How Long To Microwave Milk For Hot Chocolate

With the colder seasons on our doorstep, we thought that it would be a great idea to make some delicious traditional hot chocolate.

Then, low and behold, just as we were about to heat milk on the stove top, our gas ran out. Murphy’s law, am I right?

Luckily, we still had a microwave. But, we had no idea how to make hot chocolate using it. We know milk always scorches over in the blink of an eye and can even burn if not properly heated.

This led us on a mission to find the ultimate technique that will properly and quickly heat milk without changing its structure.

So, how long should you heat milk in a microwave to make hot chocolate? If you use a slightly lower temperature (medium-high or 800 watts) you should be able to heat 8 ounces (1 cup) of milk in 110 seconds.

In this informative article, we will explore the best way to make hot chocolate in a microwave.

But more importantly, we will talk about how long exactly milk takes to heat. We have even experimented with temperatures, volumes, and other interfering factors.

Hot Chocolate – A Brief Overview

Hot chocolate is one of the most beloved hot beverages across the globe. Traditionally it is meant to be a cold autumn or winter drink. But, it quickly became as versatile as coffee.

Today, it is served year-round and can be found everywhere you can find coffee or tea.

Hot chocolate also comes in various flavors, consistencies, and levels of quality. And, there are different forms available too. We love a good hot chocolate frappe!

But, few can beat the delicious heart-warming (literally) feeling a creamy sweet hot chocolate beverage can give you.

Also called drinking chocolate or hot cocoa, this drink only consists of two or three ingredients. Depending on how you are making it, the form of these may change.

Traditionally, hot chocolate is made with melted chocolate, milk, and sometimes, a sweetener like sugar or honey.

Today, you get loads of dried hot chocolate-flavored powders (like classic Swiss Miss hot chocolate) that make it a little bit easier and quicker to make this beverage.

Making hot chocolate is easy, but the way you make it is what ultimately will make one version better (in flavor and texture) than another.

How Do You Traditionally Make Hot Chocolate?

Making traditional hot chocolate is very easy to do, even today! You don’t need any special ingredients or any that are hard to find. The main reason people don’t use this technique anymore is that it is a bit time-consuming and labor-intensive.

But, traditional hot chocolate is arguably the best in flavor and gives you the ultimate creamy texture.

So, all you need is real chocolate, milk, and a sweetener (which is optional). You can use any type of real chocolate flavor you like. Milk chocolate will naturally be very sweet.

So, we personally like a semi-sweet dark chocolate (you can’t go wrong with Baker’s chocolate).

You can also use dark chocolate for a very rich bitter beverage. Add a touch of sugar to help balance the flavor.

To start the process of making traditional hot chocolate, first, you will need to heat some milk over low heat. This is done on a stovetop. The milk should heat slowly to prevent it from scorching, burning, or overflowing.

Once your milk is hot, you can simply add your chopped chocolate pieces and sweeter. Stir the mixture until all of the ingredients have been dissolved. You should have a thick, creamy, and uniform beverage.

Now, making hot chocolate this way is easy, but it still requires some time. And a lot more attention. You could spend up to 10 minutes making your drink this way. Sounds ridiculous, we know, but we tested it ourselves.

Sometimes the milk cools down before your chocolate has melted, then you need to slowly reheat it over the stovetop again. And, because you need to use such a low heat, it will also take longer.

Other Ways To Make Hot Chocolate

Naturally, people came up with easier and more time-effective solutions for making hot chocolate. Unfortunately, what this meant is that the creaminess and flavor will have to be sacrificed.

For example, hot chocolate powders were developed to create a delicious creamy blend of chocolate and milk. They unfortunately consist more of milk powder and sugar than actual chocolate. So, your quality lowers immediately.

Then, many people also used water in place of milk to save on some costs. But, you will lose the creaminess that milk or cream will give you. And, the water dilutes the chocolate flavor as well.

