Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Italian

Cioccolata calda (Italian thick hot chocolate)

Vegetarian

Cioccolata calda

Dark chocolate and cocoa cooked into milk with a little starch until it is thick enough to coat a spoon — served in small cups, often with whipped cream.

Cioccolata calda (Italian thick hot chocolate) is an Italian hot drink from Italy, ready in about 13 minutes and made with milk and dark chocolate (70–85%). It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
8 min
Total
13 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
290

Ingredients

4 small cups

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    In a saucepan (opens in a new tab) off the heat, whisk (opens in a new tab) the cornstarch (opens in a new tab), cocoa and sugar (opens in a new tab) with about 100 ml of the cold milk (opens in a new tab) until completely smooth, then whisk in the rest of the milk.

    Mixing the starch into cold milk first prevents lumps.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it comes to a gentle simmer.

    • 4 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Lower the heat, add the chopped chocolate (opens in a new tab) and salt and keep whisking for 2–3 minutes until the chocolate melts and the drink thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

    • 3 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Thick hot chocolate holds heat and can spit; stir constantly and take care.

  4. Step 4

    Pour into small cups and top with whipped cream if you like. It thickens further as it cools.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Italy · Commonly attributedThick drinking chocolate is a long tradition in Italy (Turin especially) and Spain (chocolate a la taza).Also popular in Spain, FranceMore food from Italy
    Dish
    Snack · Dessert · Hot drinks
    Cooking method
    Simmered
    Taste
    rich, sweet, bitter, creamy
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
    With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Milk · Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Cornstarch · Cocoa powder · Sugar
    Techniques
    Simmering

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk, dark chocolate (70–85%), heavy cream
    • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
    • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
    • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    290 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 172 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 9%
    • Carbohydrate 44%
    • Fat 46%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy290 kcal169 kcal
    Protein7 g4.1 g
    Carbohydrate33.3 g19.4 g
    Net carbohydrate28.7 g16.7 g
    Sugars22.6 g13.1 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre4.6 g2.7 g
    Fat15.5 g9 g
    Saturated fat8.9 g5.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol14 mg8 mg
    Sodium101 mg59 mg
    Salt equivalent0.3 g0.1 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    425 mg
    Calcium
    170 mg
    Iron
    3.7 mg
    Magnesium
    95 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    60 µg
    Vitamin C
    —
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    —

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: heavy cream.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Use a good 60–70% chocolate — it provides most of the flavour.

    Common mistakes

    • Adding the starch to hot milk, which makes lumps.
    • Letting it catch on the bottom — keep the heat moderate and whisk.

    Serve with

    • With savoiardi or biscotti for dipping.

    Storage

    • Keeps 2 days in the fridge; it sets almost like pudding.

    Reheating

    • Reheat gently with a splash of milk, whisking.

    Variations

    • Chocolate a la taza (Spain): The Spanish version, served with churros for dipping.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Customise in Sip & Blend

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in step 1

    Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

    Customise in Sip & Blend

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

    You might also like