Frozen Hot Chocolate is the perfect icy and refreshing warm-weather treat and can be made with just five ingredients and five minutes.
Have you ever made frozen hot chocolate? If you haven’t, we should fix that today.
It’s everything you love about a creamy glass of hot chocolate , but iced so you can still enjoy (frozen) hot chocolate even when it’s 100 degrees outside. Best of all, frozen hot chocolate is super simple to throw together at home since it’s literally just hot chocolate ingredients blended with ice.
(You could also technically call it frozen chocolate milk since chocolate milk is just cold hot chocolate, but that name’s not nearly as catchy.)
What does frozen hot chocolate taste like?
In taste and texture, frozen hot chocolate falls somewhere between chocolate milk and a chocolate milkshake . It’s thicker and icier (obviously) than chocolate milk, but not quite as rich and nowhere near as calorie-laden as a milkshake.
In my mind, it’s the perfect warm-weather treat. Icy and refreshing, but not so heavy you want to take a nap afterward.
Tool and Ingredient Notes
- Blender: A high-powered blender is going to give you the best blended consistency (I used a Vitamix for the drinks you see in the photos), but any old blender will get the job done.
- Cocoa powder: Both natural and Dutch-process cocoa powder will work for this recipe, but Dutch-process cocoa powder is considered the gold-standard for hot chocolate.
- Milk: Any milk can be used here (plant-based works just fine). The higher fat the milk, the richer your drink will be. For an extra rich and creamy drink, try substituting half and half or heavy cream for some of the milk.
How to Make Frozen Hot Chocolate
- Make Chocolate Syrup: In your microwave, heat water until steaming and then stir in cocoa powder and sugar until completely smooth. Then stir in half of the milk to cool the syrup down.
- Blend: In your blender, combine ice, the chocolate milk mixture, and remaining cup of milk, and blend until well-combined and frosty.
- Serve and Enjoy: Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and optional fudge sauce , and enjoy!
Variations
- Banana Frozen Hot Chocolate: Replace 1 cup of the ice with a frozen banana.
- Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate: Add a heaping spoonful (or two) of peanut butter to the blender before blending.
- Coffee Frozen Hot Chocolate: Replace 2 cups of the ice with coffee ice cubes .
- Switch Out the Toppings: Try Peanut Butter Sauce or Nutella Sauce.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Not really. While you can store leftovers in the refrigerator, the pulverized ice in the drink will start to melt and the drink will no longer be thick and frosty.
Can I make this without a blender?
Sorry, no. This drink really needs to be blended with ice. If you’re craving something cold and chocolatey, go make a cup of homemade chocolate milk . It will totally satisfy those chocolate cravings.
Or if you have some ice cream, you can make a milkshake without a blender .
More Frosty Summer Drinks
- How to Make a Milkshake
- Easy Iced Mocha
- Vanilla Milkshake
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Strawberry Milk
Frozen Hot Chocolate Recipe Notes
- This recipe will make two very generous servings, slightly more than enough to fill two 16-ounce mason jars, or three to four smaller cups.
- As written, this recipe is not too sweet. If you like your frozen drinks really sweet, add a bit more sugar.
Ingredients
Fudge Sauce
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon ( 8g ) cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk, half and half, or heavy cream
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon vanilla optional
Frozen Hot Chocolate
- ▢ 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon ( 63g ) granulated sugar *
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 15g ) cocoa powder
- ▢ 1/4 cup filtered water
- ▢ 2 cups milk any percentage, divided
- ▢ 3 cups ice or 2 1/2 cups crushed ice*
- ▢ Whipped cream optional
Instructions
Fudge Sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in milk. Add cocoa and sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk continuously, until mixture begins to bubble.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (if desired). Allow to sit and thicken while you make your frozen hot chocolate.
Frozen Hot Chocolate
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cocoa powder, making sure to mix well and crush any cocoa powder lumps.
- In a 16-ounce mason jar or large, microwave-safe mug, microwave water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until steaming. Stir in cocoa powder and sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.
- Combine ice, cocoa and milk mixture, and remaining 1 cup of milk in your blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Divide frozen hot chocolate between glasses, top with optional whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This quick and easy one-banana banana bread recipe can be made with just one banana and a few pantry staples. It bakes up moist and sweet with a decadent cinnamon sugar crust.
