Grinch Hot Chocolate

Name: Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces package of white chocolate chips (reserving ¼ cup of chocolate chips for rim); 14 ounces can of sweetened condensed milk; 6 cups milk; 2 cups heavy cream; 1 teaspoon peppermint extract; ½ teaspoon vegetable oil; Green gel food coloring; Mini marshmallows (garnish); Can of whipped topping (garnish); Sprinkles (garnish); Candy heart (garnish)

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This easy Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate recipe is a fun and festive way to turn a classic cup of cocoa into a delicious Grinch green Christmas drink.

Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate in a glass mug with marshmallows on top.

Crockpot Grinch Hot Chocolate

Our Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate recipe takes only 5 minutes to prepare and produces 10 steaming servings of smooth, comforting, creamy crock pot hot cocoa colored green.

This melted white chocolate mixture is tinted with green food coloring and kept warm in the crock pot while you prepare your mugs with a decorative red sanding sugar rim.

The best part of using a crockpot to cook your Grinch hot cocoa is that it uses the set it and forget it method to make a hot beverage, so you can be busy building snowmen, baking Christmas cookies, or getting ready to watch my favorite Christmas movie, How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

Why We Love Holiday Hot Chocolate Recipes

Quick and easy to make.
Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
Rich, creamy, and warming for fall and winter weather.
Velvety smooth texture with a deliciously decadent flavor.
Fun to sip from a steaming mug of green cocoa while watching the How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie.
Homemade recipe is made without artificial ingredients that are often found in pre-made pouches.
Delicious drink for a Grinch-themed party, Christmas celebration, or sipping during the holiday season.

Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate Ingredients

White chocolate chips
Sweetened condensed milk
Milk
Heavy cream
Peppermint extract: You can use vanilla extract instead, like my Crockpot Peppermint Hot Chocolate.
Green gel food coloring
Mini marshmallows (garnish)
Can of whipped topping (garnish)
Sprinkles or sanding sugar (garnish)
Red heart sprinkles (garnish)

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Additions

Change The Chocolate: Feel free to use your favorite type of white chocolate for your cocoa. I used white chocolate chips, but almond bark or any high quality melting chocolate will work. If you’d rather make a classic colored cocoa, you can use milk chocolate, semi sweet chocolate or dark chocolate instead.
Tasty Toppings: Deck out your Christmas hot chocolate drink with a dollop of whipped cream, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, sanding sugar, candy hearts, crushed candy canes, or even some chocolate shavings.
Create The Creaminess: I love using heavy whipping cream because it adds thick creaminess to this drink. You could use half and half or more milk but it will yield a slightly less creamy result.
Boozy Beverage: For an adult beverage (like my Boozy Hot Chocolate), try adding some Kahlua, Peppermint Schnapps, Bailey’s, Creme de cacao, Frangelico, or Creme de menthe.

Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate in a glass with decorated rims and topped with marshmallows.

How to Make Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate

Cook The Cocoa: Combine and cook the milk, condensed milk, heavy cream, peppermint extract and white chocolate chips on low heat for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Stir frequently to slowly melt the chocolate.
Color The Cocoa: After the chocolate has melted, add food coloring until desired shade of green is reached.
Melt: Microwave white chocolate chips at 50% power for 1 minute, stir in vegetable oil, then heat for an additional 30 seconds until fully melted.
Dip And Decorate: Dip the mugs into melted chocolate and rotate until the rim is covered. Immediately dip the mugs into the sprinkles or sanding sugar to decorate.
Serve: Ladle the hot chocolate into the mugs. Add toppings and garnish with a single red candy heart.

pour the milk, condensed milk into the slow cooker. add food coloring. green hot chocolate.

Dip the mugs into melted chocolate. dip the mugs into the sprinkles or sanding sugar to decorate.

How To Make Grinch Hot Chocolate on The Stovetop

Cook The Cocoa: Combine and cook the milk, condensed milk, heavy cream and white chocolate chips in a saucepan. Stir continuously over medium heat until fully melted. Remove from heat, add in vanilla and peppermint, continue to stir.
Color The Cocoa: After the chocolate has melted, add food coloring until desired shade of green is reached. Set aside.
Dip And Decorate: Run the rims of your mugs under clean water. Immediately dip the rims in a bed of small red crystal sprinkles, creating your red rim.
Pour In A Pitcher: Pour the hot chocolate from the pan into large drinking pitcher.
Serve: Serve the hot chocolate in the mugs with desired toppings and garnish with a single red candy heart.

Tips For Making The Best Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate

If you’d rather this drink not be green or “Grinchy”, omit the green food coloring and use this same recipe to make a white hot chocolate.
You can melt green candy melts instead of melting white chocolate and adding green food coloring.
You can make this drink ahead of time if you are serving it at a holiday party. Simply place it in the fridge and when ready to serve, warm it up. It will stiffen when placed in the fridge but will become liquid again when reheated.

How to Store Grinch Hot Chocolate

To Store: Place any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To Reheat: Reheat your hot chocolate in a sauce pan or in the microwave.

Slow Cooker Grinch Hot Chocolate topped with marshmallows and green sprinkles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I serve Crockpot Hot Chocolate at a Grinch party?

One of my favorite ways to serve this Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate is by making a beverage bar. Leave your slow cooker on a warm setting, and set a table up with mugs for your guests to serve themselves. Place bowls full of optional toppings, like chocolate chips, hot fudge, sprinkles, crushed candy canes, mini marshmallows, or chocolate flakes, and let everyone at your party customize their cocoa.

Why make hot chocolate in the crock pot?

Making hot chocolate in a crockpot heats up the milk and cream slowly so that the mixture won’t curdle. The chocolate chips also warm up slowly enough so that they don’t burn or seize. If you have trouble with them melting, you can always turn the heat to high for a little while, stir until they melt, and return the setting to low or warm. You can also make a lot of it, without having to worry too much about keeping an eye on it.

More Easy Grinch Recipes

Grinch Fudge

Grinch Christmas Truffles