Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate

This Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate is a great kid-friendly beverage for your holiday party.

It’s perfect for grown-ups too, but the adults might prefer these Sugar Plum Fairy Cocktails instead.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until you throw a party to enjoy this hot beverage. You can make it anytime you want to brighten and warm up a cold winter day.

If you like to watch the Nutcracker as a family as part of your holiday tradition, curl up on the couch with the family and watch the Nutcracker and the Four Realms or the Nutcracker Ballet while sipping on your Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate. You can also print off these free Nutcracker coloring pages and activity sheets for the kids.

The “No Sugar Plum, No Chocolate” Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate

Before we go any further, I need to come clean. Although I’m calling this drink “Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate” it actually doesn’t contain sugar plums (which aren’t what you think they are anyway) OR chocolate.

The “sugar plum” portion of the name refers to the whimsical colors that remind me of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker.

The “hot chocolate” portion of this drink is made with strawberry milk instead of chocolate milk, but the end result is going to remind you a lot more of hot chocolate than strawberries.

I hope you’ll forgive the artistic license I took with the name — I’m hoping the beautiful beverage/tasty treat will win you over.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Your kids, and even you, will love this Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate because:

• Ready in about 5 minutes: Your kids won’t be bugging you wondering when the drink will be ready, because it will be done before they even have a chance to ask.
• Fun to make: It’s fun to make something that turns out so pretty and tastes great, especially when you see how much your kids enjoy it.
• Looks beautiful in a glass: The pink color of this drink and the colored sugar on top make this drink look so pretty.

If you like beautiful beverages, you should check out these Unicorn Hot Cocoa Bombs.

🥘 Ingredients

If you don’t already have all of these ingredients at home, they should be easy to find at your local store.

• Strawberry Milk: Any brand of milk is fine — if you can’t find it in the dairy section, you can buy the strawberry powder, add it to milk, and warm that up. This is for the “hot chocolate” part of the drink.
• Whipped Topping: You can use any brand or form of whipped topping (in a tub, spray, homemade) that you prefer.
• Pink and purple dye: Gel food coloring is best since it will be mixed with sugar to make the colored sugar that’s added on top of the whipped topping.

See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities

🔀 Substitutions

If you don’t have the ingredients you need or if you have different dietary requirements, see if you have these instead:

Strawberry milk: Use any non-dairy milk (e.g., almond, oat, or coconut milk) instead and add 1 tablespoon of strawberry syrup.

Whipped topping: For a dairy-free option, use coconut whipped cream or a similar alternative.

Pink and purple dye: Instead of gel food coloring, you can use liquid food coloring, though the shades might be lighter. You can also just use pink and purple sprinkles instead of coloring the sugar.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

You only need three things to make this recipe, and they should be easy to find, in fact you probably already have them.

• Microwave-safe mug or saucepan: If you warm the milk in the microwave, you’ll need a mug. If you warm the milk on the stove, you’ll need a saucepan.
• Small plate: You will color the sugar on the plate. Any small plate will be fine.
• Serving mug: A glass serving mug would be best so you can see all of the pretty colors of the drink.

🔪 How to Make Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate

In just a few easy steps, you’ll be ready to enjoy this whimsical colored hot chocolate.

Step 1: Warm the Milk

First, you need to make this beverage “hot” by warming the strawberry milk. You can heat it in a saucepan or place it in a microwave-safe mug and cook on high for 30 seconds.

Pour into the mug of your choice.

Step 2: Color the Sugar

Next, we’re going to make the colored sugar that will eventually top off this masterpiece. Place the sugar on a small plate and divide into two mounds.

Add one drop of dye to each mound (pink on one, purple on the other). I used gel food coloring.

Mix each drop of dye into the sugar with the back of a fork to color the sugar.

Step 3: Assemble the Drink

To assemble the drink, add a generous serving of whipped topping to the cup of hot strawberry milk and sprinkle with both the purple and pink sugar.

Step 4: Serve and Enjoy

This delicious and beautiful drink is ready to be served. Enjoy the special memories with your family.

👩‍🍳 Pro Tips

Here are a few tips for this Christmas recipe to help make your experience even better. 

• Warm the milk over low heat or in short microwave intervals to avoid scorching. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
• If making your own colored sugars, let them dry completely on parchment paper to prevent clumping before sprinkling.
• Sprinkle the colored sugars in separate sections or swirls for a visually stunning effect.
• Keep the whipped cream cold before topping for a fluffy, stable presentation.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate:

Ready to get cooking? Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.

📋 Recipe

Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Corinne Schmitt

This Sugar Plum Hot Chocolate is a great kid-friendly beverage for your holiday party (adults who enjoy a little whimsy will love them too).

5 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Total Time 3 minutes mins

Course Beverages

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Calories 93 kcal

Would you like to save this?

We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Equipment

• ▢
  Microwave-safe mug or saucepan
• ▢
  Small plate
• ▢
  Serving mug

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 small container strawberry milk
• ▢ whipped Topping
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 drop pink dye I use gel food coloring
• ▢ 1 drop purple dye

Get ingredients with

Instructions

 

• Warm milk for 30 seconds in microwave or in a small sauce pan. Pour into cup of choice.
  1 small container strawberry milk
• Place sugar on a plate and add one drop of dye to each tablespoon (pink on one, purple on the other). Mix well with back of fork.
  2 tablespoons sugar, 1 drop pink dye, 1 drop purple dye
• Top drink with whipped topping and sprinkle with both the purple and pink sugar.
  whipped Topping

Notes

Pro Tips

• Warm the milk over low heat or in short microwave intervals to avoid scorching. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
• If making your own colored sugars, let them dry completely on parchment paper to prevent clumping before sprinkling.
• Sprinkle the colored sugars in separate sections or swirls for a visually stunning effect.
• Keep the whipped cream cold before topping for a fluffy, stable presentation.

 

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this drink dairy-free?

Yes! Substitute the strawberry milk with a dairy-free option like almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Add strawberry syrup or extract for the fruity flavor.

Use coconut whipped cream or another non-dairy topping.

 

Can I make this ahead of time?

The milk can be warmed and stored in a thermos for later use, but it’s best to add the whipped topping and decorations just before serving to keep them fresh and vibrant.

 

Can I make this in larger batches?

Absolutely! Multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need. Heat the milk in a saucepan and prepare enough sugar and toppings in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 2mgSugar: 24gVitamin A: 2IUCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!