• I made hot-chocolate recipes from Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, Carla Hall.
• My favorite recipe for hot chocolate was Sandra Lee's, which calls for a bit of alcohol. 
• Garten had my second-favorite recipe, though I'd make all of them again with some adjustments.

Like many people, hot chocolate was a staple of my childhood. On snowy days, I'd go build snowmen or sled with my little brother, then run inside to a cup of it.

I'd never had a homemade mug of hot chocolate — or hot cocoa, if it's made from a powder — so I decided to try five recipes from celebrity chefs Ina Garten, Jacques Torres, Sandra Lee, Alton Brown, and Carla Hall to see which I'll follow all season long. 

Garten's hot-chocolate recipe includes espresso powder and a cinnamon stick for garnish

The "Barefoot Contessa" host's hot-chocolate recipe seems great for a crowd — although I cut the recipe in half, it still made two to three servings. 

The original recipe calls for half a pound of chocolate, so I expected it to be very rich. It also includes espresso powder, which I figured would boost the chocolaty flavor. 

She calls for a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick to use as garnish, which are fancier and more expensive than marshmallows, whipped cream, or peppermint rods.

Once the ingredients were measured and chopped, this drink quickly came together

It took me some time to measure out all of the ingredients, but after that was done, Garten's recipe was pretty quick and straightforward. 

I heated the milk and half-and-half on the cooktop, then whisked in the bittersweet and milk chocolate until they were melted. From there, I added in the rest of the ingredients, stirred it all together, and poured it into my mug. 

I garnished the drink with a cinnamon stick since vanilla beans are a little too pricey for me to justify using them for garnish.

This hot chocolate was delicious and not too sweet

Rich is the best way to describe this hot chocolate — it had a thicker consistency and a delicious, chocolaty flavor that wasn't too sweet thanks to the bittersweet chocolate. The espresso definitely helped bring out the richness of the chocolate.

Although the cinnamon stick was a nice touch, a drink this good begs for some whipped cream as well.

Torres' hot-chocolate recipe calls for 4 ingredients, and none of them are sugar

Torres, a renowned pastry chef and "Nailed It!" cohost, has a very simple hot-chocolate recipe with just four ingredients — milk, milk powder, cornstarch, and dark chocolate.

The one thing I noticed right away is that there are no sweetening agents in this recipe, so I expected it to be more bitter than the others.

The directions were as simple as the ingredients list

With only four ingredients, it makes sense that this recipe was also easy to make. 

I boiled the milk, stirred in the chocolate until it melted, then added the milk powder and cornstarch to thicken the mix.

Although I quickly whisked nonstop, I later found out that some of the milk powder didn't completely dissolve.

I would've liked a bit of sweetener in this recipe

I liked the use of dark chocolate, but this recipe needed a little bit of sweetener. It was just a bit too bitter, but the worst part was the clumps of milk powder that didn't dissolve, no matter how hard I whisked. Luckily, this is an easy fix: I'll use a strainer next time. 

Otherwise, the texture was thick — but not as rich as Garten's — and it would be really delicious with a little bit of sugar.

Lee's recipe is a little boozy

I was unsure if I'd be a fan of Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking" recipe, which calls for milk chocolate, half-and-half, cinnamon, and either vanilla vodka or hazelnut liqueur. 

I opted for the latter because it's what I had on hand, but I was worried the milk chocolate would make this drink too sweet.

This was the fastest recipe to make

With only three ingredients that go onto the cooktop at the same time, this recipe was ready in five minutes. 

After the mix melted together and heated up, I poured it into a cup and added an ounce of hazelnut liqueur.

I couldn't believe how incredible this hot chocolate turned out

This recipe is so good. The drink had a hint of spice and was sweet, slightly nutty, and definitely chocolaty — I loved the flavor that the cinnamon and hazelnut added. 

After one sip, I knew this would be my go-to drink for winter.

Brown's recipe is for hot cocoa, but I still wanted to try it

This recipe results in a hot-cocoa powder that you can store and use again because it keeps "indefinitely," according to Brown. This was an advantage the hot-chocolate recipes didn't have, so I was excited to see how this turned out. 

The mix calls for six dry ingredients that get combined with hot water.

Mix, pour, and stir — this recipe was ready in no time

I measured out all of the dry ingredients, including a pinch of cayenne, and stored the mix in an airtight container. Even after cutting the recipe in half, this still made about two cups of hot-cocoa powder. 

Once everything was combined, I filled my mug halfway with the mix, then poured in the hot water and stirred.

This simple hot cocoa had the slightest kick from the cayenne

The finished drink had a barely sweet chocolate flavor, plus a little heat from the cayenne. 

The recipe lists hot water among the ingredients, so that is what I used. However, Brown also said in the directions that the mix works great with warm milk, which I'll use next time for a slightly thicker and richer drink.

Overall, this hot cocoa was still tasty and better than the store-bought alternatives.

I was excited to experiment with the unique hot-chocolate ingredients in Hall's 'Snow Day Cocoa'

Culinary judge Hall had a unique lineup of ingredients in her hot-chocolate recipe, ranging from dark chocolate and toasted cinnamon to ginger and orange peel, plus a homemade whipped cream. 

I love all of these flavors, so I was looking forward to trying this option.

This recipe took me the longest to make

Hall's hot chocolate was more involved than the others, but the steps were still easy to follow. 

I started by toasting some ground cinnamon in a pot on the cooktop, then I added the rest of the base ingredients. 

As that heated up, I made the whipped cream — which requires heavy cream, ginger, and sugar — in my stand mixer. The original amount of cream was too little for my attached whisk to reach and whip, so I doubled the recipe.

