A mug, glass, or even bowl – if you want to be very continental – of hot chocolate has got to be the ultimate comfort drink. The market is overflowing with choices of hot chocolate, and there's something out there for all budgets, diets and desires.When choosing the right hot chocolate for you, it depends on how strong a flavour and how sweet you like it. Most dark chocolate will show the percentage of cocoa solids and the higher the number, the stronger and somewhat darker the taste.With lesser numbers, the taste is softer, but beware that sugar may be used to compensate for loss of flavour.

Milk chocolate goes from dark to lighter too, but will always contain milk, so isn't suitable for a vegan diet or those with a dairy intolerance.Authentic hot chocolate, therefore, is made with chocolate, whatever strength or colour you like. It can be a bar that you grate at home; ready-grated; sold in chunks, flakes, drops or discs; and even sold on a stick to stir through hot milk.Read on to discover our top-rated hot chocolates for making instant warming drinks. If you'd prefer to make your own from scratch, see our classic hot chocolate recipe, slow cooker hot chocolate or a hot chocolate stirrer.Best hot chocolate to buy at a glanceBest luxury milk hot chocolate: Hotel Chocolat Milky 50% hot chocolate drink, £14.95Best sustainable chocolate flakes: Islands Chocolate milk chocolate flakes, £6.95Best for variety: Knoops hot chocolate gift box, £20Best for gifting: Hundred House Single Origin Hot Chocolate, £10.50Best sweetened hot chocolate: Spice Kitchen hot chocolate, £6Best small-batch drinking chocolate: Bullion single-origin drinking chocolate, £14.95Best hot chocolate bombs: Cocoba hot chocolate bombes, £21.90Best plain drinking chocolate: Cosy Chocolate original plain drinking chocolate, £4Best for coffee fans: Modern Standard 52% hot chocolate, from £6Best hot chocolates to buy in 2026Hotel Chocolat Milky 50% hot chocolate drinkAvailable from Hotel Chocolat (£14.95), Very (£29.90 for two packs) Best luxury milk hot chocolateYou can find a Hotel Chocolat on most high streets and shopping centres in the UK.

From a small start in 2004, it now has 106 stores and cafés and a strong online presence. It has a wide choice of all things chocolate, including the drinking variety.We test the highly popular Milky 50%, which is more mellow than the 70% and better suited to those who prefer a less sweet drink. This set comes with 10 single-serve sachets of hot chocolate flakes – perfect if you already have a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser – and it's also vegan-friendly and gluten-free.In our test, the flakes melted in an instant and the quality of the chocolate shines through.

There are also several other interesting flavours to choose from, including a rather tempting salted caramel.Available from:Hotel Chocolat (£14.95)Very (£29.90 for two packs)Islands Chocolate milk hot chocolate flakesAvailable from Islands Chocolate (£7.55), Ocado (£6.95), Tesco (£6.95) Best sustainable chocolate flakes Islands Chocolate started life in St Vincent in the Caribbean, when the Marriott family noticed that some of the world's finest cocoa was going largely unnoticed. What began as a cocoa-growing operation has now expanded into an impressive seed-to-bar brand with a strong ethical backbone: the cocoa is grown and sourced directly, with traceability from farm to cup.The hot chocolate comes in a few forms, but the milk chocolate flakes are the standout: rich, creamy and properly balanced, with none of that cloying sweetness you get from the supermarket stuff.

They melt cleanly in a milk frother with no clumps, resulting in a drink that's moreish without being too heavy. We also tested the classic powder, which is slightly sweeter but still has a bitter edge to keep things balanced. It also comes with instructions for a cold version, which means you can enjoy it year-round.The tins are on the smaller side, but the quality justifies it.

If you're buying as a gift, this is an easy win.Available from:Islands Chocolate (£7.55)Ocado (£6.95)Tesco (£6.95)Knoops hot chocolate selection boxAvailable from Knoops (£20) Best for variety Knoops is a brand built around one idea: hot chocolate doesn't have to mean just one thing. This selection box makes that case well, offering 10 different percentages – from a 28 per cent white all the way up to 100 per cent extra-dark – each in a single-serve sachet of chocolate flakes.All 10 melt cleanly in a milk frother. Below 70 per cent, the drinks are rich and creamy, and genuinely lovely.

Push into the 80-100 per cent territory, and the drinks are seriously bitter – not for everyone, but that's kind of the point. This is a box for people who want to find their percentage, not those who already know they like milky hot chocolate (me!).Six of the 10 percentages are award-winning, and the range includes options for vegans, too. As a gift for someone curious about chocolate, it's hard to beat.Available from:Knoops (£20