Caramelized Cinnamon Hot Chocolate is an easy to make, super indulgent, and amazingly delicious dessert. It’s a sure cure for the winter blues! And who doesn’t love a good homemade hot chocolate?

Caramelized Cinnamon Hot Chocolate in a mug with a cinnamon stick

We’ve shown you how to make the most decadent Italian style homemade hot chocolate, but today we’re taking it even further with a caramelized cinnamon hot chocolate that will absolutely blow you away! This is super indulgent, and amazingly delicious. It all starts with a cinnamon infused homemade caramel. Homemade caramel can be a bit intimidating, but have no fear. We’re here to hold your hand every step of the way!

How to Make Caramel:

Caramel is simply sugar that has been melted and heated to the point where the molecules break down and form a new, semi-solid compound. It’s science at its tastiest!

To make caramel you first place sugar in a pan over a medium or medium low heat. It’s important to stir constantly as the sugar is heated so that it does not burn. The sugar will clump together at first and slowly turn into a liquid. As heat continues to be applied, the liquid will turn to a golden brown color that is often referred to as a caramel color. At this point you have a liquid caramel. As the caramel reaches various specific temperature points it will reach various stages of solidity from a liquid syrup (110 °C /230 °F), to soft ball (113°C /235°F), firm ball like a chewy caramel candy(113°C /235°F), to a hard crack stage (146°C /295°F).

In this recipe the caramel is infused with cinnamon by caramelizing the sugar with two cinnamon sticks in it. The sugar will take on the cinnamon flavor as it caramelizes. Pretty cool, huh?

Milk Options for Caramelized Cinnamon Hot Chocolate:

If you do not drink dairy milk, you can use your favorite lactose-free or plant-based milk substitute. For best results, use a milk alternative that is higher in fat, such as oat or soy milk.

Caramelized Cinnamon Hot Chocolate served in two white ceramic mugs with cinnamon sticks

Storage and Reheating Instructions:

Refrigerate any leftover hot chocolate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious drink recipes:

Watch the video below where we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.