9 Fun Hot Chocolate Toppings That Aren't Marshmallows

During the holiday season, there is arguably nothing better than enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate after dinner, preferably by a fireplace. It is cozy, delicious, and all around comforting. Of course, any cup of hot chocolate is not complete without the right toppings. When you think of hot chocolate toppings, you probably think of marshmallows first and foremost. In fact, for many, hot chocolate is not actually complete unless it is topped with a helping of marshmallows (whether you prefer the mini, regular, or jumbo ones). Marshmallows are delicious and the perfect pairing for hot chocolate — but they're not the only hot cocoa topping that you should consider. 

There are actually quite a lot of fun and unique toppings that taste great on top of hot chocolate that you may not have thought of on your own. If you are looking to switch it up, this list is guaranteed to give you some new ideas to try out on your hot cocoa this holiday season. It will also give you plenty of topping ideas for you to keep in mind if you ever want to make your own fancy DIY hot chocolate bar to warm up your next party. Whatever the case, once you have decided which unique toppings you want to try, don't forget to use our recipe for the world's best hot chocolate to make the drink itself before adding any yummy toppings.

This one likely won't come as a surprise — whipped cream is, after all, almost as common of a topping for hot chocolate as marshmallows are. However, to switch it up and make it a little bit different than you're used to, you could opt for a flavored whipped cream. There's a wide variety of store-bought whipped cream flavors that you can choose from — such as peppermint or caramel toffee, both of which would taste delicious on top of hot chocolate. Or, if you want to go the homemade route, you can easily use jam to flavor whipped cream.

If you are a chocolate lover, then you will probably love the idea of making hot chocolate, well, extra chocolatey. One of the best ways to make that happen is to add a drizzle of chocolate sauce or syrup. This will work with or without whipped cream — after all, there is no need to choose just one topping. You can either choose to make your own homemade chocolate sauce or opt for a store-bought version. If you choose the latter, make sure to check out our ranking of 10 chocolate syrup brands — we would recommend either Trader Joe's Organic Midnight Moo Chocolate Syrup or Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauce.

If you like the idea of adding a sweet sauce but don't want to overdo it on the chocolate, then what you need is caramel sauce. A drizzle of caramel will provide a rich, toasty, and decadent addition to the cup of hot chocolate. Just like with the chocolate topping, you can make your own homemade caramel sauce or buy one at the store — and the two brands that we recommended for chocolate sauce, Trader Joe's and Ghiradelli, also have caramel sauces.

Peppermint is one of the quintessential holiday flavors, so it is only fitting that it has a place as a hot chocolate topping. To bring a refreshing, minty burst to your hot chocolate, all you have to do is crush up some peppermint sticks and add those to the top of the drink. To take it a step further, you can also add a full peppermint stick to the mug to use as a stirrer or pair the crushed peppermint sticks with peppermint whipped cream.

Back to the subject of chocolate, maybe you are looking for one more way to make the hot cocoa extra chocolatey. One easy way to do this is to add a handful of chocolate chips or, for a fancier feel, some chocolate shavings — either of which would also work well paired with whipped cream. To make it more interesting, you can use white chocolate or dark chocolate to contrast the milk chocolate of the cocoa.

If you like the idea of adding a nutty, rich, and sweet addition to hot chocolate, then look no further than toasted coconut flakes. They may just be the unexpected topping that will change your whole perspective on hot chocolate — and you can combine them with other toppings, such as chocolate shavings, whipped cream, and/or caramel. Plus, you can easily toast coconut flakes in your air fryer to conveniently prep for your hot cocoa night.

For something more unique than chocolate chips, try swapping them out for butterscotch chips. The addition of butterscotch chips will give the sweet drink extra richness, similar to caramel but a bit more buttery. Butterscotch and caramel are distinct from each other — as we explain in our ultimate guide to butterscotch — but if you like the caramel addition, then it is worth giving butterscotch a try, as well.

Similar to chocolate or butterscotch chips, candy pieces make for the perfect decadent topping to a mug of hot chocolate. Maybe you're a peanut butter lover — in this case, try adding mini Reese's peanut butter cups. Or, for a pop of color (and extra chocolatey goodness), toss a handful of M&Ms as a topping — you can get creative here, too, by using, say, the holiday blend or the holiday mint flavor to keep to a Christmas season theme.

We all know that cookies and milk are a perfect match, but what about cookies and hot chocolate? We think that crushed up cookies make for a delightful hot chocolate topping — and, just like with candy pieces, there are so many possibilities. Oreos, shortbread cookies, and even crunchy chocolate chip cookies are all delicious options. Or, bring the peppermint flavor in by using peppermint flavored cookies, such as our homemade peppermint crunch Christmas cookies.