Fast Food Hot Chocolate Ranked From Worst To Best
Americans love hot chocolate. This delicious drink has many iterations, all of which are especially beloved in the winter, per a OnePoll survey of 2,000 people on their relationship with the hot beverage. There are tons of ways to make it: Some use powder and water, while others use melted chocolate and milk. No matter which particular method you like best, we can all agree that this delicious drink makes those long winter months a bit more bearable.
Some of us, though, don't want to make it ourselves. We'd rather employ the convenience of fast food restaurants who can make it for us. And if the weather allows you to leave your home to grab a cup of hot chocolate, we fully support your decision to buy rather than brew. It's way easier, and some options are just as good, if not better than, what you'll make at home.
But not all fast food hot chocolates are created equal. Some are delicious, yes, but others aren't worth your money. To help you out, we ranked those fast food hot chocolates from worst to best. Use this as a guide the next time you're craving hot chocolate. Let's get into it.
10. Scooter's
Starting our list is a hot chocolate option from one of the top coffee shops in the United States by revenue. Scooter's has been serving coffee since the late '90s, and the brand is in the business of selling delicious caffeinated drinks. And some customers are of the opinion that the brand should stick to its caffeinated drinks. Per one Tripadvisor reviewer, "When you are paying almost $4 for a hot chocolate, it should be darn close to perfect. I will NOT be going back!"
Scooter's makes its hot chocolate by blending chocolate with milk and topping it with whipped cream. The drink is nothing special, and like you'll see as you continue reading, many hot chocolates on this list have a special feature that makes them stand out from the crowd. Scooter's hot chocolate lacks that special feature. We patronize Scooter's regularly, and we will continue to do so, but we'll be sticking to the coffee drinks.
9. Dunkin'
You might be surprised to see Dunkin' so low on the list of best fast food hot chocolates. And we don't blame you — we're a little surprised, too. But hear us out. Dunkin' hot chocolate isn't terrible; it just could be a whole lot better. Dunkin' uses water and a powder mixture to make its hot chocolate.
And to a certain extent, we totally understand. It's a coffee chain expected to serve drinks to multitudes of customers in a matter of minutes, and hot chocolate isn't exactly what the chain is known for. Something's got to give. But given that there are several other joints on this list in the exact same position that serve much better cups of hot chocolate, Dunkin' could do a little bit better. We're capable of making hot chocolate with water and powdered mix at home. We want to purchase something from a restaurant that we can't make ourselves, and Dunkin' drops the ball on that front.
As one customer shared on Tripadvisor, "This was my first time going to dunkin donuts [sic] and the hot chocolate was terrible." Not everybody hates it, though. One Tripadvisor customer said, "Super donuts/ coffee/ hot chocolate! This is easily the best place for a sweet treat in the area." We're not necessarily recommending you abstain from ordering hot chocolate at Dunkin' — we just highly recommend considering ordering something else first.
8. Panera Bread
We're Panera Bread fans through and through. The restaurant chain known for its bread offerings has won us over time and again with its delicious soups, sandwiches, and desserts, but its drinks aren't quite as good as the rest of its menu, and that includes the hot chocolate. There's nothing inherently wrong with the hot chocolate — nothing you can point to as a certain symptom of a bad cup of cocoa, like use of the wrong liquid or a poor choice in syrup. The recipe is milk, bittersweet chocolate, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle, a standard hot chocolate mixture. There are even ways to customize the drink by adding more syrup or removing the whipped cream.
The reviews are mixed. While one Grubhub customer said, "The sandwiches were excellent as was the chocolate drink," another quipped, "It was good but the chocolate drink was too strong." The hot chocolate from Panera Bread probably won't become your favorite hot chocolate, but it'll satisfy you enough if you're desperate for the drink, and we certainly understand desperation for hot chocolate. Panera's hot chocolate isn't bad — it's just okay. And that's okay. We still love Panera Bread and will frequent it in perpetuity. We just won't order the hot chocolate.
