Welcome to Weekend Quickies–quick recipes that won’t cut into your weekend relaxation time. Today’s ridiculously easy recipe is brought to you courtesy of my last recipe, Mary’s Pumpkin Walnut Muffins, and more particularly by the half cup of pumpkin that is left over from a 15-ounce can after you make that recipe. Here’s a delicious drink that uses that leftover pumpkin and takes only about 10 minutes to prepare.
Imagine pumpkin pie and hot chocolate all mixed up together and poured into a mug and you’ve got this drink. Actually, it tastes better than that sounds! It’s spicy and sweet and warming on a chilly October day. I dressed mine up with a little foamy soymilk that I whipped up with a simple milk frother. It doesn’t work well with all soymilks, but the store-brand vanilla soymilk that I used foamed up quickly and even made little whipped cream-like peaks. You may have to test several brands before you find one that foams up that thick (hint: Silk Vanilla in the aseptic boxes does not work).
Also, if it’s not “curl up with a hot drink” weather in your neighborhood, you can easily turn this beverage into a pudding with the addition of cornstarch and a few extra minutes of cooking time. See the notes in the recipe for more details.
Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
I served this with a dollop of frothy soymilk on top.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3/4 – 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- stevia or other sweetener to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except sweetener in blender. Blend at medium speed until smooth. Check sweetness and add sweetener to taste; blend once more.
- Pour into a saucepan or microwaveable container and heat, stirring at regular intervals, until steaming. Pour into two mugs and serve.
Notes
You can easily take this from a beverage to a dessert by making it into pudding. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the mixture in the blender and blend well. Heat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring constantly (or once every minute in the microwave), until it boils and thickens. Pour into 4 dessert bowls and refrigerate until set.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s) | Cooking time: 5 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 2
Nutrition (per serving, using soymilk): 163 calories, 25 calories from fat, 2.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 261.6mg sodium, 408.7mg potassium, 30.3g carbohydrates, 6.1g fiber, 12.9g sugar, 6.8g protein, 4.8 points.
Enjoy your weekend!
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks delicious
I will definitely make this and serve with a bit of freshly whipped coconut cream on top!
Oh, Susan – Just a day late with this idea to use the leftover pumpkin from the muffin recipe. I made the muffins the same day you posted the recipe (yummilicious) and then what to do with the leftover pumpkin? Well, I had Mary McDougall’s recipe for Beans and Greens soup in the fridge waiting for dinnertime, so I just added the pumpkin to the soup! Voila – delicious.
BTW, the only soy milk that I have found (and I think I’ve tried them all) is Trader Joe’s Organic Unsweetened Soy Milk in the green and beige unrefrigerated aeseptic box.
Thanks for the recipe. It’s much like a pumpkin pie latte for those of us who don’t care for coffee!
LOVE that the photo prints out with the recipe too – I’ll be making this in the next day or so – using up some canned pumpkin. I’ll make the PUDDING version & tell you how it turns out.
This is great timing! I was just wondering if I should make a pumpkin pudding pie or a chocolate pudding pie for my sweetheart tonight. I will give this combo a try!
Thanks for this recipe! I love cocoa and pumpkin so why not
Together!? I enjoy reading your posts and recipes!
Oh man! That sounds SOOO delicious!
oh, that sounds so good! will add it to my list
I made it and all I can say is – your pumpkin spice hot chocolate is too glorious for words!
I seem to be cooking everything with pumpkin these days, soups, stews, baked goods, and it’s perfect.
Best to you, I enjoy your recipes like no one else’s.
Hugs.
This looks awesome. I may make it for a freind’s kids when they are around for the weekend. I will try it with carob for myself sometime. What a great idea for using up the odd ends of pumpkin!
xo
moonwatcher
As if I had known this would come… yesterday I took some pumpkin purree out of the freezer without knowing what to do with it. ^^
Ooh, this looks amazing! The weather is finally cooling off here in the Sunshine State, perfect timing!
This would make it worth spending the $8 for a can of pumpkin puree. Yes,you read that correct-$8 for a can of Libby’s pumpkin puree where I live,which is Copenhagen,Denmark. I bought a few and used them in things that were not all that great-a few ho-hum pumpkin muffins,for example. This,though,would make it all worth it. As a born and raised American,I never thought,in a million years,that I would ever have to consider what I’m using my precious cans of very expensive pumpkin puree on-but this is something I would love to try. Thanks!
Hi Meagan,
I also live in Copenhagen, and I’ve been attempting to hunt down a can of Libby’s as if it was a life or death situation! But no luck at Irma or Føtex! Where did you snag your pumpkin puree?
Best,
jessica
just roast a butternut squash in the oven for an hour… will do just as well
Susan,
I LOVE your recipes and have made several with pleasing results!!!!! Thank-you so much for sharing them!
