Hot chocolate is such a classic treat, but have you tried a pink hot chocolate? Not only is it beautiful, but it’s delicious! My pink hot chocolate recipe is easy and naturally colored, so no artificial food coloring anywhere. It tastes like strawberries and cream, and it’s perfect for any occasion where pink is needed! Like Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s, baby showers, birthdays, and more.
So, here’s how to make pink hot chocolate at home!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s super easy and only needs 3 ingredients and less than 10 minutes.
- The pink color is all-natural, so you won’t have to worry about any artificial food dyes.
- The perfect pink drink for celebrations, parties, kids, or just a sweet treat.
- It’s a fun way to make a cafe-quality beverage at home!
What is Pink Hot Chocolate?
Pink hot chocolate is just regular hot chocolate with pink food coloring. However, it’s popular for it to be a raspberry or strawberry hot chocolate as well, thanks to the natural red color. Normally, it’s made from white chocolate since regular chocolate would muddy the color. And as we learned in school, red plus white equals pink!
This version uses a white hot chocolate base with the addition of beetroot powder for that bright pink color!
What Does Pink Hot Chocolate Taste Like?
Pink hot chocolate usually tastes like hot, sweet vanilla milk or melted white chocolate. However, because my version has beetroot powder, there’s a slight tang that makes it taste like strawberries and cream, even though there are no strawberries. It’s soooo good and more flavorful than the regular version, which normally relies on food coloring for the pink color.
How to Make Hot Chocolate Pink?
Most people like using pink or red food coloring for pink hot chocolate, but I try to avoid artificial food coloring as much as possible since there have been some studies linking it to potential health side effects. (Do your own research, though!)
So, I naturally color all my drinks as much as possible. There are several natural food coloring brands on the market, but my favorite natural red or pink food coloring ingredient is beetroot powder! Anyone who’s had beets can attest to how vibrantly pink and staining they are. They’re super pink, and a small amount goes a long way.
I like to add about a half tablespoon per cup of milk to get a nice vibrant color, and it also adds a nice tang. You could also use freeze-dried powdered strawberries or raspberries as well! Ruby chocolate also works great here, but it is slightly more expensive and harder to source.
Pink Hot Chocolate Recipe: Ingredients
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk
- ½ tbsp beetroot powder
- A pinch of salt (optional)
- ¼ cup whipped cream (optional)
- A sprinkle of red sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Pink Hot Chocolate
- Heat Milk. Add milk to a small pot and heat on low until steaming, then add white chocolate chips and beetroot powder.
- Melt the Chocolate. While the hot chocolate is on low heat, mix using a spoon until there are no clumps of powder and the chocolate is completely melted. If you have clumps of powder, use the back of the spoon to smash the clumps into the milk.
- For a thicker hot chocolate, continue heating, and as the chocolate melts, the texture will thicken. You can also add a little bit of cream as well. If it’s not pink enough, add more beetroot powder, a half teaspoon at a time.
- Once cooked, take off the heat and let cool slightly.
- Assemble Drink. Pour or ladle the hot chocolate into a mug, then top with whipped cream, a dusting of beetroot powder, and red sprinkles.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Pink Hot Chocolate
- Froth the Hot Chocolate: For the creamiest, frothiest texture, add the hot chocolate to an electric milk frother or use a handheld frother to froth the drink. Giving it some air will make it velvety and luscious, making it even fancier and better to drink!
- Sift the Beetroot Powder: Beetroot powder tends to clump over time, especially if exposed to humidity in the air. These clumps are really hard to break apart once they’re added to liquid, so sifting your powder into your hot chocolate is best. You can use a small tea sieve for convenience.
- Add a Little Salt: Hot chocolate tends to be on the sweeter side, so add a small pinch of salt to balance it out. Don’t use too much, otherwise it’ll be too salty, but it enhances the sweetness and makes it less tooth-achingly sweet.
How to Decorate it for Valentine’s
This is the Valentine’s Day drink!! It’s perfect for all ages, super easy to make, and already on theme. To garnish this hot chocolate so that it screams Valentine’s Day, I recommend using a pink whipped cream, which you can easily make by whipping heavy cream, sugar, and beetroot powder.
Then, you can use Valentine’s themed sprinkles, like red sugar sprinkles, red and pink sprinkles, or heart-shaped red sprinkles, as a cute garnish. You could also serve it with a mini heart cookie, chocolate hearts, or conversation heart candy!
I’ve even seen whipped cream shaped into a rose…
Easy Pink Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk
- ½ tbsp beetroot powder
- A pinch of salt optional
- ¼ cup whipped cream optional
- A sprinkle red sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Heat Milk. Add milk to a small pot and heat on low until steaming, then add white chocolate chips and beetroot powder.
- Melt the Chocolate. While the hot chocolate is on low heat, mix using a spoon until there are no clumps of powder and the chocolate is completely melted. If you have clumps of powder, use the back of the spoon to smash the clumps into the milk.
- For a thicker hot chocolate, continue heating, and as the chocolate melts, the texture will thicken. You can also add a little bit of cream as well. If it’s not pink enough, add more beetroot powder, a half teaspoon at a time.
- Once cooked, take off the heat and let cool slightly.
- Assemble Drink. Pour or ladle the pink hot chocolate into a mug, then top with whipped cream, a dusting of beetroot powder, and red sprinkles.
- Serve and Enjoy!
FAQ’s
Is there pink hot chocolate powder?
You bet! There’s practically a hot chocolate powder for everything, haha. But you can find it online, and often it’s a white hot chocolate powder mixed with food coloring. Sometimes it can also be raspberry flavored or made from ruby chocolate.
Can I use regular chocolate?
You can use cocoa powder instead of white chocolate in this recipe! The flavor will be slightly more bitter and darker from the cocoa powder, but more similar to a hot chocolate flavor. The color might be darker, though, since brown and red make a light ruby color.
How to make pink hot chocolate bombs?
Pink hot chocolate bombs are easy to make! You can use my hot chocolate mix recipe and use ruby chocolate for the outside or a melted white chocolate with pink or red food coloring.
Can I use food coloring?
Yes, you can use pink or red food coloring for this recipe instead of beetroot powder. I would start with 2 – 3 drops first, then see how pink the hot chocolate is before adding more. A little goes a long way with food coloring, and it’s easy to overshoot it.
Is there pink chocolate?
Yes! Ruby chocolate is a type of chocolate made from ruby cocoa beans, which are naturally pink and purple. It’s unlike any other chocolate and fruity in flavor, thanks to its special preserving method that preserves the color and flavor.
Other Hot Chocolate Recipes to Try
If you love making homemade hot chocolate, then here are some other hot chocolate recipes to try next:
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