I enjoyed the various flavor profiles in this hot chocolate

The drink had a strong dark-chocolate flavor, which I liked. The toasted cinnamon and hints of ginger and orange helped tone down most of the bitterness. 

I think I'd add a little more sugar to the hot chocolate itself, but overall, this recipe was great.

I liked all of the recipes, but Lee's was my favorite

I'd try all of these recipes again, but Lee's was the winner for me. I loved her combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and hazelnut. The drink's texture was perfect because it wasn't too watery or too thick.

Garten's recipe was a very close second, as it was so rich and chocolaty — just as this delicious drink should be. 

I'd also happily make Hall's "Snow Day Cocoa" again with a little more sugar, and Brown's mix is still in my pantry. I would also attempt Torres' recipe again, though I'd use a strainer and add sweetener to it. 

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on December 3, 2020, and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

• To find the best hot chocolate, I tried Starbucks, Peet's, Coffee Bean, Dunkin', and Krispy Kreme.
• Starbucks' cocoa had notes of smooth dark chocolate, while Coffee Bean's was thicker and sweeter.
• Here's the best hot chocolate from a national coffee chain and why.

The end of the year is upon us, and with it comes the cool winter months, which means it's time to ditch my regular order of iced coffee in favor of a warmer drink. For those of us trying desperately to cut back on caffeine, the humble classic hot chocolate is a top-tier choice. 

If you're not looking to make it yourself at home with the best store-bought hot cocoa — in which case the runaway winner, in my opinion, is Nestlé's oft-overlooked Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate — or boldly starting from scratch using a celebrity chef's recipe, it's quick and easy to visit a national coffee chain for a sip of the iconic cold-weather drink. 

I like my hot chocolate rich, but not overly sweet, with a creamy milk base. It should be topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or, even better, a marshmallow. So I tried five national coffee chains in search of the cup that felt the most like a warm hug, hitting all the luxurious chocolate notes one craves without being a one-note sugar bomb.

What I found may reveal my status as a basic coffeehouse lurker, but I stand by my assessment. You'll have to try for yourself, but here are the five cups of hot chocolate from each coffee chain, ranked from worst to best:

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

In defense of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, they have plenty of drinks and snacks on their menu that taste good. Their Black Forest blended drink beats out Starbucks' menu of Frappucinos any way of the week. But their cocoa isn't one I'd revisit — though other members of my household disagree, so, as always, your mileage may vary.

A barista at a local branch told me that The Coffee Bean's $4.25 cup of hot chocolate defaults to using nonfat milk, mixed with chocolate powder, and topped with simple whipped cream. 

But somehow, this hot cocoa had a much thicker consistency than the others, coating my mouth with a cloyingly sweet chocolate flavor that tasted like a glass of melted Cadbury milk chocolate.

While I could see someone with a sweeter tooth than mine — which is admittedly hard to come by — enjoying the taste, I couldn't take more than a sip or two.

Peet's Coffee

I had hoped for more from Peet's Coffee, expecting a velvety, diner-style cup of cocoa from the smaller chain, but what I got was just fine. Average. Plain.

I watched as my barista emptied a nondescript brown pouch of chocolate powder into a cup, adding warm 2% milk, and stirring the mixture with a spoon before topping it with canned whipped cream and handing it to me.

Tied with Starbucks as the most expensive offering at $4.45, the hot chocolate I got from Peet's Coffee offered less flourish than I would have made myself at home. 

While slightly sweeter than the cocoa at Starbucks and Krispy Kreme, Peet's Coffee's hot chocolate had a simple, inoffensive flavor — but there was nothing special about it. 

Dunkin'

Notably, the Dunkin' I visited had the friendliest staff, but that didn't impact the flavor of its hot chocolate, and let's be honest — the cocoa was mid (because Dunkin' stays average.)

The barista at the doughnut empire said the ubiquitous East Coast chain defaulted to using hot water instead of milk in its $3.69 cup of cocoa. And while Dunkin' was the only chain to offer a much-appreciated topping to accompany the whipped cream — mocha-syrup drizzle — I could tell the drink's base was made without milk. 

It also nearly burned my tongue and was far and away the hottest cup of chocolate of the day.

Without the dairy, Dunkin' hot chocolate was noticeably less creamy, though it had an intense chocolate flavor — a likely benefit of the mocha syrup on top. 

Krispy Kreme

As a chain I rarely visit, Krispy Kreme surprised me by coming in second place for its overall flavor. 

At $3.55, the doughnut chain's midsize cocoa was less expensive than the other major hot chocolate movers, but it rose above almost all of them by using a Ghirardelli powder base with steamed 2% milk.

It was served warm, not hot, and included whipped cream but not sprinkles or drizzle.

Krispy Kreme's cocoa had no frills, but offered more nuanced flavor than Peet's, Dunkin', and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf without having quite the complexity that Starbucks does.

Starbucks

I didn't want Starbucks to win — and I say that as a gold-level rewards-card member who believes in, and even evangelizes about, the value of the omnipresent coffee chain. But I wanted a dark horse contender to rise through the ranks to cinch the top spot; I wanted to be proven wrong.

I suppose I didn't want the answer to be that basic, but, alas, Starbucks made me the best cup of hot cocoa of all five I tried.

While pricey at $4.45 for a 16oz drink after tax, I guess the offering coming from the biggest US coffee chain should be the best.

Starbucks' cocoa is made, by default, with steamed whole milk mixed with house-made mocha syrup, then topped with whipped cream. Though notably missing any unique toppings such as a chocolate syrup swirl or marshmallow, which would undoubtedly heighten the experience, this hot chocolate was rich and creamy without being too sweet.

The drink had some back-end bitter notes that I could see making my opinion controversial, but having a more complex flavor made Starbucks' hot cocoa more enjoyable than the others.

Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2023.