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The ultimate at-home hot chocolate station set-up

8 Oct 2025

Hot Chocolate Velvetiser Recipes

Set up your own hot chocolate station for access to barista-grade drinks in the comfort of your kitchen.

The ALL-NEW Velvetiser® is here to transform the way we enjoy drinking chocolate — and it can form the central part of your at-home hot chocolate station.

Gone are the days of overly sweet syrups and powders that clump, undissolved at the bottom of the mug. Instead, it’s time to savour the smooth richness of real chocolate, melded with your chosen form of milk into a sumptuous beverage. Hot or cold, you decide.

If you want to get the most out of every sip, we have some easy hot chocolate ideas to add a touch of luxury to your preparation station.

Home coffee station: chest of drawers with coffee equipment

What is a hot chocolate station?

A hot chocolate station is an area where you can prepare your drink with ease. We’ve previously looked at setting up a Christmas hot chocolate station for your office party. But we rather think drinking chocolate is for all year round, don’t you?

So here are some ideas for a hot chocolate station that’s ready and waiting for you, whenever you fancy a moment of comfort. From mid-morning screen breaks to an evening wind-down, our hot chocolate makes the perfect refreshment.

With a dedicated station, you can easily whip up a cafe-quality drink (without the queues), and Velvetise your day.

Why the Velvetiser is the perfect addition to your hot chocolate station

The drinking chocolate you add to your set-up is, of course, a big part of creating a hot chocolate station. However, you also need the means of preparing your drink. While it is possible to make hot chocolate on the hob, we recommend letting the ALL-NEW Velvetiser take care of things for you.

Our at-home drinking chocolate system adds a little something extra to your beverage. It features patented InnerPod ridges and a custom-designed whisk. Together, these produce an unrivalled vortex effect to meld your chocolate and milk together, creating a velvety-smooth texture and lavish crema.

What’s more, did we mention this innovative system can produce both hot and cold drinking chocolate? Thermodynamic programming ensures you get the perfect drinking temperature every time.

At the turn of a dial, you can choose a hot setting, which reaches 68-70℃ to let the chocolate’s cacao notes shine through, or a cold setting for a chilled beverage. The cold setting gently pulses to make sure the chocolate fully melds with the milk so you get a silky-smooth texture without the heat.

The ALL-NEW Velvetiser is intuitive to use, and includes helpful lighting to indicate the setting you choose and its progress with your drink.

Learn more about the innovative engineering powering the Velvetiser.

How to set up a hot chocolate station

If you’re wondering how to incorporate the Velvetiser into your hot chocolate station, here are a few steps to help you get the best set-up possible.

Find the perfect spot

Firstly, you want to find the ideal place for your hot chocolate station. The kitchen tends to be convenient for most homes, but you may also wish to set up your station in a dining area. Wherever you choose, make sure you have enough space to set out all your components.

Put the Velvetiser in pride of place

You’ll also need access to a plug socket so you can use your Velvetiser. The good news is that the ALL-NEW Velvetiser will add a sleek and sophisticated element to your station.

With its elegant shape, designed by renowned Royal College of Art ceramist, Andrew Wicks, and inspired by the natural curves of a cacao pod, it’s sure to add style to any kitchen counter.

You can also choose from three gorgeous colourways:

Pebble: Bringing neutral, earthy tones to your hot chocolate station
Pewter: For a classic brushed chrome effect
Chalk: A crisp white, perfect for a minimalist aesthetic

Don’t forget to add your PodGlass™ and PodCup™ to the setup. Our PodGlasses™ are designed for cold or iced drinking chocolate, while our PodCups™ are an excellent choice for hot chocolate. Both have been designed by Andrew Wicks and match the Velvetiser beautifully.

Choose your drinking chocolate

Here’s where you can bring your favourite cacao drinks to the occasion. If you have one or two flavours you adore, why not pick up some single-variety packs? From Milky 50% and Vanilla White Hot Chocolate to Banana Cold Chocolate, each pack contains 10 single-serve sachets, each containing the ideal amount of chocolate for a sumptuous drinking experience.

For those following a plant-based lifestyle, we also have a range of vegan* hot chocolate varieties to savour, including staggeringly creamy 45% Nutmilk, fiery Chilli, and bold Dark 100%.

If you want to explore a variety of drinking chocolate options, we have plenty of selection packs to try. To learn more about the wide range of flavour combinations we have available, browse our hot drinking chocolate and cold drinking chocolate collections in the Velvetiser library.

Keep an eye out for limited edition flavours, such as Pumpkin Spice and Matcha, too.

*Please note: Our vegan hot chocolates contain no dairy ingredients but are produced in the same environment as our milk chocolate. As such, we cannot guarantee they are free from milk traces.

How to present your drinking chocolate

You can keep your single-serve sachets in their boxes. However, setting them out so you can see them makes for an enticing display. Not only will it speed up the process of making your drinking chocolate, but it also allows you to take in all the different options visually, first, adding to the experience.

You might like to lay them out in a tray, stack them on shelves (a small letter organiser can work well!), or place the sachets in glass canisters.

Select your toppings

Part of the fun of a hot chocolate station is adding extras to your drink. From mini marshmallows and sugar sprinkles to cinnamon powder and chopped nuts, you can get as creative as you like with your toppings.

Think about the additions that will complement your chosen drinking chocolate variety. For instance, desiccated coconut can add some texture and tropical notes to a Banana Cold Chocolate, while a dash of grated nutmeg can bring autumn cosiness to an Orange Hot Chocolate.

Small glass jars can make excellent receptacles for your different toppings, and it’s helpful to set out dedicated spoons and tongs for each one.

Make it inviting

Your ALL-NEW Velvetiser, drinking chocolate sachets, and selection of toppings will naturally create an aesthetic display. However, you can always add your own touch and make the space even more inviting with fairy lights or a lamp and stylish canisters or jars.

Another nice idea is to add a tablecloth or place mats beneath your items. However you decorate, make your hot chocolate station an enticing area that brings a little bit of cacao magic to your day.