Starbucks White Hot Chocolate

Want to make white hot chocolate at home that's just as delicious as your favorite coffee shop's version? This copycat recipe for Starbucks White Hot Chocolate makes for a super delicious and creamy winter drink that's so easy to make!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• ⚡️ Is there any caffeine in this?
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🤍 How to make white chocolate mocha sauce
• ☕️ How to make white hot chocolate like Starbucks
• 🎉 Potential add-ins
• ⏲️ How to store sauce
• 🥛 Can I use other types of milk?
• 🛍 Where to buy white chocolate mocha sauce
• 🔥 How to make toasted white hot chocolate
• 🥤 More Starbucks copycat recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

I truly believe there are two types of people in the world: those who absolutely love white chocolate and those who want nothing to do with it.

But then Starbucks white hot chocolate enters the picture and I suddenly question all my beliefs. Because I'll pretty much always choose dark or even milk chocolate over white chocolate. But even I have to admit that there's something about the coffee shop drink that's hard to resist.

And I'm pretty sure I know what it is... It's the white chocolate mocha sauce! That stuff is so good, I'd drink it out of the bottle.

But when combined with milk and topped with whipped cream, it makes for the best creamy white hot chocolate you've ever had. It's the perfect cure for any sweet tooth during the cooler weather season and beyond (and if you're feeling under the weather in the winter, definitely try my Honey Citrus Mint Tea copycat recipe, too!)

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

You'll love this recipe because it's as close to Starbucks' version of the white hot chocolate that you can get.

Other recipes may show you how to make a tasty cup of white hot chocolate, but they don't do it Starbucks' way... Which makes a big difference. Instead of just mixing white chocolate into warm milk, you'll start by making a white mocha sauce.

Don't worry; it's super easy to make. And you can keep the sauce in your fridge until you're ready to use it and have your mug of deliciousness in no time at all.

Once you have the sauce, you can also make this Iced White Chocolate Mocha!

⚡️ Is there any caffeine in this?

Nope! If you're looking for a caffeine-free drink option at Starbucks, the white hot chocolate is a good choice as the caffeine content comes in at 0 mg.

You can see all the nutritional content for the Starbucks white hot chocolate on their website.

🗒 Ingredients

According to Starbucks, their white hot chocolate is, "A traditional hot chocolate beverage made with white chocolate sauce and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream."

I like to make my own white mocha sauce, but you can purchase a bottle of it if you prefer.

We know that they use 2% milk for their hot chocolate and that their white chocolate sauce is made with condensed skim milk.

So, for the white chocolate mocha sauce, I use fat-free sweetened condensed milk with 2% milk (making it easy since that's what you use for the milk in the hot chocolate, too), but if you can only find full-fat sweetened condensed milk, that's totally fine. I'd just use skim milk instead of 2% milk to balance it out, though I'm sure it's still fine even if you use 2%. The sauce is pretty forgiving.

Technically Starbucks lists coconut oil as an ingredient in their mocha sauce, but to me, the coconut oil doesn't really make much of a difference, so I leave it out when I make it myself.

Here's everything you need to make the drink (please see recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• 2% milk
• White chocolate mocha sauce: you can either use the recipe I provide or you can purchase a bottle of it. Here's the white chocolate mocha sauce that Starbucks uses. But the Ghirardelli White Chocolate Sauce works well, too.
• Whipped cream: for topping

If you're making your own white chocolate mocha sauce, you'll need:

• White chocolate, roughly chopped: I like to use a high-quality white chocolate bar instead of white chocolate chips
• Fat-free sweetened condensed milk (you can substitute with regular sweetened condensed milk if desired)
• 2% milk (I recommend using skim milk if using regular sweetened condensed milk)

🤍 How to make white chocolate mocha sauce

The sauce is very easy to make, which is why I like making my own instead of buying a bottle.

To start, put roughly chopped white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Like I mentioned, I recommend using a high-quality white chocolate bar over chocolate chips.

In a small saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk and 2% milk over medium-low heat until it's just coming to a simmer.

