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Best luxury hot chocolate revealed for 2025
Craving a truly decadent hot chocolate to gift this Christmas – or to keep all for yourself? Get the whizzer at the ready, we’ve done the sipping for you.
Our panel of hot-chocolate fans blind-tasted premium dark blends (flakes, beads and buttons) from big-name brands including Hotel Chocolat, Knoops and Pump Street.
One luxury brand rose head and shoulders above the rest to be named a Best Buy. And if you’re shopping on a budget, you’ll be pleased to know a great-value Tesco hot chocolate beat several pricier rivals and left them for (cocoa) dust.
How we found the best hot chocolate
Going the extra mile
Our panel of 78 hot-chocolate fans got through more than 700 cups to find the best-tasting options.
Picking the right products
We selected products with 70-75% cocoa solids, either flakes or buttons, as these were the most popular and comparable type.
In-depth hot-chocolate ratings
We asked tasters to rate the sweetness, creaminess, bitterness and all-important chocolate flavour.
Rigorous stats testing
All our results are checked and analysed by our in-house statistics team for accuracy.
Best luxury hot chocolate
A premium brand topped the scoreboard, but we also found a great-value supermarket hot chocolate for less than £6.
Best Buy: Knoops 70% Extra Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes
Price: £14.50 for 250g (£5.80 per 100g)
Score: 72%
Knoops is our top pick if you're looking for a great-tasting, luxurious hot chocolate.
Our tasters loved the flavour, aroma and mouthfeel, with most finding it had just the right balance of creaminess, sweetness and bitterness.
It was also rated one of the best-looking hot chocolates, and nearly two thirds thought the colour was just right.
Although it's a pricier option, at more than £14 a pack, it's worth spending more on if you're looking for something extra special. Plus, the price per serve still beats splashing out at a fancy coffee chain.
Available from Knoops.
Great Value: Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes
Price: £5.75 for 200g (£2.30 per 100g)
Score: 70%
If you're looking for brilliant taste on a budget, Tesco Finest dark hot chocolate flakes are worth snapping up.
At just £5.75, this supermarket own-label hot chocolate is less than half the price of most others we tested, beating pricier brands including Hotel Chocolat and Pump Street.
Despite being one of the cheapest on test, it got high marks across the board for its delicious flavour and satisfying mouthfeel.
Not everyone was a fan of the appearance, though; around two thirds found the colour too dark.
While the packaging doesn't look as fancy as some, it's a great choice if you're after a taste of luxury without a steeper price.
Available from Tesco.
Kokoa Collection Dominican Republic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes
Price: £9.50 for 175g (£5.43 per 100g)
Score: 70%
Kokoa tied in second place alongside Tesco. It may have just missed out on a Best Buy, but it's still one to consider if you're after a satisfying way to get your hot-chocolate fix.
It scored well on flavour, and most of our tasters found the sweetness and bitterness well balanced.
Its appearance also impressed: nearly three quarters were satisfied with the colour.
It's not quite as pricey as Knoops, so it's a good choice if you're looking for a high-end hot chocolate that won't break the budget.
Available from Kokoa Collection.
Marks and Spencer Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes
Price: £5.50 for 250g (£2.20 per 100g)
Score: 67%
This M&S Belgian hot chocolate was the cheapest on test.
It was reasonably well liked overall, with good scores for aroma and mouthfeel.
However, the flavour wasn't quite on a par with higher-scoring hot chocolate overall, and around half of tasters said it was too bitter.
While it's not a top pick, it's still worth considering if you're after a premium hot chocolate that's not too pricey.
Available from Ocado and M&S (in-store only).
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How other hot chocolates compare
The rest of the hot chocolates we tested were more of a mixed bag. Some of the priciest brands, such as Pump Street, proved less impressive.
- Chococo 72% Ecuador Origin Single Estate Hot Chocolate Flakes – 66%. Good appearance and creaminess, but it didn't match up to higher scorers on flavour. £12.50 for 200g (£6.25 per 100g). Available from Chococo.
- Cocoa Canopy 75% Super Dark Hot Chocolate Melting Beads – 65%. Not bad overall, although the flavour wasn't to everyone's taste. Most found it lacking in sweetness. £5.95 for 225g (£2.64 per 100g). Available from Ocado.
