Give the gift of cocoa with these Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs! Drop one into a cup of boiling water and then watch it explode into a perfect, creamy cup of hot chocolate delicious enough to make any chocoholic swoon. Making them yourself is surprisingly easy but impresses everyone who tries them, and they're so much more affordable than buying from the store!
Have you ever had a Hot Chocolate Bomb? My kids are obsessed, and if I'm being honest, I am too! Hot Chocolate Bombs are little balls of chocolate that you drop into a boiling cup of water, and as the chocolate melts, they explode with the ingredients for a perfect cup of cocoa. It's like a bath bomb, but so much better, because the result is edible...and chocolate! This recipe for Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs makes a really fun homemade gift or holiday activity that the whole family can help with and enjoy.
What is a Hot Chocolate Bomb?
Hot Chocolate Bombs are, most of all, FUN! They're hollow balls of chocolate filled with milk powder (in this case, plant-based coconut milk powder!), cocoa powder, and maple sugar. When they're dropped into a cup of boiling water, the chocolate melts and all of the goodness inside explodes into your cup, which creates a perfect mug of creamy hot chocolate! You can even get creative and add mini marshmallows or sprinkles into your hot cocoa bombs.
Vegan Hot Chocolate Bomb Ingredients
- Melted dark chocolate - My favorite brand of vegan, refined sugar-free chocolate is Hu. Hu chocolate is Paleo, so it's a great option for many different diets. You can use my code ELAINE for 10% off!
- Coconut Milk Powder - I use the brand Anthony's for many pantry ingredients, including coconut milk powder! I've also seen Native Forest Brand at Sprouts. This is the same as traditional milk powder, but made from coconut rather than dairy.
- Granulated Sugar (maple or coconut) - Maple is my favorite way to naturally sweeten recipes! Maple sugar is made from boiling down the pure sap from maple trees, then beating it until breaks down into granules. Incredible...and so delicious!
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - The darker the better with cocoa powder. Health benefits of chocolate come from antioxidants called flavanols found in the cocoa solids (as opposed to the cocoa butter), and the darker the cocoa, usually the more flavanols! My favorite brand is organic 365 from Whole Foods.
- Mini vegan marshmallows - These are optional but so much fun! Check your local health food store (I love Sprouts and Whole Foods) for marshmallows with ingredients you trust.
- Optional add-ins - Dye-free sprinkles, mini vegan chocolate chips, or cacao nibs would all be so cute for garnishing the outside of your chocolate bombs. You can also melt chocolate and drizzle that overtop.
How to Make a Hot Chocolate Bomb
This recipe requires just a bit of hands-on time to make the most fun and tasty homemade gift! The main thing you need for a homemade Hot Chocolate Bomb is a round silicone mold. This allows you to create perfectly symmetrical halves that will easily stick together!
- Place one tablespoon of melted chocolate into a round silicone mold, then use your fingers, a spoon, or a mini spatula to spread chocolate up the sides. Make sure to evenly coat the entire inside of the cavity to the very top. Repeat with a second mold; these two halves get fused together to create the outside of the hot chocolate bomb! Place the molds in the freezer to set and gather the remaining ingredients, start heating a skillet, and put a bit of parchment paper on the counter as a workspace.
- Once the chocolate is set (5-10 minutes!), carefully remove them from the mold. If you accidentally crack one (it happens!), no stress! You can re-melt the chocolate and start over. I find an extra coating/layer of chocolate helps to reinforce it to avoid cracking.
- Fill one chocolate cup with coconut milk powder, maple sugar, cocoa powder, and any other goodies.
- Place the other (empty) half seam-side down on a warm skillet just long enough to melt the edge of the cup. Carefully place the cup with the melted edge on top of the cup with the fillings. They should stick together! You can dab a bit more melted chocolate around the edges to help seal it as well.
- Now it's time to get creative! Decorate the outside of your vegan hot chocolate bombs with drizzled melted chocolate, sprinkles, mini marshmallows, shredded coconut, dried fruit...anything that would be good in a cup of cocoa! Use melted chocolate as "glue" to help things stick.