While the alternatives are still good enough to make a tasty drink, they don’t come close to the real thing.

If you want to get fancy with your hot chocolate recipe, why not try our recipe for vegan hot chocolate bombs? They’re pretty, fun to use, and make lovely homemade holiday gifts!

Can You Make Hot Chocolate In A Microwave?

Now, your first thought may be along the lines of “you must be joking?” followed by “I can’t use water but I can use a nuke machine?” Well, we essentially combined a new school technique with an old school technique. 

So yes, you can make hot chocolate in a microwave. But, we only found one way that works well.

By heating the milk inside a microwave in a very specific way, you can ultimately prevent burning or scorching it. Then, add some chopped chocolate (not powdered hot chocolate) and stir it into the warm milk.

See what we mean? This technique will save you a ton of time and effort while still giving you an uber creamy tasty drink. 

How To Make Hot Chocolate In A Microwave

Our technique has been tried and tested amongst many others. And this one comes out far superior!

It gives you a super creamy drink with an authentic chocolate flavor. Now, you can also make hot chocolate the traditional way, but with a modern twist.

Ingredients

• 1 cup full-fat (whole) milk
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar, adjustable or optional
• 2 ounces chocolate chips

Equipment

• Microwave 
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Heatproof microwave-safe jug
• Whisk or fork

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Set the microwave on a medium-high setting. This is about 500-800 Watts (aim more for 800W if you can).
2. Add your milk into a microwave-safe mug. You should leave at least 1/2 an inch of space toward the top. This will help prevent the milk from instantly overflowing.
3. Once your elements are prepped, you can heat the milk. First, place it in the microwave and heat it for 30 seconds. Then, remove it from the microwave, give it a whisk, and heat it again. You should be able to heat it for another 30 seconds, but keep an eye on it.
4. Once your second interval has elapsed, whisk the milk again and feel the temperature. If it isn’t hot enough for your liking, heat it in 15-second intervals until it is warm enough.
5. Once the milk is at a temperature that you like, add the sugar and chocolate. Give the ingredients a good whisk to ensure they all melt completely and are uniformly integrated.
6. Your final result will be a super creamy and chocolaty hot beverage that you can enjoy any time of the year!

If you’re more of a visual learner, this tutorial below from Emma’s Goodies on YouTube is easy and quick to make but doesn’t require store-bought powders that won’t dissolve fully into the milk. Take a look!

How Long To Microwave Milk For Hot Chocolate – Varying Factors

Now, this question is almost an impossible one to answer. There are so many factors that can affect the exact time your milk takes to heat. Even one of them will alter the time!

But, we will give you a breakdown of the most common factors that will affect or alter the heating time of your milk in the microwave. This means you can make adjustments if you’d like to make the entire process more suited to you.

Microwave Settings

The microwave setting, aka the temperature, is one factor that will have the biggest influence on the heating time of milk. There are several settings to choose from, but we would rather recommend altering the wattage. This way, you can have more accurate results.

On average, the highest setting a microwave works on is around 800-1000 watts. This is the hottest temperature and will heat your item the quickest. But, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

By using such an extreme temperature, you risk overheating the milk. This can lead to a bunch of unfavorable textures and flavors, so we stay away from it for this purpose.

Using a slightly lower temperature setting of 500-800 watts (considered to be medium-high), we have found that the milk heats relatively quickly without any damage to its structure.

Using a temperature that is too low (below 500 watts) will cause the milk to take far too long to heat. You may as well then just use the traditional stove top method.

So, on average, milk will take between 60 -120 seconds to properly heat. The wide gap in time is affected by some other factors we will discuss below. But, the average is not too wide, still making it a good choice for reheating milk quickly.

The times below are averages only. Remember, even though it will only take 60 seconds to heat milk at 1500 watts, it will overflow and scorch. So, at the end of the day, it doesn’t make for a good heating option.

Here’s a time chart for heating milk for hot chocolate according to wattage.