Last week, I shared Dominique Ansel’s banana bread (AKA my favorite banana bread recipe in the entire world) with you, and promised in the post that I’d make a mini version for all you small-batch bakers out there.
As promised, here is a cute little mini version of my favorite banana bread.
Small-batch Banana Bread
This mini version bakes in a 5.5 x 3-inch loaf pan (or can be baked as muffins in a muffin tin) and like my small-batch banana muffins , it can be made with just a single brown banana.
The bread is soft, moist, buttery, and just such a treat. And to make things even better, there’s a crinkly cinnamon sugar crust over the top that is just SO good.
Ingredient Notes
- One brown banana: You need just one brown banana for this recipe. If you have a banana, but it’s not quite brown enough for baking, check out my post on how to quickly ripen bananas .
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter here, just make sure to read the recipe notes and add more or less salt depending on which you’re using.
- Cinnamon sugar: The cinnamon sugar crust, is optional (but highly recommended). If you’re not a huge fan of cinnamon or don’t want the extra sweetness, you can skip it.
How To Make One-banana Banana Bread
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
Combine most of the wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, mash the banana and whisk in the egg until well-combined. Pour banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just-combined.
Add butter: Add melted butter, and mix until butter is incorporated into the batter. Don’t over mix, but there should not be melted butter remaining around the edges of the batter (note the way the batter looks in the last photo above).
Bake: Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan, leaving ¾-inch of space from the top of the pan (discard extra batter if there is too much). Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the top of the batter, and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Enjoy: Allow to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before removing and slicing.
I love this recipe, can I make a full-size version?
Absolutely! If you want to make a full-size loaf of this banana bread, go check out my post My Favorite Banana Bread .
How do I store this banana bread?
Store the bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I don’t have a 5.5 x 3-inch loaf pan. What can I use instead?
Any mini loaf pan around that size will work, so if you have something that’s similar in size but not exact, feel free to use it. Just be sure to leave about ¾ of an inch of space from the top of the pan when you add your batter so it doesn’t overflow in your oven.
If you don’t own a mini loaf pan at all, these are the ones I own , or you can bake the batter in a muffin tin. It will make 5 to 6 banana muffins. Bake at 350°F for 17 to 22 minutes.
More Small-batch Breakfast Recipes
- Pancakes for One
- Homemade Mocha
- Cream Scones
- The Best Cinnamon Toast
More Banana Recipes
- Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Milkshake
- Banana Pancakes
- 20+ Banana Recipes to Use Up Your Brown Bananas
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup ( 100g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ ½ cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt *
- ▢ 1 medium overripe banana
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 42g ) salted butter melted*
Cinnamon Sugar Crust
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ( 4g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a mini loaf pan, line with parchment paper sling (optional), and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, mash the banana and whisk in the egg until well-combined. Pour banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just-combined.
- Add melted butter, and mix until butter is incorporated into the batter. Don’t over mix, but there should not be pools of butter remaining around the edges of the batter.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan, leaving ¾ inch of space from the top of the pan (discard extra batter if there is too much).
Optional Cinnamon Sugar Crust
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake
- Bake for 30 to 38 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before removing and slicing.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
A quick recipe for mac and cheese for one. Easy, cheesy, and oh so good.
Is it lunchtime? Is it dinner time? Are you starving? Do you need a mac and cheese fix? Yes? Well, I’ve got just the thing for you: mac and cheese for one.
This homemade macaroni and cheese is just as quick as the kind that comes out of a box, is one thousand times more delicious, and won’t leave you with a mass of gross congealed leftovers. (Seriously, have you ever tried to reheat leftover boxed mac and cheese? It’s not pretty and neither is food waste!)
I grew up in a boxed mac and cheese household, and just like when I learned how to make homemade mashed potatoes , when I discovered how easy homemade macaroni and cheese was to make, I had no idea why we hadn’t just been making it from scratch all along.
It takes exactly the same amount of time, and if you keep a basic stocked kitchen, cheese and any sort of pasta in your house, YOU HAVE THE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS.
Ingredient Notes
- Macaroni or pasta of choice: You can use traditional macaroni pasta if you have it or whatever pasta shapes you have on hand. Conchiglie, farfalle, and even larger tube pastas like penne or rigatoni will all work fine. Just pay attention to how you measure your pasta. This recipe calls for 2.5 ounces of pasta, which is 1/2 cup of macaroni, but different pasta shapes have different volume measurements, so if you don’t have a scale to measure your pasta, use a pasta weight to volume table like this one to make sure you’re using the correct amount.