- To enjoy, place the chocolate bomb in a large mug and pour a cup of boiling water overtop. Stir it with a spoon or whisk, watch the chocolate melt, and let the "bomb" explode into a delicious mug of hot cocoa!
How to Gift a Hot Chocolate Bomb
I love placing these treats in a cellophane bag and tying it off with a pretty ribbon as a gift! I usually include instructions on how to enjoy it on the back of a personal note. You could also give these as a gift with a new mug! I love these glass warm beverage mugs or insulated glass coffee mugs. For a total cozy-evening kit, include fuzzy socks and your favorite candle or a book you love.
These Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs are made without dairy or eggs, and they're also gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free! I love creating recipes that everyone can enjoy, and I hope you'll explore my site and check out more of my allergen-friendly dishes. If you make one of my recipes, please tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations! You can also drop a review below, which totally makes my day.
More Vegan Chocolatey Treats
- Easy Healthier Homemade Crunch Bars
- Homemade Almond Joy Bars (Dairy-Free!)
- Vegan Gluten-Free Granola Bark
- Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Copycat Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
- No-Bake Fudgy Hemp Bites
- Vegan Nutella Pop-Tarts
- Healthy Homemade Nutella
- 5-Ingredient Vegan Peppermint Patties
- Chocolate Heart Rice Crispy Treats
- No-Cook, No-Avocado Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Easy Chocolate Hemp Seed Milk
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Baked Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- No-Churn Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream
Vegan Paleo Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 chocolate bomb for 1 drink 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This recipe is written to make one chocolate bomb for one hot chocolate drink (with 1 cup of boiling hot water). Scale the recipe depending on how many molds you plan to make (you can select 2x or 3x above). One hot chocolate bomb is comprised of two rounded molds that get put together.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons melted dark vegan chocolate (such as Hu brand)
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut milk powder
- 1.5 tablespoon maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- optional: 1 tablespoon mini vegan marshmallows
- optional: dye-free sprinkles, mini vegan chocolate chips or cacao nibs for garnishing the outside of the chocolate bomb
- for serving: 1 cup boiling hot water
Instructions
- Place one tablespoon of melted chocolate in one cavity of the silicone mold. Repeat with a second cavity and a second tablespoon of melted chocolate. These two sides will be fused together to created the chocolate bomb. Repeat if making multiple bombs.
- Use your fingers or the spoon to spread the chocolate up the sides of each mold. The entire inside of each cavity should be evenly coated with chocolate. Place the molds in freezer for 5-10 minutes until set.
- Once the chocolate has set, carefully remove the chocolate cups from the mold. Fill one chocolate cup with 1.5 tablespoons coconut milk powder, 1.5 tablespoons maple sugar and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Add mini vegan marshmallows if using.
- Place the other half, seam-side down on a warm skillet to melt the edge of the cup.
- Cover the filled chocolate half with an empty half to seal it. Add more chocolate around the seam to ensure it doesn't separate.
- Decorate with melted chocolate, dye-free sprinkles, mini vegan marshmallows, and/or caoco nibs using melted chocolate as the glue.
- Once chocolate has set, place in cellphone bag and tie with a ribbon to gift, or enjoy immediately by placing in a large mug, pouring 1 cup boiling hot water overtop, then stirring vigorously with a spoon or mini whisk to incorporate the bomb with the boiling hot water. Enjoy while hot!
Equipment
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refined sugar-free, vegan dark chocolate (use code ELAINE for 10% off)
Buy Now →- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezer
Keywords: vegan paleo hot chocolate bomb
Mary says
We just made these and they came out great! Yummy and super fun! I didn't realize we were out of Hu gems but we did have vegan chocolate chips and they worked out just fine. I think the bombs we bought were smaller than yours, so next time I will half the recipe. Thank you for this! 🙂
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Mary! So happy to hear you enjoyed this one and they came out well for you. It's a fun recipe no matter the size 🙂 Best, Elaine