Pour milk mixture over white chocolate and let it sit for a minute.

Then, stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Pour sauce into a heat-proof jar or bowl. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

And you have your own homemade white chocolate mocha sauce ready to use just like that!

☕️ How to make white hot chocolate like Starbucks

The rest of the white hot chocolate making process is incredibly easy. You just need to combine and heat the milk and white mocha sauce!

I recommend combining them in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Then cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer.

Don't let it come to a boil. You want it to be nice and hot, but not boiling.

Pour white hot chocolate into a large glass.

This recipe makes a pretty big serving- what would be a grande size at Starbucks. You can easily split it into two smaller drinks.

Or you can even double the recipe and make multiple servings at the same time.

Top the Starbucks white hot chocolate with a generous serving of whipped cream.

I usually opt out of whipped cream on my hot chocolate and prefer marshmallows instead... But there's something about white hot chocolate that totally calls for lots of whipped cream.

Now take a big sip...

And you're in the best kind of sweet creamy white chocolate wonderland.

This is such a fun way to warm up on a cold day after playing in the snow (for kids) or shoveling snow (adults). Basically, your whole family will be asking for this all winter long!

🎉 Potential add-ins

If you want your drink to taste just like Starbucks' version of white hot chocolate, you should make it as directed. However, if you want to add a little more flavor fun, there's lots you can do. Here are some ideas:

• Add extracts or syrups: flavored extracts will turn this white hot chocolate into the drink of your dreams! I recommend a little bit of peppermint syrup or extract, vanilla syrup or extract, maple extract, or coconut extract.

• Top with spice: sprinkle a little cinnamon or nutmeg over the whipped cream for some extra festive flavor.

• Infuse the milk: I have a recipe for rose white hot chocolate, but you could also infuse your milk with lavender, cinnamon sticks, or whatever flavoring you dream of.

• Add more toppings: you can add sprinkles, crushed cookies, crushed nuts or candy canes, extra white mocha chocolate sauce, caramel drizzle, white chocolate curls, and even dark chocolate curls (I love the contrast!) over the whipped cream.

⏲️ How to store sauce

If you're making your own white chocolate mocha sauce, you should be sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge (if you're purchasing a bottle, there's a high chance it's shelf stable!).

When stored properly, your sauce should keep for about two weeks.

🥛 Can I use other types of milk?

Of course! If you want a lighter hot chocolate drink, you can use skim milk. If you want an even creamier decadent drink, you can use whole milk (but honestly, this is really creamy as is!).

And you can also use the non-dairy alternative of your choice, though you should note it may change the flavor profile of the drink a bit. Coconut milk, oat milk, and almond milk would all work well!

🛍 Where to buy white chocolate mocha sauce

If you don't want to make your own sauce, there are lots of options for purchasing and making this drink even easier to make than it already is! Here are some recommendations:

• Starbucks White Chocolate Sauce (the brand name is Fontana White Chocolate Mocha Sauce, but this is the sauce Starbucks uses)
• Ghirardelli White Chocolate Sauce
• Hollander White Chocolate Sauce
• Torani White Chocolate Sauce
• Monin White Chocolate Sauce

🔥 How to make toasted white hot chocolate

There are a few different Starbucks drinks and another popular one is their toasted white hot chocolate. To make this version, you'll need to caramelize the white chocolate before turning it into a mocha sauce.

Here's a great guide on how to caramelize white chocolate.

The Starbucks menu also has a toasted white chocolate mocha on it (which is a very similar drink but with the addition of coffee)

🥤 More Starbucks copycat recipes

Once you make this Starbucks white hot chocolate at home, you're going to want to recreate as many of your favorite coffee shop drinks as you can! I have tons of Starbucks copycat recipes ready for you (including lots of secret menu drinks!) and am always adding more.

Here are some of my favorites:

I hope this Starbucks white hot chocolate helps you get through what could be some long winter months... But don't be surprised if you start craving this in the warm weather months, too!

For now, happy hot chocolate season!

📖 Recipe

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