Pistachio Hot Chocolate is one of our favourite Second Cup drinks - but it’s only available seasonally. This Pistachio White Hot Chocolate recipe lets us enjoy them at home, year round!

A year or two ago, we were going somewhere on a cold day, and decided to make a pit stop at a Second Cup drive through... and that’s when we discovered the existence of their pistachio hot chocolate.

This was a creamy white hot chocolate that tasted almost like pistachio pudding, but in a good way.

It was the best white hot chocolate variation I’d ever had in my life, and we quickly became addicted to it. We shouldn’t have been shocked when the coffee shop discontinued it .

After it had been FAR too long without seeing it on their winter season menus, we decided to come up with a copycat recipe - as well as a Sugar Free version of that delicious treat!

This easy white hot chocolate recipe is a little more involved - and expensive - than making regular hot chocolate... but it’s absolutely worth it.

Plus, it’s still more economical than buying the equivalent at any local shop, even if it WAS available.

This is a super rich, decadent drink that’s sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

I know it was probably originally intended as a festive drink, but we find ourselves making this homemade hot chocolate all through the winter months.

It’s my favorite white hot chocolate recipe by far, and I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients

This Pistachio White Hot Chocolate recipe uses only a few simple ingredients, and you should easily be able to find most of them in grocery stores.

A few notes for you on the main ingredients:

Pistachio Butter

Pistachio Butter is an amazing thing. Not the cheapest - it IS ground pistachios, after all - but a bougie little treat.

If you’re buying it ready made, ideally you want one with just pistachios, maybe some salt. Some brands add oil - that’s not ideal, but will still work.

If you have a high powdered food processor, you can make your own! Just run a cup or so of lightly toasted pistachios and a pinch or two of salt for 5-10 minutes - scraping down the sides every once in a while - until it’s smooth.

While it’s still warm, scrape it into an airtight container - like a mason jar - and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

One other thing to keep in mind: If the pistachio butter you’re using is unsalted, you’ll want to use a pinch of salt in your hot chocolate mixture.

White Chocolate Chips

For best results, use a good quality chocolate. This can be White Chocolate Chips or a chopped up White Chocolate Bar.

Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips and Guittard White Baking Chips are good options, and Callebaut White Chocolate Callets is a good option for when you’re feeling bougie!

Milk

You can use whatever kind of milk you like in this recipe.

Unsweetened Almond Milk has been my milk of choice for years now, ever since I needed to switch to a non-dairy milk.

As far as other plant based milks, Oat milk, Cashew Milk, Flax Milk, Macadamia Milk and Coconut Milk are all good options, and will taste great in this recipe.

Beyond that, regular milk works, too . You can use whatever you like, but I’d recommend at least 2% fat, for a creamy hot cocoa. Whole milk works well, but I find 1% / skim milk to be too watery, IMHO.

Heavy Cream

I use a little heavy cream - AKA whipping cream or heavy whipping cream - for a richer texture.

Feel free to swap out the heavy cream for the same amount of the milk you’re using.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Pure Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract

... Don’t really have anything to add, here.

Optional Toppings

Half the fun of making fancy drinks is dressing them up with your favorite toppings.

Some of my favourite options for this Pistachio Hot Chocolate recipe:

Whipped Cream
Chopped Pistachios
White Chocolate Curls
Mini Marshmallows

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How to Make Pistachio White Hot Chocolate

The full recipe - with exact measurements - is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, this is a visual walk through:

Measure the pistachio butter and a small amount of the milk into a small saucepan, whisk until smooth. If your pistachio butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.

Add the rest of the milk - a little at a time - whisking to fully disperse the pistachio butter.

Add the white chocolate chips and salt.

Heat over medium low heat - whisking constantly - until the chocolate solids have fully melted and combined with the milk.

Remove from heat, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.

Divide pistachio white hot chocolate into 2 mugs, garnish as desired, and serve immediately.

More Fancy Hot Beverages!

Want that coffee shop experience at home, for a fraction of the cost?

Whether you're looking for sugar free or a sugar bomb, I've got you covered, with all kinds of keto friendly fancy coffee drinks, hot chocolates, and more!

2 glass mugs of pistachio white hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and chopped pistachios.

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5 from 1 vote

Pistachio Hot Chocolate

Pistachio Hot Chocolate is one of our favourite Second Cup drinks. This Pistachio White Hot Chocolate lets us enjoy them at home, year round!

Prep Time2

Cook Time5

Total Time7

Course: Beverage

Cuisine: Canadian

Diet:

Servings: Servings

Calories: 713kcal

Equipment

1 small saucepan

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Pistachio Butter
1 ½ cups Milk of choice we use Unsweetened Almond Milk
½ cup Heavy Cream
⅔ cup White Chocolate Chips
pinch salt if your pistachio butter is salted, skip this.
¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
¼ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Optional garnishes: Whipped cream Chopped pistachios, White Chocolate Shavings, Mini Marshmallows, etc

Instructions

Measure the pistachio butter and a small amount of the milk into a small saucepan, whisk until smooth.
Add the rest of the milk - a little at a time - whisking to fully disperse the pistachio butter.
Add the white chocolate chips and salt. Heat over medium low heat - whisking constantly - until the chocolate has fully melted and combined with the milk.
Remove from heat, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.
Divide pistachio white hot chocolate into 2 mugs, garnish as desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

Nutritional Information is for half the recipe, and does not include any garnish.

Nutrition

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Pistachio Hot Chocolate