As soon as this recipe appeared in my email, I knew it had to be made immediately. I used Almond Breeze Vanilla almond milk and Hershey’s dark cocoa powder, 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice and no sweetener. It was perfect!!
I will def. try this as I am up to my eyebrows in leftover pumpkin. Yum!
BTW, I froth my soymilk in the blender. I bought a couple of those hand-held frothers over the years, but they seem to break after only a month or two
What brand do you have and has it lasted? (To be fair, I make soy cappucino every singe day for breakdast, so I probably used mine more than the average bear)
Good luck on your talk today
Delicious as always! Although, rice milk and corn starch does not go well together. It does not thicken at all. Anyone has the same experience?
Thank you, Susan! You are my constant source of inspiration for food. All your recipes (that I have tried so far) turned out great and delicious!
This sounds awesome!
Oh boy! I have to try it!!
It looks so yummy!
I’m so looking forward to using up that 1/2 of a can of pumpkin puree that’s in my fridge right now! And I’m hoping that the kids will like this too and I can pass it off as a dessert. Thanks Sue!
Must try this asap. Thanks, Susan!
I had to make my own pumpkin pie spice on the fly which may have messed with the flavor a bit but it was still great. I liked it. My husband LOVED IT! He claimed it was “a steaming hot cup of the best pumpkin pie”. =) Thanks for yet another terrific recipe.
Pumpkin and hot chocolate = amazing combination!! Can’t wait to try it
Hi Susan,
I also live on the other side of the pond without access to puréed pumpkin tins. Can I nsimply bake some hokkaido pumpkin until very soft and purée it? Or does the purée need to cook on the stove a little for the right consistency?
Your recipes are my daily inspiration since going vegan btw, thank you!
Hi Sophia, I think baking the pumpkin would be fine. You might need to add a little water to get it the right consistency when you purée it, if it seems dry.
Oooh, I wouldn’t have thought to put pumpkin and chocolate together in a warm bevvie! Though I love pumpkin lattes, and I love chocolate, so I can’t see why it wouldn’t be awesome. And yup, it’s definitely getting to that “curl up and hide from the cold weather” around here (Saskatchewan), I think we’re due for a snowstorm tonight!
This is to confirm the snowstorm in Saskatoon, SK! About 2 inches of perfect snowman snow sitting on the ground and more coming down as I write this.
Making pumpkin, squash and yam purees are all very easy and successful to the point you won’t even consider buying a can! Bake, scoop into blender jar without the peel and whirl till smooth. The reason I added yam to this list is that it is very often a great substitute for pumpkin … who knew you couldn’t tell the difference in a pie? I’m loving the sound of your hot chocolate Susan, can’t wait to try it!
This is absolutely AWESOME!!!!! I have a can of pumpkin in my fridge that’s calling to me now!
I especially love that the addition of cornstarch will make it a pudding — what an incredible recipe, Susan! Thank you so much!!! 
Oh this sounds devine! As does the option of making this into a pudding! Its quick and easy, my kind of recipe! I will be giving this a try. Thanks!
Thanks for this great recipe! I didn’t add any extra sweetener and it was still very satisfying! I think that the original Silk that I’m using added some sweetness. I actually had this for breakfast and it was pretty filling! It reminds me of a chai latte just without the chai or the latte
I used an emersion blender and combined everything in the (somewhat deep) pot that I used to warm it. Actually, now that I think of it, if you made it in wide deep cups you could probably use the immersion blender directly in the cup and microwave if you are really cutting back on clean up.
I’ve been trying to eat more healthy vegan foods and I’m glad to have found you to help me make nutritious and tasty foods!!!
This was really good; had a substance to it (the pumpkin), and very healthy. Thanks for this great fall and winter drink.
Never thought of adding pumpkin to hot chocolate! Amazing idea! I bet it’s incredibly creamy (and quite filling?)
What is in «Pumpkin Spice». We don’t have that around here (Montreal), I’m guessing cinnamon and nutmeg. Anything else? Thanks! Looks amazing!
Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and sometimes allspice. You can just mix up your own, using a little more cinnamon and lesser amounts of the other ingredients. I just happened to have a jar of it I bought for my mother when she was visiting, so I don’t usually use it, but it was convenient in this recipe because I used such a small amount.
Hmmmm…. Yummy and soothing it must be, something new to try on to a hot chocoloate to make it even more spicier.
Yum this looks good!
I made this for some (very) non-vegan family today–and they loved it!
Thank you
I made this yesterday, it was RAINY and I was helping my husband work outside.
Quick and easy and very delish! My hubby, non vegan;( , loved it!
this plus 2-3 shots espresso is a to die for pumpkin mocha way better than the kind bigbucks sells!
