Picture the scene. You’ve just got in from a long, cold walk. You’ve wrapped yourself up in your thickest knitwear, popped on your warmest socks and snuggled under a blanket on the sofa, but you still can’t quite feel your toes.
You know what’d do the trick? A steaming mug of hot chocolate.
There’s something about a super sweet mug of hot cocoa that’s really quite cathartic, isn’t there? One sip never fails to bring back happy memories of childhood years, snow days with your family, and cosy evenings at home.
But that’s not to say you shouldn’t enjoy hot chocolate as a grown-up. If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that we should all do more of the things that bring us joy – whether that’s walking, chatting to loved ones, or whipping up our favourite chocolate-flavoured hot drink.
That’s where our guide to the best hot chocolate makers comes in. No, you probably hadn’t realised that you need one either. But if you’ve got a coffee machine, a hot choc maker is your next step.
Plus, basically the whole of the Internet is raving about Hotel Chocolat’s much-loved Velvetiser hot chocolate machine, so it’s about time we shared the best ones to have on your radar. We’ve got options from Amazon, John Lewis, Whittards and more.
N.B.: also makes for a great present for friends who you still can’t spend birthdays with IRL. Make sure to check out our hot chocolate gift sets and cocktail making kits, while you’re at it.
So why is a hot chocolate maker a good investment?
Fun fact: the UK just recorded it’s coldest temperature since 1995, so it’s fair to say it is chilly out there. Everyone needs small joys in their life right now, and we can’t think of something that’ll bring you more joy than perfectly frothed, creamy hot chocs every day.
If you didn’t know, there’s actually a big crossover between hot chocolate making machines and coffee frothers, so lots of the models in this round up do both. This means you’re not just investing in hot chocolates on tap, but perfectly frothy coffees, too.
Multitasking machines? We love to see it.
When would I use my hot chocolate machine?
For cosy evenings in, of which we’re currently having plenty. For lazy Sunday mornings, with your croissant in bed. For warming up, post-long weekend stroll or chilly run.
Here’s an idea: why not try create a cute and cosy at-home cinema this weekend? A warming mug of hot chocolate, plus a big bowl of sweet and salty popcorn, plus your favourite movie?
Sounds like a match made in heaven to us.
What are the different hot chocolate machines available?
As we touched on above, there are machines designed specifically with hot chocolate making in mind, like the Hotel Chocolat and Bialetti machines. These come with chocolate to make your hot choc with – the Hotel Chocolat hot choc mix is a bag of real chocolate flakes. Drool.
Or, there are a whole load of milk frothers which also double up as hot chocolate making machines, too. They’ll warm and froth your milk and hot chocolate mix, but you’ll have to source the latter from your local supermarket yourself. We like the look of this Dualit frother from John Lewis, or this super snazzy SMEG option, with a whopping six froth settings.
Do note here, all of the machines will work for making hot chocolate and frothy milk. That’s basically what hot chocolate is, right? Frothy milk… with an extra choccie-flavoured boost.