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    Home » Milk & Hot Chocolate

    May 19, 2023 · Modified: Jun 18, 2023 by Kristin. This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Orange Hot Chocolate

    Jump to Recipe

    Looking for a super yummy spin on a traditional drink? Try out this super easy to make orange hot chocolate. The combination of orange and chocolate flavors are the perfect compliments to each other with the tangy citrus flavor and the sweet creamy chocolate.

    Orange hot chocolate in a mug with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips on top.
    Jump to:
    • ☕ What is a Orange Hot Chocolate?
    • 🥄 Equipment
    • 📋 Ingredients
    • 👩🏻‍🍳Instructions
    • Recipe

    ☕ What is a Orange Hot Chocolate?

    Orange hot chocolate is an easy citrus twist on this traditional drink. It’s an easy combination of cocoa powder, dark chocolate chips, granulated sugar, milk and orange juice. The resulting hot beverage is full of creamy chocolate flavor and a tangy citrus zing.

    Chocolate and orange flavors are classic combination. They are often combined in different Sweet searches cookies, cakes, drinks and fruit dips.

    Flavor twists on hot chocolates, like this one, or oftentimes super easy to make because all you have to do is add one additional ingredient to infuse that new flavor. Some other common flavor combinations include Butterfinger hot chocolate, biscoff hot chocolate and Oreo hot chocolate.

    Here are just a few of the reasons why this recipe works so well:

    • It’s cozy. The warmth of the drink combined with a citrus and chocolate it’s a perfect combination of cozy and comforting.
    • Ready in 10 minutes. With only five ingredients, you can easily get this one ready in about 10 minutes. Simply add it all to a pot and heat it together.
    • Great flavor combination. Orange and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly. The tangy citrus and sweet chocolate are the perfect combination.

    When to Make This Drink:

    Heat up this recipe at any of the following occasions:

    • Winter holidays
    • Chilly nights
    • Celebrations
    • Brunch

    Variations:

    Have fun checking out these flavor variations and ingredient modifications to make this perfect for you:

    • Use dairy-free milk. You can make this a dairy-free drink by making it as a oat milk hot chocolate or other dairy-free alternative.
    • Add a smidge of vanilla. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to get a little extra vanilla flavor melted in.
    • Make it creamier. Use half the amount of milk and replace the other half with half and half or heavy cream for a thicker creamier drink.
    • Different orange flavor. You can substitute the orange juice for a teaspoon of orange extract or an equal amount of orange simple syrup. Do note that it won’t have quite the same tangy orange flavor.
    • Garnish it. Add some extra orange into this drink by garnishing it with a candied orange, slice of orange or some orange zest.
    • Change the sweetness. You can adjust the sweetness by using more or less sugar. Additionally, you can use a different sweetener altogether such as maple syrup or coconut sugar.
    • Cocoa powder or chocolate chips. You can make this drink with all cocoa powder or all chocolate chips instead of a little of both. Simply use a quarter cup of just one. Using chocolate chips will make a slightly richer thicker drink.

    🥄 Equipment

    • Mug
    • Measuring Cup
    • Saucepan
    • Whisk

    📋 Ingredients

    • 1 cup Milk – We like to use 2% milk. However you can use any type of milk you prefer.
    • ⅛ cup Dark chocolate – We like to use chocolate chips so we don’t have to shred anything up. But you can use a dark chocolate bar and chop it up.
    • ⅛ cup Cocoa powder– We like to use dark chocolate cocoa powder so that it has a little bit of a stronger richer flavor.
    • ⅛ cup Sugar
    • 1 Tbs Orange Juice – fresh squeezed works great, but you can also use store-bought. Either way you want to make sure there’s no pulp in it.
    Bowls of orange juice, milk, sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips on a wooden table.

    👩🏻‍🍳Instructions

    Step one

    Get everything together for this recipe including orange juice, milk, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, saucepan, whisk, measuring cups and mug.

    Pouring milk into a pot.

    Step two

    Take one cup of milk and pour it into the saucepan.

    Pouring chocolate chips into a pot.

    Step three

    Take ⅛ of a cup of dark chocolate chips and add them to the saucepan.

    Pouring cocoa powder into a pot.

    Step four

    Take ⅛ of a cup of cocoa powder and add it to the saucepan.

    Pouring sugar into a pot.

    Step Five

    Take ⅛ of a cup of granulated sugar and add it to the saucepan.

    Pouring orange juice into a pot.

    Step Six

    Take one tablespoon of fresh orange juice and add it to the saucepan.

    Step Seven

    Place your saucepan with the mixture in it on the stove top. Heat it at medium heat whisking frequently.

    You’ll want to heat it for about 8 minutes. After 4 to 5 minutes, the chocolate chips have usually melted almost all the way. Continue to heat until everything is thoroughly melted and warmed through.

    Remove it from the heat and pour your hot chocolate into your mug. If desired, top it with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

    Recipe

    Orange hot chocolate in a mug with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips on top.

    Orange Hot Chocolate

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Servings 1

    Equipment

    • Whisk
    • measuring cups
    • Saucepan
    • Mug
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Milk
    • ⅛ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
    • ⅛ cup Cocoa
    • ⅛ cup Sugar
    • 2 Tbs Orange Juice
    • Whipped cream Optional garnish
    • orange zest Optional garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Fill the saucepan with the 1 cup of milk, ⅛ cup of sugar and ⅛ cup of cocoa powder.
    • Heat the mixture on the stovetop at medium heat.
    • Stir it frequently with the whisk until it is heated through.
    • Add in the 2 tbs of orange juice and ⅛ cup of dark chocolate chips.
    • Continue stirring with the whisk at medium heat until the chocolate melts.
    • Remove from the heat and pour into the mug.
    • If desired, add a dollop of whipped cream and a little orange zest on top of the drink.

    Notes

    Tips:
    • Any type of milk works from whole milk to reduced fat.  Whole milk will make the richest, creamiest drink.
    • Stir it frequently while heating so that it is evenly heated.
    • Don’t let it boil or it can scald.
    Variations and Substitutions:
    • Add a little heavy cream to make it richer and creamier.
    • Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla for a little extra flavor.
    • Use ¼ cup of chocolate chips and leave out the cocoa powder.
    • Use dairy free milk.
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    Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.

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