- Pump Street 70% Drinking Chocolate Flakes West Papua – 65%. The most expensive hot chocolate on test. Our tasters really liked its appearance, but the other ratings were merely average. £15.50 for 200g (£7.75 per 100g). Available from Pump Street Chocolate.
- Hotel Chocolat Classic 70% Hot Chocolate Flakes – 60%. Hotel Chocolat fell behind rivals. It lost marks on mouthfeel, and most tasters thought it lacked creaminess. £10.95 for 250g (£4.38 per 100g). Available from Ocado.
- Islands Chocolate 75% Dark Chocolate Buttons– 59%. Our tasters didn't really enjoy the flavour of this hot chocolate, which was more bitter and less sweet than others we tested. £11.50 for 200g (£5.75 per 100g). Available from Ocado.
Full results from our hot chocolate test
| Hot chocolate | Score | Price per pack | Pack size (g) | Price per 100g | Saturated fat per 100g (g) | Sugar per 100g (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Buy: Knoops 70% Extra Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes Blend | 72% | £14.50 | 250 | £5.80 | 23.3 | 26.3 |
| Great Value: Tesco Finest Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes | 70% | £5.75 | 200 | £2.88 | 25.7 | 29.9 |
| Kokoa Dominican Republic Flakes 70% | 70% | £9.50 | 175 | £5.43 | 24 | 28 |
| Marks & Spencer Belgian 70% Dark Hot Chocolate Flakes | 67% | £5.50 | 250 | £2.20 | n/a | n/a |
| Chococo 72% Ecuador Origin Single Estate Hot Chocolate Flakes | 66% | £12.50 | 200 | £6.25 | 25 | 30 |
| Cocoa Canopy Super Dark Hot Chocolate Melting Beads | 65% | £5.95 | 225 | £2.64 | 26.3 | 21.7 |
| Pump Street 70% Drinking Chocolate West Papua | 65% | £15.50 | 200 | £7.75 | 22 | 30.4 |
| Hotel Chocolat Classic 70% Hot Chocolate | 60% | £10.95 | 250 | £4.38 | 25.6 | 27.1 |
| Islands Chocolate 75% Dark Chocolate Buttons | 59% | £11.50 | 200 | £5.75 | 28 | 27 |
Note: M&S doesn't state the saturated fat and sugar content per 100g, so the nutritional information is not comparable with the other amounts shown in the table. It does provide sugar and saturated fat content per serving (40g flakes with 200ml skimmed milk). Each mug provides 20.4g sugar and 12.7g saturated fat.
How we tested hot chocolate
Our panel of 78 tasters sipped and scored their way through more than 700 cups of hot chocolate in their mission to find the best-tasting brand.
Every sample was blind-tasted, so no one knew whether they were trying a pricey high-end brand or a cheaper supermarket hot chocolate.
To keep things fair, the panel tasted the hot chocolates in a different, rotated order, and each taster had their own private tasting booth.
They judged each one on flavour, aroma, appearance and texture, rating everything from sweetness and bitterness to the creaminess of the hot chocolate.
The overall score was based on:
- 50% flavour
- 20% aroma
- 15% mouthfeel
- 15% appearance.
Find out more about our editorial independence policy and see behind the scenes of our taste tests to understand more about how we work
Is hot chocolate high in sugar?
We tested dark hot chocolate, which tends to be lower in sugar than milk hot chocolate. For example, Knoops 43% Milk hot chocolate flakes contain 44.1g of sugar per 100g, which is far more than the dark chocolate version we tested (26.3g sugar).
However, all the hot chocolates we tested are still classed as high in saturated fat and sugar, except for Cocoa Canopy, which has slightly less sugar.
Bear in mind that extra toppings, such as syrup, cream and marshmallows, can substantially increase the overall fat and sugar content.
How to choose sustainable hot chocolate
There are various independent certification schemes for chocolate (and hot chocolate), which set out minimum requirements related to environmental, economic and social standards.
The most common ones you'll see on packaging are Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance logos.
The standards can vary depending on the scheme and may cover a range of issues related to cocoa production, such as child labour and deforestation.
For more advice about ethical and sustainable chocolate, see our full guide on how to buy more sustainable chocolate.
Price and availability checked: November 2025