Rose and cardamom infused hot chocolate recipe

Rose and cardamom infused hot chocolate recipe-A decadent and delicious hot chocolate recipe that is made using milk infused with beautiful roses and cardamoms, complementing perfectly the flavours of rich chocolates.

JUMP TO ▼

Why try this recipe ?

Ingredients required and substitutes

Cooking instructions

FAQ’s

Top Tips

Recent recipes on the blog

Jump to Recipe

Hot chocolate with a twist

Well, we all love hot chocolates, and for sure it is the best thing to cozy up in winters.A warm cup of smooth,creamy, luxurious hot chocolate – like a cozy hug !

I love adding a little twist to my regular hot chocolates.Like this one is made using the rose and cardamom infused milk. Infusing milk using various spices from the kitchen is something that i love doing.

On chilly winter evenings,having milk steeped with spices like fennel seeds, cardamom, turmeric or rose is my routine.

Milk with roses and cardamom is a favourite in our home. There is something special about the rose and cardamom spiced milk. These flavours complemented with rich chocolates is a match made in heaven.

The rose and cardamom hot chocolate is decadent, very soothing and relaxing for your senses and has a lovely lingering rose taste. It helps you calm, and relax on chilly winter evenings.

I used this rose and cardamom infused milk as the base for making valentine’s day special hot chocolates. But valentine’s day should not only be the reason for indulging in this drink, you can have it any day and anytime.

Why try this hot chocolate? ????

• Drinking hot chocolate in winters is the best thing and chocolate contains cocoa that has flavonoids, known to have lots of health benefits.
• Hot chocolate on its own tastes amazing, but when it is steeped with beautiful flavours like rose and cardamom it is very calming and soothing
• You need some variety in life. Moving away from the routine and enjoying a cuppa with natural flavours like rose and cardamom adds some fun and adventure to the regular hot chocolate drink.
• This recipe is easily adaptable and you can customise it. You can vary the strength of flavours you want, the kind of chocolate you want to use and the milk, based on your preferences.

Ingredients required and alternatives ????

✧ Milk | Dairy version or plant based – I personally like making this with regular whole milk, and for dairy free versions i prefer using almond milk or cashew milk. You can use whole milk, skimmed or semi skimmed milk. If you want a creamier version use whole milk.

You can use any plant milk of your choice preferably almonds, cashew, pistachios or oats. Use barista version of the milk if you want this to come out nice and frothy.

✧ Rose petals | edible food grade | dried or fresh– I used dried edible rose petals. These are easily available in super markets and on amazon. These are used for infusing the milk and also for garnishing while serving .If you can get fresh edible roses like ‘desi gulab’ or ‘Musk rose’ if you are in India, you can use the fresh,and washed petals to infuse the milk.

✧ Green cardamoms – I use 5-6 lightly crushed cardamom pods, as i want the rose flavour to be more prominent . You can add more or less cardamoms depending on the strength you want. However this tastes best with less cardamoms and stronger rose flavour.

✧ Chocolate – In this recipe i have used cocoa powder (white and regular cocoa powder).

I have used Whittard chelsea white hot chocolate powder, (for the white chocolate version )and divine cocoa powders (for the regular chocolate version) . Always use the best quality chocolates / cocoa powder for your hot chocolates.

You can use any cocoa powders you prefer. I personally prefer the regular hot chocolate with the rose and cardamom flavours, and my daughter (who is almost 8 years) loves the white hot chocolate combination.

It also tastes fabulous with cacao powders (with sweetener) . You can add a mix of chocolate bar and cocoa powder.

You can also use the chocolate discs recipe from the blog to make these delicious rose and cardamom hot chocolate recipe, or use the chocolate bars to make this decadent hot chocolate.

If you are making this vegan you can use vegan chocolates with vegan milk, completely omitting any dairy in it.

✧ Sweetener –  I have used a tsp of honey . Addition of sweetener completely depends on what you prefer-honey/ maple syrup/ sugar (or any sweetener) , quantity depending on the sweetness you want.

✧ Rose water– Adding rose water enhances the rose flavour. Use 3-4 drops of rose water that is organic and food grade for baking. I used Nielsen-Massey rose water. Make sure it is not synthetic rose water.