- Salted butter: I call for salted butter here, but if using unsalted, simply add a generous pinch of salt and then adjust salt to taste when making the sauce.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Any cheddar cheese will work fine, but I prefer sharp cheddar because of the stronger flavor it gives the sauce. You can also try mixing in other melty cheeses like Pecorino Romano (my favorite!!), gouda, or gruyere.
- Milk: You can use any percentage milk you have on hand. The higher fat the milk, the richer and creamier your sauce will be.
How to Make Single-serve Macaroni and Cheese
- In a small pot, boil some pasta, and while that cooks, in a separate pot, stir together a little butter and flour. Whisk in milk until the sauce thickens and then add cheese.
- Add salt and pepper to taste along with a bit of cayenne and nutmeg if you’d like and then pour the sauce over the drained pasta and done!
In under 20 minutes, you’ll have rich cheesy mac and cheese for one, portion-controlled and so good you could cry. And if you are feeling extra hungry or want to make it for two or more, the recipe sizes up with just a slightly longer cooking time (see doubling notes).
Variations
Want to up your mac and cheese game? Try these upgrades:
- Hot dog & ketchup: 1/2 cooked hot dog + ketchup. You know what to do with them. (I do not approve of or endorse this upgrade, but everyone I know insists it’s delicious. 😉 )
- Sausage mac & cheese: 1/2 cup sliced smoked sausage browned in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer sausage slices to a paper towel-lined plate, and blot gently before stirring into your prepared macaroni and cheese.
- Short rib mac & cheese : Use the meat from 1 or 2 leftover braised short ribs and stir them into your mac and cheese.
- Deluxe mac & cheese : Generously butter both sides of a slice of white bread and use a serrated knife to slice it into 1-inch cubes. Pour your cooked mac and cheese into an oven-safe dish and sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the top, followed by the bread pieces. Bake at 375°F for 5 to 10 minutes until bread is toasty.
Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely. The recipe doubles with no preparation changes except the sauce will take slightly longer to thicken when you add the milk. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make mac and cheese ahead of time?
Like any macaroni and cheese, this recipe is best when eaten right after it’s cooked. You can refrigerate and reheat it, but the sauce won’t be as smooth and creamy.
More Single-serve Recipes
- Fettuccine Alfredo for One
- Scalloped Potatoes for One
- Buttered Noodles
- Tomato Soup for One or Two
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Fettuccine Alfredo With Broccoli
- Chicken Broccoli Orzo
- Creamy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- ▢ 2.5 ounces ( ½ cup ) uncooked macaroni or pasta of choice*
- ▢ 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ▢ ½ cup milk any percentage
- ▢ ½ cup ( 2 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese *
- ▢ Salt and pepper
- ▢ Pinch of cayenne optional
- ▢ Pinch of nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat.
- While your water heats, shred cheese, measure out the rest of your ingredients.
- Cook macaroni according to the instructions on the box.
- While your pasta cooks, in a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until a thick paste forms and turns golden, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, whisking out any lumps as they form. Cook, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around the edges, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese until completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, remembering that the pasta will cut the level of spice once added. If you like nutmeg and cayenne (I do!), start with a sprinkle, taste, and work your way up. A little of both goes a long way!
- Once pasta is cooked, drain and stir in cheese sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Frozen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
Fudge Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- 1 heaping tablespoon ( 8g ) cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter
- 2 tablespoons milk, half and half, or heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla optional
Frozen Hot Chocolate
- 1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon ( 63g ) granulated sugar *
- 3 tablespoons ( 15g ) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 2 cups milk any percentage, divided
- 3 cups ice or 2 1/2 cups crushed ice*
- Whipped cream optional
Instructions
Fudge Sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in milk. Add cocoa and sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk continuously, until mixture begins to bubble.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (if desired). Allow to sit and thicken while you make your frozen hot chocolate.
Frozen Hot Chocolate
- In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cocoa powder, making sure to mix well and crush any cocoa powder lumps.
- In a 16-ounce mason jar or large, microwave-safe mug, microwave water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until steaming. Stir in cocoa powder and sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.
- Combine ice, cocoa and milk mixture, and remaining 1 cup of milk in your blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Divide frozen hot chocolate between glasses, top with optional whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Serve and enjoy!
