5 Minute Oat Milk Hot Chocolate with Tahini

This dreamy, dairy free oat milk hot chocolate is a nourishing everyday treat! Made with creamy oat milk, (optional) tahini and cocoa powder for a rich, flavourful hot cocoa that is so easy to whip up!

Is there anything better than curling up with a warm cup of hot cocoa on a chilly day? Instant mood booster! And it’s one of those plant-based recipes that I almost always prefer homemade because store-bought versions are either too sweet or not chocolate-y enough. Plus it’s fast (and affordable!): 5 minutes from craving to sipping!

As an everyday treat, I prefer making my vegan hot chocolate with cocoa powder, because it’s much easier than melting down dark chocolate; plus, I can control the sweetness myself. I also really love the complex flavour of cocoa with its hint of natural bitterness. I like using either maple syrup or dates to sweeten as I find the flavours are just so yummy but you could use any sweetener you prefer.

But what is the best base for a dairy free hot cocoa, you ask?

If you’re looking for that classic vegan hot chocolate taste I think there is no better choice than oat milk. Oat milk makes a great vegan base for a hot chocolate as it’s super creamy but it also has a very neutral taste so you won’t get any off flavours. Almond milk works, but it’s a bit thin. So does soy milk, especially if you want extra protein, but I find you need to add a bit of extra cinnamon or vanilla to mask the flavour.

And as much as I love a classic cup, I also want to tempt you to try this rich and aromatic oat milk hot cocoa with tahini. There are more than a few reasons I LOVE adding a bit of tahini:

• Healthy fats: the healthy fats in tahini add a wonderful richness and enhance the flavours of the hot cocoa so it’s more satisfying
• Nutty flavour: I LOVE the slightly earthy nuttiness of tahini and think it goes so well with cocoa
• Nutrition: Tahini is so good for you and this drink makes it easy to eat more of it! Tahini is a rich source of minerals like plant-based calcium (with 65 mg per tablespoon) as well as 1.3 mg of vegan iron, in addition to zinc, selenium and magnesium (always a dietitian ha!)

So you can enjoy this oat milk hot chocolate straight up, with a bit of tahini or if you really want to lean into that gorgeous Eastern Mediterranean / Middle Eastern flavour profile, try a splash of rosewater too.

Love simple yet flavourful plant-based recipes? Then you might love my newest plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic…it has a whole chapter on everyday drinks and tonics like this one!

How to make this oat milk hot chocolate

All you need to make this creamy, dreamy dairy free hot chocolate is 5 pantry ingredients: oat milk, cocoa powder, tahini, maple syrup (or dates) and a splash of vanilla! I like a tiny pinch of salt and cinnamon too but you customize it how YOU like it!

One of the things I love about this vegan hot chocolate is that it is one of those everyday affordable luxuries that you can make in an instant. There are two ways to make it:

On the stovetop: I gently heat the oatmilk in a small pot over medium heat until it steams and then turn off the heat. Add the cocoa powder, tahini, vanilla, sweetener and salt and whisk by hand or puree until smooth with an immersion blender.

Using a milk frother: If you have one of those electric milk frothers, you can heat the oat milk there and then add the warm milk, cocoa powder, tahini, vanilla, sweetener and salt to a blender cup and blend with an immersion blender until smooth, about 1 minute.

A note if you’re using dates: in order to blend up really smooth, you want to use a very soft, moist date like fresh Medjool dates. Dates are drier or firmer? There’s a fix: pour some boiling water over your dates and let them sit for 10 minutes to soften then (carefully!) remove them and add to the blender.

More cozy, nourishing drinks

• Warming Apple Cider Tonic with Turmeric
• Nourishing Vegan Hot Chocolate
• 5 Minute Ginger Turmeric Wellness Tonic

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5 Minute Oat Milk Hot Chocolate with Tahini

This dreamy, dairy free oat milk hot chocolate is a nourishing everyday treat! Made with creamy oat milk, (optional) tahini and cocoa powder for a rich, flavourful hot cocoa that is so easy to whip up!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, Middle Eastern

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cocoa powder, oat milk, tahini

Dietary Preference dairy free, Gluten-Free, low FODMAP, nut free, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Author Desiree Nielsen, RD

Equipment

• immersion blender blender, or just a whisk! Your choice

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk or your favourite non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or raw cacao powder for extra antioxidants
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• tiny pinch salt if tahini is unsalted
• 1 tablespoon tahini optional but encouraged!
• maple syrup or dates, to taste (try 1 tablespoon)

Optional flavour enhancers (choose one)

• ½ teaspoon rose water
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon great for masking bitterness in tahini
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom one of my FAVE spices

Imperial – Metric

Instructions

• Stovetop directions: heat oat milk in a small pot over medium heat until just steaming. Turn off heat, add cocoa powder, tahini, sweetener, vanilla, salt and rose water if using and whisk vigorously until smooth. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender…you’ll need to if using dates!
• Milk frother directions: heat oat milk in milk frother and add to a blender with cocoa powder, tahini, sweetener, vanilla, salt and rose water if using. blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

Notes

Low FODMAP note: Depending where you live, oat milk is or isn’t low FODMAP in a half cup serving. Annoying, I know!

So to make this low FODMAP, choose macadamia or almond milk and sweeten with maple syrup, not dates!

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