Get this Christmas season started with this DIY Hot Chocolate Station that the whole family will LOVE! So quick and easy to put together, adaptable, and it will keep you going with warming hot chocolates and plenty of toppings all through the festive season.
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About this Christmas Hot Chocolate Station
Whilst we love a "grown-up drink" at Christmas time, you just can't beat a indulgent hot chocolate and they are always a favourite with the kids. Why not go all out and make a Christmas hot chocolate station with all the individual ingredients and toppings in jars?
Not only does it look so pretty on the kitchen counter, but it's an easy way for everyone to be able to make their own. You can make the batch of hot chocolate and then let everyone add their own toppings. Carry on to see how to make a hot chocolate station and all our topping ideas, as well as the hot chocolate station jars we use.
The options are almost endless. You know what your family likes best, so use these hot chocolate station ideas for inspiration and then adapt to suit your own tastes.
Looking for more Christmas drink ideas? Why not try our creamy Vegan Eggnog, easy Slow Cooker Mulled Wine or our warming (and alcohol free) Mulled Apple Juice?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Hot chocolate - You can make it with a store bought hot chocolate powder, a hot cocoa mix or melt grated chocolate into hot milk.
- Toppings - Here is where you can go wild and almost anything goes. We have cookies, sprinkles, chocolate flakes, syrup, candy canes, chocolate buttons, gingerbread men and so much more. Lots more hot chocolate toppings below.
- Syrups and sauces - We like to add some extra flavour to our hot chocolates with some caramel or vanilla syrup (like coffee syrup) and then some chocolate sauce drizzled on top of the cream is a must.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make a Hot Chocolate Station
- Step 1: Put all of the ingredients into separate jars.
- Step 2: Arrange nicely on a stand or on your counter top.
- Step 3: Make a hot chocolate and top just how you like.
Hot Chocolate Station Ideas
Hot Chocolate - This is the main star and we have lots of ideas for you. You can just put some hot chocolate powder in a jar like we have, but you could also make our easy Hot Chocolate Spoons which our kids LOVE.
Some of our other favourite ways to make hot chocolate are Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, Microwave Hot Chocolate, or for the grown-ups, it has to be Baileys Hot Chocolate.
If you are a real hot chocolate lover, why not ask for this Velvetiser Hot Chocolate Machine as an early Christmas present?
Biscuits/Cookies - Whether you are dipping them into the hot chocolates, or placing them on top of the cream, they are a must in a hot chocolate bar. We like to keep everything small, so mini Oreos and mini cookies work well.
Spices - Anything cinnamon is good at Christmas time, so we like to put some cinnamon sticks out too. You can use them as stirrers and it will add a little extra spice to them. We also add some ground cinnamon in a shaker to sprinkle on top of the cream.
Chocolate - Chocolate chips, chocolate buttons, crushed/grated chocolate and chocolate sprinkles all work here.
Marshmallows - It's not a hot chocolate without marshmallows, right? You can find some amazing festive shaped marshmallows at Christmas time, and these look super cute in a jar. You can just use mini marshmallows too. Why not try making our Chocolate Covered Marshmallows?
Sprinkles - Head to the Christmas section of your supermarket baking aisle and just grab anything that catches your eye. Lots of greens, reds and golds.
Syrup - For extra flavour, we like adding a shot of coffee syrup to our hot chocolates. You can keep them in the jars they come in, or transfer them to these Coffee Pump Dispensers.
Jars, Stands and Mugs
Really, you can store everything in any kind of tub and container. But seeing as Christmas is all about making everything a little extra, we like to make it look pretty in nice jars and pots. Here are some of our favourite things to take a hot chocolate bar to the next level.
- Jars - This is what everything is going to go in, so you want lots of variety in sizes for depending on what you are putting in them. We like these Glass Jars with Wooden Spoons. Mason Jars with Lids work well too. For all the smaller ingredients like sprinkles we like these Mini Storage Pots or Spice Jars.
- Stand - You can just line up all the jars on the counter, but depending on how much space you have, you might want a hot chocolate station stand, so things can be stacked upwards and give you more space. We like this 3 Tier Stand or this Christmas Tree Stand which is nice for smaller jars to go on. We also like a Raised Board to stack some of the jars at the back on.
- Labelling - You can either buy some Hot Chocolate Station Labels, but we like these Chalkboard Stickers and then you can write your own labels with the chalk pen. Perfect if you have really nice hand writing.
- Mugs - Is it even Christmas if you haven't got the Christmas mugs out yet? You can get some really nice ones in the supermarkets, but we love these Santa Mugs.
- Spoons - Of course any spoon will do. But how cute are these Christmas Spoons? They would make great stocking fillers too.
Storage and Gifting
Store: Depending on what things you are adding to your jars, they should be fine stored for a month. But if you are anything like us, then you will run out pretty quickly through constantly making hot chocolates and will keep needing to top up the jars anyway. Make sure that the containers are air tight keep everything fresh.
Gift: Once you have made up your hot chocolate station, you can make up little hot chocolate gifts. Put the hot chocolate mix in a cellophane bag with some ribbon tied round it, then you can make up a little jar of toppings to go with it.
More Christmas Party Recipes
If you've made your own Christmas hot chocolate station, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Hot Chocolate Station
Ingredients
- Hot Chocolate
- Squirty cream
- Flavoured syrup
- Marshmallows
- Chocolate chips
- Gingerbread men
- Mini cookies
- Cinnamon sticks
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients into separate jars.
- Arrange nicely on your counter top.
- Make a hot chocolate and decorate in any way you like.
Recipe Notes
- Please note the nutritional values are an estimate as it will be different each time, depending on the toppings you use.
Nutritional Information
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Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Sharon says
What a wonderful idea! I know the kids would love to wake up to this on Christmas morning and have a hot cup of cocoa while opening presents.
Elisa says
Wow, love this Hot Chocolate Station idea, such a cute way to make it all handy and look pretty. Thanks for sharing :)
Justine says
I love this so much! Such a great idea, and you included a lot of things I wouldn't have ever thought of, like the cookies and sprinkles. Can't wait to do this!
Ashley says
What a cute idea! I'll definitely do this for my Christmas movie night.
Renee says
My hubs and I are planning to open a traditional Bed & Breakfast in the near future, and one of the things we want to offer is an expanded coffee and hot cocoa bar. You share so many great ideas here - I love the seasonal sprinkles. Pinning for future reference!