7. McDonald's
Another that's on our list — though not on some — is McDonald's hot chocolate. This isn't the absolute best hot chocolate you can find from a fast food restaurant (obviously, otherwise it'd be No. 1), but it's solid. Made from hot chocolate syrup and steamed milk, McDonald's hot chocolate is topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle, and the result is a delightful cup that's worth the money. Like most menu items at McDonald's, the hot chocolate is rather high in calories, but — again, like most menu items at McDonald's — it's a tasty concoction worthy of being called a guilty pleasure.
One of the reasons the hot chocolate from the Golden Arches doesn't rank higher on our list is because of customer feedback. Though generally favorable, not everyone finds it so tasty. "I'm really not a fan of the hot chocolate here," one reviewer shared on ChickAdvisor. "It's overpriced and tastes so watery would be much better if it was made with hot milk and no water to emphasise [sic] the chocolate taste." McDonald's makes no mention of using water in its recipe.
Still, though, there are plenty who would recommend the drink. "For a fast food place, this Hot Chocolate is great! It is not expensive and has whipped cream too! Size is good as well. Taste is great and not made of powdered hot choco mix," a separate customer noted on ChickAdvisor. We think it's a solid option.
6. Jack In The Box
This next item isn't technically hot chocolate — it's frozen — which is why it doesn't rank higher on our list. But it ranks this high because it's so deliciously good. If you know someone who's tried Jack In The Box's hot cocoa shake and isn't a fan, we'd like to meet this person. An out-of-the-Jack-In-The-Box idea, the restaurant's hot cocoa shake is a toothsome dessert that combines your favorite Jack In The Box shake with your favorite winter drink. The shake is an updated version of the restaurant's standard vanilla. To upgrade, the recipe includes cocoa, toasted marshmallows, and whipped cream. It's great.
It's a new menu item introduced in November 2022, so not everyone has had the chance to try it yet, but those who have are fans. One person dedicated a video review to the product and shared on YouTube, "It's pretty good. It tastes like an actual, you know, hot chocolate, but frozen ... It's pretty dang good, though."
The downside to Jack In The Box's hot cocoa shake? It's a seasonal drink, so it won't be around for long. Make it a priority to try it while you can, and perhaps the brand can be swayed to keep the shake on its menu permanently. Stranger things have happened.
5. Tim Hortons
It's cold in Canada, and the citizens need hot drinks to keep warm. Because of this, those citizens also have a propensity for creating tasty warm drinks. It is by this irrefutable science we have determined that Canadian fast food chain Tim Hortons has concocted a tasty hot chocolate option well worth a high place on our list. The restaurant's classic hot chocolate recipe is flavorful and smooth, and it's so good you can almost taste that signature Canadian kindness emanating from the cup.
Made with milk, Tim Hortons hot chocolate is a silky drink that some customers will travel for. On the company website, one such customer shared her testimony: "I LOVE Tim Hortons hot chocolate. Some might call it an obsession; I like to call it devotion ... When I go home to Ohio I make multiple runs for Tim Hortons hot chocolate and have to restrain myself from going several times a day. When I go on weekend road trips with my friends I INSIST that we stop at any Tim Hortons I see."
Other reviewers may not have quite the same affinity for the drink, but Tim Hortons hot chocolate is definitely universally loved. "The hot chocolate at Tim Hortons is good. It's basic, it's sweet, it's hot, and it fills a need when you don't feel like a cup of coffee," another customer shared on NEAROF!
4. In-N-Out
In-N-Out is primarily in locations across the country where the temperature rarely drops low enough for anyone to need a cup of hot chocolate, so it may seem odd that the franchise added hot chocolate to its menu, but once you taste it, you'll understand why. And you might even be surprised to hear that In-N-Out serves hot chocolate. Don't feel too out of the loop, though — it's a relatively new addition. The burger joint added hot chocolate to its menu in 2018, and curious, thirsty patrons were quick to flock to their nearest location to have a taste. The result was a pleasant surprise.
