Instant Pot Gingerbread Hot Chocolate

Instant Pot Gingerbread Hot Chocolate is a fun, festive twist on the traditional.

Gingerbread hot chocolate is flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice for the perfect holiday treat.

Every year during the holidays, we make hot chocolate from scratch. Everyone gets a mug, some hot cocoa, and tops it with marshmallows or homemade whipped cream.

Last year, we changed things up and made hot chocolate in the Instant Pot. It was so easy to make and tasted just as good as the stove top version.

This year we’re making gingerbread hot chocolate! Gingerbread hot chocolate has all the flavors of classic gingerbread paired with sweet, creamy hot chocolate.

It’s so easy to make and is sure to become a family tradition.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Hot Chocolate:

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 Teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon McCormick Ground Allspice

1/2 Teaspoon McCormick Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Whole Milk

1 Cup Heavy Cream

How to Make Gingerbread Hot Chocolate in the Instant Pot:

Start by combining the sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. It helps to sift the ingredients together and break up any large cocoa pieces.

However, a whisk works great, too! Next, add the milk and heavy cream to the stainless steel liner of the Instant Pot.

Pour in the sugar mixture, and whisk to combine. Close the lid, and ensure the valve is set to “sealing.”

Press the manual (pressure cook) button, and adjust the time to 2 minutes. After the time is up, allow a 5 minute natural pressure release before opening the valve to release any remaining pressure.

Carefully remove the lid. The contents will have expanded quite a bit and will be extremely hot.

Pour in the vanilla, and whisk again to combine. I like to strain the hot chocolate through a mesh sieve to remove any ingredients that may not have mixed well.

This is completely optional. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.

How to Make the Perfect Gingerbread Hot Chocolate:

Use fresh spices that have great flavor. McCormick® offers all the spices you need to make this hot chocolate.

They can be found in the baking/spice aisle in the grocery section of your local Wal-Mart. Adjust the flavors to meet your family’s tastes.

If your family prefers more McCormick® Ground Cinnamon, add a little more. Maybe you’d like to add McCormick® Ground Nutmeg to this recipe.

Whatever tastes great to you. Make this recipe your own!

If you’re concerned with the sugar burning during the pressurization process, add it at the end. We recommend pressing the “Cancel” button when the hot chocolate finishes cooking.

This keeps the “Keep Warm” setting from coming on and keeps the sugar and spices from sticking to the bottom of the stainless steel liner.

If you’re worried about pressurizing dairy, we totally understand. Simply follow the directions except use the “Sauté” function similar to cooking the hot chocolate on the stove top.

Don’t add the lid and bring the mixture to pressure. Using the sauté function will bring the hot chocolate to a boil over several minutes allowing the sugar to melt and the spices to mix.

Use a wooden spoon to stir.

Gingerbread Hot Chocolate is the perfect drink all your holiday gatherings.

You can find all the McCormick® spices at Walmart along with other McCormick® extracts and gravies to complete your holiday menu.