Frozen Hot Chocolate

Recreate this famous dish by the iconic New York restaurant right in your own kitchen in just five minutes! A variety of cocoa powders blend together with creamy milk and crushed ice for a crisp, refreshing drink. Generously pile on the whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings for the ultimate treat!

According to pop culture lore, Serendipity 3 in New York City has been serving up this ice cold, chocolaty treat for over 80 years. Moreover, the restaurant has been featured in at least two different major Hollywood movies, including Serendipity, where the two main characters fall in love over splitting the restaurant's signature frozen hot chocolate.

Although the exact frozen hot chocolate recipe from Serendipity 3 is a heavily-guarded secret that utilizes a specific blend of specialty cocoa powders, my version remains accessible by using ingredients you can easily find in any supermarket. Best of all, you can make a few servings in just 5 minutes, leaving you prepared for any heatwave this summer!

What is Frozen Hot Chocolate?

Most people understandably get confused when they hear the oxymoronic, "frozen hot chocolate". Some incorrectly theorize it's simply chocolate milk with crushed ice, while others think it's a looser milkshake. In reality, frozen hot chocolate has a very similar texture to a Frappuccino from Starbucks. The crushed ice keeps the drink colder for much longer, and delivers a thick, satisfying feel on the pallet that feels instantly refreshing.

Why Chocolate Lovers Make This Recipe

Innovative summer treat -- if you're in a summer rut and tired of the hum-drum of ice cream cones and milkshakes (can't relate, sorry), then a frozen hot chocolate might be just the thing to spice up your summer season again!

Famous dessert -- as mentioned above, frozen hot chocolate is a classic dessert many will recognize from Serendipity 3 in New York, or even just from the movie, Serendipity.

Ready in minutes -- no prep work required for this recipe! Simply combine all ingredients in the order listed into a blender and serve. What could be better?

Homemade -- skip the Starbucks frappes and instead blend your own iced drink at home, leaving you with full control over the ingredients you want to use and their respective amounts. Plus, your wallet will thank you for saving tens to hundreds of dollars you would have otherwise spent for the same drink at a coffee shop.

Ingredients and Variations

This drink blends up in just 5 minutes and with ingredients I can guarantee you have on hand right now. Some notes on key ingredients include:

Unsweetened cocoa powder -- the bulk of the chocolate flavor in this recipe, unsweetened cocoa powder has less of a "bite" than the Dutch-processed variety, reminiscent of how milk chocolate is less bitter than dark chocolate.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder -- Serendipity 3 uses a blend of cocoa powders to intensify the chocolate flavor in their original version. This recipe uses just one tablespoon of Dutch-processed cocoa powder for it's richer color and deeper chocolate notes, but without making the final drink too bitter. If you don't have it on hand, you can substitute by using 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder instead; just know that the final product might be more like chocolate milk.

Whole milk -- using whole milk provides the creamiest finish, but you can easily substitute non-dairy alternatives.

Powdered sugar -- sugar provides a touch of sweetness in this recipe, and is a common ingredient found in most commercial hot cocoa mixes. Powdered sugar is the easiest to dissolve in liquids due to its super fine nature, but you can use granulated sugar in a pinch.

Storage Instructions

Since this recipe is largely composed of ice, it is best to make frozen hot chocolates as-needed, rather than attempting to make a large batch in advance. Fortunately, this drink comes together in less than five minutes, making it an easy and flexible way to cool off when you need it most!