother to make the whipped cream. Whisk until soft peaks form.
Step 2: Froth or heat milk. Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine.
Step 3: Put chocolate sauce into a mug.
Step 4: Add toffee nut syrup.
Step 5: Add frothed milk.
Step 6: Stir to combine.
Step 7: Top with whipped cream.
Step 8: Drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle turbinado sugar and sea salt.
Expert Tips
- Homemade chocolate syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
- The whipped cream can be made as stiff or soft as you like by adjusting the time you whisk. If you want a more pourable whipped cream with soft peaks that will stir into the drink easier, whisk until it thickens slightly. Make sure to move the handheld milk frother up and down to get air into the cream.
- Whipped cream can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Stir it a little since it may have deflated a bit.
- To make the drink more decadent, pour the salted caramel hot chocolate into a French press and pump the plunger up and down until it doubles in volume. It’ll create a nice frothy hot chocolate.
Questions You May Have
Yes, there’s caffeine in chocolate so there’s caffeine in the drink but it’s not a lot.
Yes. Any kind of milk that you prefer can be used.
Even if the drink isn’t on the Starbucks menu, you can still order it by asking for a hot chocolate with toffee nut syrup and caramel drizzle on the whipped cream. You can sprinkle on a little salt and Sugar in the Raw on top.
Related
- Decadent Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Mocha Latte
- Matcha Hot Chocolate
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Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
INGREDIENTS
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons chocolate sauce
- 2 tablespoons toffee nut syrup
Whipped Cream Topping
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- ½ teaspoon caramel sauce
- pinch turbinado sugar
- pinch sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together vanilla syrup and heavy cream. Set aside. Use a handheld frother to make the whipped cream. Whisk until soft peaks form.
- Froth or heat milk.Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine.
- Put chocolate sauce and toffee nut syrup into a mug. Stir in frothed milk.
- Top with whipped cream. Drizzle caramel sauce and sprinkle on turbinado sugar and sea salt.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- Starbucks uses 2% milk to make this drink but you can use any milk you like.
- Homemade chocolate syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
- The whipped cream can be made as stiff or soft as you like by adjusting the time you whisk. If you want a more pourable whipped cream with soft peaks that will stir into the drink easier, whisk until it thickens slightly. Make sure to move the handheld milk frother up and down to get air into the cream.
- Whipped cream can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Stir it a little since it may have deflated a bit.
- To make the drink more decadent, pour the caramel hot chocolate into a French press and pump the plunger up and down until it doubles in volume. It’ll create a nice frothy hot chocolate.