Today I’m sharing my Costa style Black Forest Hot Chocolate recipe. A favourite of mine during Winter has always been Black Forest Hot Chocolate from Costa Coffee.  Sadly, they only sell it during Winter – and it’s pretty expensive. So we set about creating a Costa Style Black Forest Hot Chocolate recipe using things anyone can buy. Read on for the recipe.

Many years ago, we did some digging to find a recipe, and source the ingredients, to make our own at home. After some refinements and experiments, we now have ‘the perfect recipe’ (in my opinion!) This has become a firm favourite at home, and something I enjoy most Winter evenings.

For This Black Forest Hot Chocolate Recipe, you will need;

• 250ml Hot (But not quite boiling) Milk. We use Skimmed, see below for the dairy free alternatives I use.
• 2 Heaped Teaspoons of good quality Cocoa. (Do NOT use Drinking Chocolate – it’s not the same!)
• 2 Teaspoons of Sugar (according to taste).
• 3 squirts of Blackberry Syrup (30ml) – This is where most people go wrong. Trust me, blackberry syrup is what they use – not Black Forest or Cherry!
• Generous amount of Squirty Cream. (This Whipped Cream dispenser is just like the ones they use in-store, but be warned, you’ll also need to buy co2 gas canisters and fresh cream to make the magic happen, so I usually just use good old Anchor original Real Cream Spray).
• Cherry Sauce Drizzled on top (around 10ml).
• Chocolate Sauce Drizzled on top (optional).

Make it Dairy Free: 

I try to limit my dairy intake, so I often make this costa style Black Forest hot chocolate recipe with Koko coconut milk alternative and Food Heaven, heavenly whipped, which is a Dairy Free “squirty cream”. I’ve tried it with Oat milk, but found it too heavy, personally. I am told Soya milk works ok, but I’m soya intolerant so haven’t tried that myself. This dairy free whipped cream works ok, but it does sink  quickly, so it’ll be less of a wow factor presentation than real cream is.

The above measurements are based on an average sized mug – I have used 16oz Mugs (the large Starbucks ‘Venti’ style) in most of the below photos,  which calls for double the above measurements. The final photo is made using the above measurements though.

Heat the milk for 90 seconds in a 900w microwave.

While that is heating, add the cocoa (1), sugar (2), and blackberry syrup (3) to the mug.

When the microwave pings, add a splash of the milk to the mug (4), and return the jug to the microwave to finish heating. (Another 90 seconds is perfect for skimmed milk. However, it’ll need less time if you’re using coconut, semi skimmed or whole milk, so keep an eye on it).

Next, mix the cocoa, sugar and blackberry syrup with the added milk to form a thick ‘paste’ (4). It should be smooth, but not clumped together.  If it does clump, add some more milk. You’re looking for a consistency that matches that of a McDonalds chocolate milkshake.

Once the milk is ready, add half of it to the mug and stir well (5), then add the rest of the milk and stir again (6).

If you have a milk frother or a small whisk, that’ll help you get even more bubbles into your drink. I used a cheap milk frother to get to the consistency pictured above – right.

Almost Ready

Next, add a generous amount of squirty cream according to personal preference. Drizzle the cherry syrup to the top of this, spreading it out like you would on ice cream. Add the chocolate sauce, if required, and your Black Forest Hot Chocolate is now ready to enjoy.

I personally prefer my Black Forest Hot Chocolate without the chocolate sauce, as I find it a little sickly with it. The great thing about making your own is that you can decide how much (or little) of everything to add.

Hotel Chocolat Black Forest Gateau Drinking Chocolate

I received a Hotel Chocolat Velvetier and some of their Black Forest Gateau Hot Chocolate sachets for Christmas in 2024. While it was nice, I still prefer my recipe above. The Hotel Chocolat version was more convenient, but I found it to be quite sickly compared to my recipe.

If you decide to give Hotel Chocolat a try, make sure you use Quidco to get cash back on your purchase! (I’ve earned over £950 in total using Quidco, over the years).

Final Thoughts on my Costa Black Forest Hot Chocolate Recipe

I first bought a Costa Black Forest Hot Chocolate way back in 2010, and I have been addicted ever since. It’s only available in-store during the festive period, so I spent months perfecting this Costa Black Forest hot chocolate recipe when it disappeared from stores. When my kids came along and sleep deprivation was real, I occasionally added an espresso to it, to make it a mocha. This is delicious too, but make sure your mug has space for the shot, too!

If Black Forest isn’t your flavour of choice, my Costa Style Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate recipe is also pretty epic!

Finally, let me know what you think in the comments if you make this Black Forest Hot Chocolate recipe!