White Hot Chocolate

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Get easy step-by-step instructions to make this Starbucks White Hot Chocolate copycat recipe at home. This decadent caffeine-free drink is perfect for cold weather.

White hot chocolate with whipped cream in a glass mug.

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Homemade White Hot Chocolate

White hot chocolate is a caffeine-free version of a regular hot chocolate. It contains white chocolate (made from cocoa butter) instead of milk or dark chocolate.

This recipe is a Starbucks White Hot Chocolate copycat and it’s made with a white chocolate sauce.

Homemade whipped cream tops this decadent drink and it comes together in seconds using a handheld milk frother.

RELATED: Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate Copycat

Recipe Highlights

  • Only 4 ingredients are needed to make this drink the same way as they do at Starbucks.
  • White hot chocolate is caffeine-free, so it makes a great night-time drink. It’s also kid-friendly.
  • This recipe makes 1 serving or 16 ounces (2 cups) of white hot chocolate.

RELATED: Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients used to make a White Hot Chocolate.
  • White Chocolate Sauce: This is what flavors the drink. If you don’t have white chocolate sauce, you can use sweetened condensed milk instead.
  • Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk but you can use any milk you like, including plant-based milk like soy or oat milk.
  • Heavy Cream: This is to make the whipped cream.
  • Vanilla Syrup: Use store-bought vanilla syrup or make it at home with just 3 ingredients.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Whisking heavy cream and vanilla syrup to make whipped cream.

Step 1: Make whipped cream by whisking the vanilla syrup and heavy cream with a handheld milk frother until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Pouring milk into a milk frother.

Step 2: Froth milk using an electric milk frother.

Spooning white chocolate sauce into a glass mug.

Step 3: Add white chocolate sauce to mug.

Pouring frothed milk into a glass mug.

Step 4: Pour a small amount of milk into the mug and stir until the white chocolate sauce dissolves.

Add the rest of the frothed milk and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Spooning whipped cream onto a white hot chocolate.

Step 5: Top drink with whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

Use sugar if you don’t have vanilla syrup.

2 teaspoons of white sugar can be used to whisk with the heavy cream if you don’t have vanilla syrup.

A French press can be used to froth milk.

If you don’t have an electric milk frother that can heat and froth milk, simmer milk on the stovetop then pour it into a French press. Make sure the milk only comes halfway in the French press to give it room to froth.

Move the French press plunger up and down 20-40 times to double the volume of the heated milk and to create cafe-quality frothed milk.

Buy Starbucks vanilla syrup.

To flavor the whipped cream and to make drinks like vanilla lattes, you can buy vanilla syrup from Starbucks locations. (They’re not sold online).

If a Starbucks has extra vanilla syrup in stock, they may sell it to you. At the register, ask the barista if they have a vanilla syrup in the bottle available that you can buy. It’ll cost about $14.

Vanilla syrup at Starbucks locations can only be purchased when they have extras available.

RELATED: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Expert Tips

  • When making the whipped cream, move the handheld milk frother up and down to get air into the cream. The longer you whisk, the stiffer the peaks.
  • Homemade whipped cream can last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If it deflates over time, just stir it a little to fluff it back up.
  • White chocolate sauce can be yellow instead of white due to cocoa butter. If your white chocolate sauce is pure white, additional ingredients like artificial color or vegetable oil may have been added.

Questions You May Have

What does white hot chocolate taste like?

White hot chocolate tastes sweet and decadent with a subtle cocoa flavor.

What is white chocolate made of?

White chocolate is sugar, milk, and cocoa butter.

What’s the difference between white chocolate and milk chocolate?

White chocolate is caffeine-free and doesn’t contain any cocoa solids, which is the main ingredient in milk chocolate.

White Hot Chocolate in a clear glass.

More Hot Chocolate Recipes

If you tried this White Hot Chocolate recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.

White Hot Chocolate

Author: Jee Choe
Starbucks copycat recipe for a decadent caffeine-free white hot chocolate, topped with homemade whipped cream.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Yield1 (16 ounces)

INGREDIENTS
 

Whipped Cream

White Hot Chocolate

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. Milk can be heated on the stovetop.
  • Add white chocolate sauce to a mug.
  • Pour a small amount of frothed or heated milk into the mug and stir until the white chocolate sauce dissolves.
    Add the rest of the frothed milk.
  • Top with whipped cream.

NOTES

  • 2 teaspoons of white sugar can be used to whisk with the heavy cream if you don’t have vanilla syrup.
  • If you don’t have white chocolate sauce, you can use sweetened condensed milk instead.
  • Starbucks uses 2% milk but you can use any milk you like, including plant-based milk like soy or oat milk.
  • If you don’t have an electric milk frother that can heat and froth milk, simmer milk on the stovetop then pour it into a French press. Make sure the milk only comes halfway in the French press to give it room to froth. Move the French press plunger up and down 20-40 times to double the volume of the heated milk and to create cafe-quality frothed milk.
  • Homemade whipped cream can last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If it deflates over time, just stir it a little to fluff it back up.
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NUTRITION

Calories: 562 | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 713mg | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1343IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 580mg | Iron: 1mg

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