Served in a darling brown-and-white cup with In-N-Out tiny palm trees, the restaurant's hot chocolate is made with hot water and Ghirardelli chocolate, per Insider, which we're certain is the secret to its magic. Customers can top their cup with marshmallows if they so choose, and employees will bestow upon them a lovely 8-ounce serving. How great does that sound? "It's ... tasty and totally reminiscent of the instant hot cocoa we all grew up drinking in the chillier nights of our youth. It's not too sweet, it's pleasantly chocolatey, and it lets you indulge a little without completely ruining your appetite," one happy drinker shared via Brit+Co. For the first new menu item in 15 years, In-N-Out's hot chocolate is definitely a success.
3. Corner Bakery Cafe
Some drinks are so decadent that it's hard to believe they even exist. Such is the case with the Corner Bakery Cafe truffle hot chocolate. Just as the name indicates, Corner Bakery Cafe's hot chocolate is made with truffle chocolate, meaning it's sweet, rich, and silky smooth. As one reviewer said on Tripadvisor, "If you wanna taste a great hot chocolate this is the place, the beverage is amazing!!! It's not just a hot chocolate it's a truffle chocolate, it actually has lots of flavor! This is a whole experience."
This hot chocolate is truly a treat. Few places are so well-known for their hot chocolate, and the Corner Bakery Cafe takes pride in its special drink, serving a cup of liquid gold to each customer who orders. If you order the truffle hot chocolate once, you can expect heaven. If you order it regularly, you can expect consistency. You can also expect lots of calories. Per CalorieKing, one 12-ounce cup of truffle hot chocolate contains 240 calories, and that's with non-fat milk and sans whipped cream.
Though it's not as high in calories as some other options on this list, you're probably not ordering a 12-ounce cup with non-fat milk, so be aware of the health implications and order in moderation. Or don't. It'll take some exercise to work off a cup of Corner Bakery Cafe's hot chocolate, but it'll be worth it.
2. Caribou Coffee
There are many ways to make a hot chocolate, and Caribou Coffee employs one of the best methods, firmly cementing itself in second place on our list of best fast food hot chocolates. Most of us simply use powdered mixes to make hot chocolate at home. Though there's nothing wrong with that, we want something a little more special, something we can't (or won't) do ourselves when we purchase from a restaurant, and that's exactly what we get at Caribou Coffee, which uses melted chocolate in its hot chocolate recipe. Along with its divine melted chocolate, the drink is made with steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips, making for a totally scrumptious gulp that'll satisfy even the pickiest hot chocolate connoisseur.
Per one reviewer on Tripadvisor, "The Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate is the very best in town! Served with whipped cream, it is made with tiny dark chocolate chips that melt in the bottom from the hot milk. Absolutely made a fan of me! I had to buy a can of the dark chocolate chips so I could enjoy it at home!" A cup of Caribou Coffee hot chocolate just might have you trying to replicate the recipe at home. We completely understand why.
1. Starbucks
Of all the fast food hot chocolates, the best lives at Starbucks. This certainly isn't shocking — as the largest coffee shop chain in the country, per ScrapeHero, you'd think it'd have drinks figured out by now. And it does, especially its hot chocolate. Starbucks hot chocolate is beloved by many for its rich flavor and frothy texture. Made from the brand's signature mocha sauce, the chocolatey drink is exactly the flavor you want from hot chocolate, and its many customers agree.
"I've become addicted to Starbucks hot chocolate with whipped cream, of course! It's rich and tasty, they make it with fresh ingredients!! I've Made hot chocolate at home but it's never as good as the real thing," one customer said on ChickAdvisor. Another added, "All other hot chocolates beware! This hot chocolate is fabulous. It's creamy texture allows the drink to melt down your throat and fill you with warmth. The drink is rich in flavour, and the whipped topping perfects it. It is presented beautifully and tastes better than any other hot chocolate I have tasted."
There's a lot to love about the hot chocolate at Starbucks, but one of our favorite things is the customization options. Like with all other Starbucks coffee drinks, you can have your hot chocolate made with your choice of milk, toppings, flavors, and sweeteners. You can even have the inside of your cup lined with caramel or mocha sauce. How great is that? Starbucks has won the hot chocolate game.