This Baileys Hot Chocolate is real melted dark chocolate, warm milk, and a generous splash of Baileys Irish Cream - ready in just 5 minutes on the stove. It's rich, a little boozy, and finished with a cloud of whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa.
One reader, Amy, put it simply: "Such a nice drink to have, especially in this cold weather. I love it!" - and with a 5-star rating from readers who've made it, it's become a go-to at Christmas and Sinterklaas.
Baileys Hot Chocolate
Sometimes you just have to treat yourself. Bake something delicious, a glass of wine or this delicious hot chocolate with a dash of Baileys. A real adult version of hot chocolate. And this guilty pleasure is delicious until the last sip. You're really going to enjoy it. This is a lovely, simple, and quick recipe, ready in just five minutes but full of flavor. And, of course, you share this chocolate milk! At Christmas or Sinterklaas, for example.
And do you like chocolate milk? Then try this white hot chocolate, luxury hot chocolate, or Nutella hot chocolate.
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What do you need for Hot Chocolate with Baileys?
To prepare this Baileys Hot chocolate, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Milk - To dissolve the chocolate to make creamy chocolate milk.
- Dark chocolate - For creamy, real chocolate milk, melt the chocolate in the milk. Use dark chocolate with more than 70% cocoa for a rich chocolate taste.
- Honey - To sweeten the hot chocolate.
- Baileys - A liqueur with a creamy taste. It is a mix of Irish cream, vanilla, and Irish whiskey. It contains 17% alcohol.
- Cream - Whip the cream with a tablespoon of sugar until stiff and use it as a topping on the chocolate milk.
- Cocoa - For a deeper chocolate taste (and because it just looks good 😉 )
Is Baileys Safe to Mix Into Hot Milk?
Baileys is safe to mix into hot chocolate and won't split or curdle under normal conditions.
The only time it separates is if it touches something acidic, like leftover citrus or vinegar residue in your pan or mug , so make sure your saucepan and cups are clean.
For best results, always add the Baileys after you take the pan off the heat, exactly as in the recipe below; this also keeps more of that Baileys flavor intact instead of cooking it off.
How to prepare Simple Baileys Hot Chocolate
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Heat the milk in the pan and add the honey.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the warm milk. Keep stirring until it is dissolved; otherwise, the chocolate will burn. Then turn off the fire.
- Pour the Baileys at the bottom of a bowl or glass and add the hot chocolate.
- Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa. Serve immediately.
Serve. This tastes great when cold outside with Dutch gevulde speculaas, Dutch banketstaaf with apple, and spicy pear cake with olive oil.
Storage & Reheating
- Storage: Leftover Baileys Hot Chocolate keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Warm it gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, until steaming. Avoid the microwave with milk and chocolate in the mix, it's more prone to separating or scorching unevenly than on the stove.
Substitutions for Baileys
No Baileys on hand, or want to switch it up? These swaps work well in the same quantity:
- Kahlúa: for a coffee-forward twist
- Amaretto: adds a warm almond note
- Bourbon: use a little extra honey to balance the sharper edge
- Chocolate liqueur: leans into the cocoa flavor even more (cut back slightly on the honey, since it's already sweet)
Baileys itself is 17% ABV, but once mixed into a full mug of milk and chocolate, the alcohol content per serving is quite low, still, this is a grown-up treat and not one for kids or designated drivers.
Top Tips
- Top the whipped cream with mini marshmallows, small chocolate fudge cubes, or chocolate curls.
- For even more chocolate, drizzle some chocolate sauce over the whipped cream.
- Delicious with the Original Baileys, but also try one of the other variants, such as salted caramel or chocolate de luxe.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 2½ cups milk
- 5 oz. dark chocolate, chopped finely
- 4 teaspoons honey
- ½ cup Baileys
- ½ cup cream, whipped, with sugar
- pinch Dutch unprocessed cocoa, garnish
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan.2½ cups milk
- Turn off the heat and dissolve the chocolate and honey in the milk. If the chocolate isn't completely dissolved, heat the milk a little more, but keep stirring. Otherwise, the chocolate burns.5 oz. dark chocolate, 4 teaspoons honey
- Pour some Baileys at the bottom of each cup.½ cup Baileys
- Pour the hot chocolate on top.
- Garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder.½ cup cream, pinch Dutch unprocessed cocoa
- Repeat for all mugs.
Notes
Nutrition
Amy Liu Dong says
Such a nice drink to have, especially in this cold weather.
I love it!