Wattage	Time
1500 watts	60 seconds (1 minute)
1000 watts	90 seconds (1 minute 30 seconds)
800 watts	110 seconds (1 minute 50 seconds)
500 watts	130 seconds (2 minutes 10 seconds)
400 watts	150 seconds (2 minutes 30 seconds)

Amount Of Milk Being Heated

This is really obvious when you think about it. The more you have to heat, the longer it will take. But, the maths behind this factor is much easier to calculate and generally more accurate.

The times below are all averages for when milk was being heated at 800 watts. Remember, if you use a higher or lower temperature, the times will change.

Amount of Milk	Heating Time
8 ounces (1 cup)	110 seconds (1 minute 50 seconds)
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups)	130 seconds (2 minutes 10 seconds)
16 ounces (2 cups)	150 seconds (2 minutes 30 seconds)
20 ounces (2 1/2 cups)	170 seconds (2 minutes 50 seconds)
24 ounces (3 cups)	190 seconds (3 minutes 10 seconds)
32 ounces (3 1/2 cups)	210 seconds (3 minutes 30 seconds)
36 ounces (4 cups)	230 seconds (3 minutes 50 seconds)
40 ounces (4 1/2 cups)	250 seconds (4 minutes 10 seconds)

How Hot The Milk Should Be

There isn’t necessarily an exact temperature that milk should be heated to for hot chocolate. It should be hot enough to melt the chocolate and sugar. But not so hot that it will burn the milk.

A good temperature (if you want to be precise) is 140ºF (60ºC). And, if you make it extra-hot, you can heat it until it gets to 160ºF (71.1ºC).

Naturally, a lower temperature will be reached much quicker than a higher temperature.

Starting Temperature Of Milk

This is a much smaller factor that will affect the time of heating, but it is a point to consider nevertheless.

If you start heating milk while it is still cold from the fridge, it will take longer to properly heat. If you first allow milk to come to room temperature, the milk will heat much quicker. Especially larger quantities!

But, keep in mind that this also takes time to do. So unless it isn’t an inconvenience and you have that time, it will help to some extent.

Other Tips And Tricks

Now that you have a more accurate idea of how long it takes to heat milk for hot chocolate, let’s have a look at some other great tips and tricks for making this wonderful drink in a microwave.

1. Choosing The Best Container

Lots of people prefer heating their milk directly into a microwave-safe mug. But, we don’t recommend this.

You need a cup that is big enough to comfortably whisk the chocolate into. If you cant mix the ingredients well, the chocolate may start to seize. This will lead to a chunky hot chocolate, which isn’t nice.

So, we prefer using a large jug or bowl. There should always be ample space at the top that will help prevent the milk from boiling over if it gets too hot.

2. Making This Recipe With Hot Chocolate Powder

It is possible to make this recipe with hot chocolate powder instead of real chocolate. However, keep in mind that the results will be very different. Even the process of making it is completely opposite.

To start, you will need to heat the milk in a large jug. Then, add the dry ingredients to your mug. Slowly add a thin stream of hot milk to the powder and whisk constantly. You want to make a slurry and slowly thin it down.

This is the only way to avoid getting lumps in your hot chocolate powder.

3. Adding Other Ingredients

You can add some other flavoring ingredients if you’d like to. A personal favorite of ours is a splash of vanilla extract. It adds a lovely sweet flavor that goes great with chocolate (especially semi-sweet chocolate).

You can also add mint, caramel, or orange extract. Each will completely change the flavor profile, but simultaneously make your hot chocolate more boujee.

3. Using Chocolate Bars Instead Of Chips

Chocolate chips can be hard to find, especially in different flavors. We can never find the exact cocoa percentage that we want. So, you can replace them with chopped chocolate bars.

These are much easier to find and work out a lot cheaper too!

Related Articles

Can You Use A Milk Frother For Hot Chocolate?

Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs

How To Keep Hot Chocolate Warm Outside