Make Hot Chocolate for a Crowd with these Ultra Cute DIY Bar Ideas + FREE sign and labels

TOPPINGS AND ADD-INS

Now, we get to the good stuff!

Everyone will have their favorite, but don’t be afraid to unleash your inner Willy Wonka to find amazing toppings and mix-ins.

Display your toppings in Mason jars or other pretty, transparent containers. Ideally, get containers that already come with scoops.

If your hot drink station will be out for more than a few hours, you’ll also want to make sure that the containers have airtight lids to keep ingredients as fresh as possible.

Otherwise, you can just use normal or disposable spoons for your guests to serve themselves with toppings, and to mix the drinks.

If you’re low on space, use a Lazy Susan to make a turntable of revolving toppings.

Organizing your toppings

Wooden Lazy Susan

Wooden Lazy Susan

This beautiful Acacia wood turntable is both practical and perfect for our comfy winter setting
Candy jar for hot chocolate bar

Candy Jars

These cute jars are brilliant for making sure candy and toppings stay mess-free
The best candy labels for hot chocolate

Hot chocolate labels

These labels will make your hot chocolate bar really stand out

Your toppings can be whatever you like; the sky’s the limit, but as a guide use any of the following:

Whoppers Fine cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles
Marshmallows Chocolate chips
Kosher or Sea salt Whipped cream
White chocolate chips Candy canes
Cinnamon Lindt truffles (or other ‘melty’ candies)
Toffee pieces Baileys or Amaretto
Chopped chili Flavored coffee syrups like hazelnut, caramel or cherry
Dark chocolate syrup Cookies for dipping
Crushed peppermints Caramel sauce

Some of our favorite accessories for topping your hot chocolate

Hot Chocolate Toppers

Hot Chocolate Toppers

These marshmallow toppers are the perfect size to fit over your mug of cocoa or hot chocolate
Hot Chocolate Spoons

Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Spoons

These spoons are the ideal choice for anyone wanting to minimize prep and still get a divinely chocolatey beverage
Hot Chocolate Gift Set

Hot Chocolate Gift Set

We think this is the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for any chocolate lover!

HOT CHOCOLATE WARMER

We’ve seen inspiration for tasty hot chocolate recipes and now, let’s look at how to keep your hot chocolate warm once it’s out.

You’ll likely want to make your batch of hot chocolate before your guests arrive and then top it up as you need to.

A crockpot is ideal for this as, depending on your recipe, you can slow cook the hot chocolate overnight and wake up with it ready to go.

Just place the crockpot on your hot chocolate station with a ladle so that your guests can help themselves or you can serve it to them.

You can keep the hot chocolate continuously warm using the crockpot’s low heat setting, stirring from time to time, and topping up as needed.

A different option is to fill an insulated drink urn with hot milk and keep some cocoa powder out on your hot drinks station so guests can help themselves. This is a slightly messier option than providing the hot chocolate pre-made, however.

Another way is to make the hot chocolate in any large cooking pan and decant it into a hot drinks urn or dispenser.

You could also leave the pot of cooked hot chocolate on a hot plate or warming tray, with a ladle if you don’t have a crockpot. This option might get hot, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it and watch for accidents.

Our favorite products for keeping hot chocolate warm for a crowd

Buffet Warming Tray

Buffet Food Warming Tray

Keep food warm until you're ready to serve it
Hot drinks urn

Hot Drinks Urn Dispenser

Ideal for warming your brew back up, your guests will be wanting a top-up or three
The best crockpot for Hot chocolate

Crockpot

The ultimate way to make hot chocolate overnight and keep it warm all day!
Holiday hot chocolate bar
Image by Simple Serendipity via Etsy

Get this look

Planter box with jars

Planter Box with Jars

Use this cute box for candy and add-ins for your hot chocolate bar
Chalkboard Labels

Chalkboard Labels

Label up your candy and treats with these rustic labels
Mason Jars

Mason Jars

These mason jars are a must-have for your craft stash
Chalkboard Sign

Chalkboard Sign

This rustic sign is perfect for any farmhouse decor
Red and White Twine

Red and White Twine

This pretty Christmas twine can be used for all sorts of DIY and craft projects
Wooden Spoons

Wooden Spoons

Use these spoons for candy toppings or make hot chocolate spoons with them

Once you have your signs and supplies set up, you won’t need a lot of extra decoration on the table itself.

You may also want to put out some non-chocolate hot drinks like a pot of coffee or flavored teas.

Once your set up is complete, although you may need to refill some of the ingredients, it’s easy and self-sufficient for guests to help themselves to what they want – which makes this idea such a hit with busy hosts!

Want to shop all our Christmas picks in one place? Check out our dedicated shopping page, full of all our best finds from the interwebs!

Did this post inspire you to build your own heavenly hot chocolate bar? Let us know in the comments!

Do you want to grab a FREE printable sign and labels kit for your hot chocolate bar? Sign up below to get in on this!

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