Sounds wonderful. I love your mugs, too, you always have such pretty dishes!
Oh! This looks amazing!
I tried your recipe the other day and loved it and so did my hubby. I added a little cayenne pepper to it to make it a tiny bit hot. Since I love my hot chocolate a little thicker but not like pudding I added 1 to 1.5 Tsp of potato starch. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I am definitely trying this very soon!!! Thanks
I’ve made this three times already this week. I made it hot the first time, and it was delicious. The other two times I drank it cold. Both were delicious! Oh, and I added brown rice protein powder to it so I could consider it post-workout treat
I love your site! I just went through all the recipes all the way back to 2006, and I’ve bookmarked almost everything for future reference. You will make my transition from vegetarianism to veganism so much easier! Tomorrow is my day off, and I’m going to start on some of the cake and sweet recipes, and cook up an eggplant recipe for dinner, I’m very excited!
I don’t ever comment on blogs, but I just had to let you know how amazing you are
A big thank you all the way from Holland!
Miek
Thank you so much for thinking to leave a comment, Miek! You made my day, all the way from Holland!
I made these muffins today – only change was no nuts and no raisins. Very moist and I was surprised how much they rose. Definitely a “keeper”. I used silicone cups (from Williams Sonoma) and filled them pretty full, and got all the batter in 12 (but no nuts or raisins, remember!) Only 1 small spillover. Thanks Susan!
Oops I am new and left a comment on the wrong thread! I made muffins and it looks like my comment is on the wrong thread. No more comments from me wince I can’t figure it out. Sorry!
That’s okay, Sally! I figure you’re talking about the Pumpkin Walnut Muffins, right?
Yes! Thanks and sorry.
Hi,
My name is Randy. I have been blogging since Oct 20th and it is about food, baking and cooking. About 10 days ago I added to my recipe page a Vegan file. I am starting to add vegan dishes. I did this because I have two followers of my blog who are vegan. I am adding this Pumpkin Hot chocolate to that file so others can download it and also I will put a link to your site from my blog.
If you wish you are welcome to veiw my blog site and sign up to follow also, it’s FREE.
I like your set up here and if you have any feed back on mine, I will gladly accept as we are still in the works and would always like to improve.
Thanks for your time and consideration.
Chef Randall
Randall, I appreciate your interest in my recipe, but I hope you aren’t planning to copy it to your site. Food bloggers take a dim view of anyone using our recipes on other sites. We put a lot of work into them and would like people to come to our own sites to get the recipes and see the photos, which are both under copyright to the people who created them. So please feel free to post a link to my recipe, but don’t copy and paste it or my photos to your site. For more information, see this page, particularly #5: http://foodethics.wordpress.com/
Hi thanks for viewing my site. And to answer your concerns: Most of the recipes on my site are mine. Exception to the vegan file. The 3 I have at this time I did request permission and I do link back to the site were I got them from. I just started blogging Oct 19th and have been reading a lot on blogging ethics and also how to draw others to your blog.
If you noted in my 1st comment here on your blog..I stated I was going to add this recipe to the vegan file with a link back to your blog. I want followers just as you do. I invite followers and any who sign up to follow me..I do promote them..I believe , I assume you do also, we are all in this together. So again just about 100% of the recipes on my site are mine and also i have invited others to download and enjoy them with their family and friends. Also I do respect copy right laws. So I meant no misunderstanding and if you wish I don’t add your recipe to my vegan recipe folder with a link back to your site, promoting it..I won’t.
To also let you know, I did find you through another vegan who follows my blog. As I said before I thought your blog was well put together and I liked it and also follow yours. I receive in my e-mail every time you post something new.
So again if you don’t want me to link back to your blog through my vegan file just let me know.
Thanks again for your time and consideration.
Chef Randall
particularly #5: http://foodethics.wordpress.com/..I went there as asked me to. As I said..I don’t take other bloggers photos or recipes with permission or without linking back to them. At this time I am not using my blog to make money. So again thanks for referring me to your blog site’s ethic’s and I was already aware of this.
Again sorry for the misunderstanding and for your time.
Chef randall
Lovely! Made it earlier today
Thank you so much for this delightful recipe. We don’t get many snow days in SC, but we are celebrating this one with a batch of this wonderful cocoa. We also made up a batch at Thanksgiving and added the cornstarch to turn it into pudding. Delicious!
So glad you liked it! I’m happy to hear from someone in SC. I lived there for 13 years and miss it.
I love this recipe and have made it numerous times. I generally make the first batch, then freeze the rest in individual portions with everything added except for the soy milk and sweetener. I label it being sure to write how much soy milk to add. I love it warmed up whereas my husband loves it like a cold smoothie. He practically licks the blender….LOL