Ever wished summer and winter could collide into one delicious drink? This watermelon frozen hot chocolate is the perfect mashup that you can enjoy all year long. And yes, here in Massachusetts, you know we drink iced drinks all year long (looking at all my fellow iced coffee fans despite the snow and freezing temps).
The inspo for this drink comes from the famous menu item at the Serendipity 3 café in NYC. The movie Serendipity came out when I was in high school, and I was enamored with the story line. Two individuals destined by fate to reunite and fall in love? Sign me up, I’m a sucker for any kind of feel-good romance. If you’ve seen the film, you know that the beginning starts with these folks meeting and going to share a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3.
A few years later, I went and enjoyed the treat myself there, and it definitely lived up to the hype. It’s rich and indulgent and chocolatey.
As a dietitian, though, I love finding new ways to offer a nutritional step up to a treat. In this case, frozen watermelon brings a natural sweetness and frosty texture to the drink, along with some extra phytonutrients. And this version has less added sugar than most restaurant options.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are just a few of the highlights!
- Tastes so good! The watermelon-chocolate combo is underappreciated, IMO
- Portion controlled treat – 250 calories and great for any meal plan
- Can easily be adjusted for different dietary needs
- Excellent source of Vitamin B12 and good source of calcium
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Watermelon – Frozen watermelon works best for this recipe because it lends an icy texture. If you don’t have time to freeze it, you can use fresh watermelon in a pinch and add some extra ice cubes. However, it can just get watered down that way, so I recommend taking the time to freeze the watermelon.
- Dark chocolate – Dark chocolate chips or a dark chocolate bar both work. If you’re using chips, use about ¼ cup. If you’re using a bar, that’s around 1 ½ ounces. Feel free to use a bit more if you want a richer treat.
- Milk – I always have 1% milk on hand in my fridge, but you can use whatever milk you personally enjoy.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by melting the chocolate. I find the easiest way to do this is to place it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals. The key is to stir the chocolate thoroughly between each interval. It will only take a couple intervals to fully melt!
Once melted, stir in the cocoa powder, salt, and a few splashes of the milk.
In a blender cup, combine the rest of the milk, the frozen watermelon, the melted chocolate mixture, and the ice cubes.
Blend that, pour into glasses, and top with whipped cream! If you’d like, you can also add some chocolate shavings for garnish.
Dietary Modifications
This watermelon frozen hot chocolate recipe is easy to adjust for different dietary needs:
- To make dairy-free: Use dairy-free dark chocolate, use almond milk or oat milk in place of the regular milk, and use a dairy-free whipped topping.
- To make vegan: Same modifications as above.
- To make gluten-free: This recipe should already be naturally gluten-free as written, just double check your packaged ingredients.
- To reduce the added sugar: Use no-added-sugar chocolate chips (like Lily’s).
More Fun Watermelon Drinks
If you’re looking for more delicious drinks that use watermelon, you’ll definitely want to try my hot watermelon lemonade. It’s a great option for winter when you do want a cozy warm drink, and one of my favorite things to sip on when I’m feeling under the weather. The combo of watermelon, lemon, and cinnamon is just so good!
Other favorites include any type of watermelon smoothie, like this strawberry watermelon smoothie or this watermelon mango post-workout shake. Either are great for fueling your fitness goals.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Watermelon Frozen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup 1% milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
- 1 cup frozen watermelon
- ¾ cup ice cubes
- ½ cup whipped topping (approximate; i.e. Reddi-Wip)
Instructions
- In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until fully melted. (It should only take 1-2 intervals to fully melt).
- Stir the cocoa powder, salt, and a few splashes of the milk into the melted chocolate.
- To a blender cup, add the remaining milk, melted chocolate mixture, frozen watermelon, and ice cubes. Blend until well combined.
- Divide into two glasses and add a few swirls of whipped topping to each glass. Optionally, you can add some additional chocolate shavings for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes two servings of approximately 10-ounces each.
- This is best consumed right after making; it does not store well in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
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