Instructions

Stewing the milk using rose and cardamom

Lightly crush the cardamom pods and the rose petals using a pestle and mortar.

Add the rose petals and cardamoms to the milk. Bring it to a boil, simmering over slow heat. Once boiled ,let the milk cool and spices steep for some time.

Once infused , strain it through a fine mesh strainer (tea strainer) to discard the rose petals, and cardamom pods.If you are using it the next day , keep the boiled and cooled milk in the fridge.

The rose and cardamom infused milk is now ready to be used.

If you are using it straight away, you can boil it , add chocolate , sieve the milk , add the rose essence and the hot chocolate is ready.However steeping the milk for some time, really enhances its flavour.

Making the rose and cardamom hot chocolate

To make the hot chocolate, heat the infused milk.Add cocoa powder (white hot chocolate powder or regular cocoa powder) or any chocolate that you are using for the recipe.Stir the hot chocolate.

Add sweetener of your choice . Whisk it really well. Add a few drops of rose water . Use the food grade / organic rose water. Mix well.

If you have milk frother, froth half a cup of milk, and top your hot chocolate with frothy milk. Sprinkle a few rose petals, dust some cardamom powder, or cocoa powder . Enjoy!

FAQ’s

Can this hot chocolate be made vegan?

Of course it can be made vegan.You can use any form of milk dairy or non dairy. However something like coconut milk has a strong flavour. If you are ok using coconut milk with the flavours of rose and cardamom , you can replace milk with coconut milk.

Can you omit adding cardamoms?

This hot chocolate tastes best when both the flavours of rose and cardamom are balanced and both these flavours complement each other. But for any reason, if you do not like cardamoms, you can omit and use only roses and rose essence.

Can you add more flavours to it ?

I wouldn’t add more spices or flavours to it as the flavours of rose and cardamom are quite strong. Adding any more spices will make all flavours mild, instead of enhancing the flavours.

Can you prepare the infused milk with rose and cardamoms in advance?

Yes, to save time i always infuse some milk a day ahead.Then whenever i feel like having a hot chocolate i just reheat the milk , add my favourite chocolates and add the rose water and the hot chocolate is ready.

What can you do with the leftover infused milk ?

If you have leftover infused milk, it can be used on its own. Try having it as a rose and cardamom latte.

To make the rose and cardamom latte, reheat the infused milk, pour some honey, top it with rose essence, sprinkle some rose petals and enjoy your rose and cardamom spiced latte.

You can also use the leftover milk to make desserts, replacing regular milk with infused milk or add it to your chai to make rose and cardamom infused chai.

This milk can also be added to your coffee to make a rose cardamom coffee.

Extra tips and Serving suggestions

• Serve this hot with a sprinkle of rose petals and cardamom powder, or a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
• Try adding a combination of chocolate bars and cocoa powder for a more potent chocolate flavour.
• You can sprinkle some fresh rose petals if you have some. That makes a great option for some special occasions like valentines day.
• If you are making this decadent hot chocolate for valentines, you may add a dash of beetroot powder to the white hot chocolate version. It will give a beautiful pink hue to the hot chocolate , perfect to impress your valentine or to indulge yourself.Check the homemade beetroot powder recipe here.
• Sprinkle some beetroot powder on top of the hot chocolate (using little heart stencils) while serving, to make it look like a perfect valentine’s day treat.
• Top this with some whipped cream, rose petals and marshmallows to make it more indulgent.

If you try this and like this recipe, please rate it by clicking the stars below. And don’t forget to like , share the recipe and tag us on Instagram or Facebook using #frombowltosoul_ and #frombowltosoul . Please Comment below for any queries, suggestions and ideas .I would love to hear from you.

Join the “From bowl to soul” mailing list to hear more from us. Sign up here .

First name

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human:

First name

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human:

Jump to Recipe

• Delicious ways to use Kale in Indian Recipes
• Roasting Garlic three ways – Oven , Pan and AirFryer Roasted Garlic.
• Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix: The Perfect spice Blend for fall
• Instant Green chilli and garlic chutney | Hari mirch lahsun ki chutney – Hot and sweet!
• Indian sautéed Kohlrabi recipe (Knol Kol | Ganth Gobhi)