TikTok's Viral French Hot Chocolate Is the Best Drink of the Season: Here's How to Make It

This beverage is a must for chocolate lovers.

Is it a drink or a dessert? And does that distinction even matter with something so crave-worthy? The rich, French-style hot chocolate trending on TikTok is like a sippable bonbon—creamy, chocolatey, and steamy enough to warm you up on a chilly day. Add some whipped cream and chocolate shavings, and you have the most luscious mug of cocoa known to humankind. And it only takes a few minutes and a handful of standard American ingredients to make. Here’s how to make the viral French hot chocolate: 

For a fail-proof, very rich hot cocoa, Chef Michael Romano of Fouquet’s NYC at Hotel Barriere recommends a one, two, three ratio for the recipe. “The best ratio of dairy to chocolate is objective to how thick and rich you like your hot cocoa to be,” he says “I usually like to use a one, two, three ratio: one part cream, two parts chocolate, three parts milk. So it’s still rich and creamy, but thin enough to drink and not too thick and unctuous.” With this ratio, the amount of chocolate will be 50 percent the total amount of dairy, for a super-chocolatey sipper.

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Start by warming your dairy in a small saucepan on low. While many creators do love using cream, that may feel a bit too heavy to some. Opt for half and half, which is half cream and half milk, or stick to Chef Romano’s ratio. For a fun twist, you can also add a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, or espresso powder to the warming dairy. 

Those who follow a plant-based diet can also swap in vegan creamer and non-dairy milks to recreate the experience. Romano recommends oat milk, particularly the barista versions which typically have a high fat content, “with the richness and smooth texture needed for a hot cocoa,” he says. 

While the dairy is warming, add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and break it into small pieces. Following the one, two, three, ratio, if you’re using ½ cup cream, you’ll want one cup of chocolate and 1 ½ cups of milk. Chocolate with a high cocoa percentage (over 50 percent) works well for this, and the higher quality your chocolate, the richer the French-style hot chocolate will be. A more expensive bar is worth the splurge for this recipe, and goes farther than you may expect.

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Romano recommends using Valrhona chocolate. “It is very high quality, so you can use less of it to get the same punch,” he says. “They also have a large variety of chocolate available, so you can really dial in a nice balance of milk and dark.” If you want to play around with the recipe, Romano suggests trying the brand’s caramelized milk chocolate, called Caramelia, that is “delicious in a hot cocoa with subtle undertones of caramel,” he describes.  

Once the dairy is at a gentle simmer, pour it over your chocolate, then whisk it to melt and emulsify completely. 

The best way to melt your chocolate is in a bowl with your cream and milk. I like to get the milk and cream hot first with any other ingredients you want to add (vanilla, cinnamon, espresso etc.) Then, pour the warm dairy over your chocolate and whisk it to melt and emulsify completely.

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Transfer to a mug and sip immediately, or top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Voila!

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