When you’re choosing a commercial coffee machine, it’s easy to focus on espresso quality, speed, and reliability. But for many businesses, coffee isn’t the only drink on the menu.
Hot chocolate is a year-round favourite, appealing to children, non-coffee drinkers, and anyone after a comforting alternative. Having a machine that can serve both high-quality coffee and indulgent hot chocolate can help you reach more customers, increase sales, and keep service simple.
In 2025, there’s no shortage of bean-to-cup machines that also handle hot chocolate, but not all of them are built to the same standard. The best models deliver both drinks quickly, consistently, and without adding to your maintenance headaches. Whether you’re running a café, hotel breakfast service, office, or self-serve station, the right machine can give you barista-style coffee and smooth, rich hot chocolate from a single unit.
In this guide, we’ll look at some of the top commercial coffee machines with hot chocolate capabilities available this year, covering their strengths, ideal use cases, and what to consider when making your choice.
Our 2025 Top Picks - Coffee Machines with Hot Chocolate Capabilities
1. Eversys Machines – Coffee Excellence with Hot Chocolate Capability
All Eversys coffee machines can be specified with the option to serve hot chocolate, making them a flexible choice for businesses that want premium coffee alongside indulgent cocoa drinks. The way this works depends on the model:
The Eversys Legacy, comes with a dedicated chocolate hopper as standard, allowing you to offer hot chocolate without additional equipment. The Eversys Cameo and other models require an optional chocolate module, which sits alongside the machine and connects directly. This setup allows you to brew hot chocolate through the main portafilter, ensuring consistency and presentation in line with your coffee offering.
Whichever configuration you choose, Eversys machines deliver high drink quality, speed, and reliability, with the option to serve a full café-style menu from a single system.
2. Schaerer Coffee Soul 10 & 12 – Premium Quality and Flexibility
The Schaerer Coffee Soul 10 and 12 are premium bean-to-cup machines designed for businesses that want exceptional coffee quality and a wide range of drink options from a single unit. Alongside high-end espresso and milk-based coffees, both models can be configured to serve rich, indulgent hot chocolate, making them ideal for venues where variety is a must.
These machines are built with precision engineering, intuitive touch interfaces, and flexible drink programming, so you can tailor the menu to your customers’ tastes. They perform reliably in high-volume settings, maintaining quality even during peak demand, and their sleek, modern design makes them a strong visual addition to any coffee service area.
3. Alto 400 FM / GM – High Output, Low Effort
The Alto 400 FM (fresh milk) and Alto 400 GM (granulated milk) are robust bean-to-cup machines designed for fast, intuitive service in busy environments. Both models feature a large touchscreen display, easy-to-navigate menus, and the capacity to produce a wide range of drinks, including smooth, consistent hot chocolate.
Built for high-volume use, they can comfortably handle peak periods without compromising quality. The FM version is ideal for businesses that want fresh milk drinks, while the GM version offers the convenience of powdered milk with minimal cleaning and no refrigeration. Whichever you choose, the Alto 400 delivers reliable performance, straightforward operation, and drinks your customers will enjoy.
4. Vitro X3 – Versatile Performance for Busy Sites
The Vitro X3 is a high-pressure bean-to-cup machine designed to deliver authentic Italian-style coffee alongside a full menu of drinks, including smooth hot chocolate. With its intuitive selection panel and clear drink icons, it’s easy for both customers and staff to use, making it well-suited to self-service areas or busy service counters.
Built for sites producing up to 200 cups a day, the Vitro X3 combines speed, consistency, and minimal maintenance requirements. It’s designed to keep service running smoothly during peak periods while ensuring every drink meets the same high standard, from espresso to hot chocolate.
5. Vitro X1 – Affordable Quality with Hot Chocolate Capability
The Vitro X1 is our most affordable bean-to-cup machine that also serves smooth, indulgent hot chocolate alongside a wide range of coffee drinks. Its compact, contemporary design fits seamlessly into offices, hotels, leisure centres, or convenience stores, and it’s built for straightforward operation.
We like the Vitro X1 for its simple 12-selection touch panel, variable brewing unit for adjusting espresso strength, and easy-access hoppers for coffee, chocolate, or other ingredients. It’s capable of up to 100 cups a day and includes a separate hot water outlet for tea and infusions, making it a versatile option for businesses that want quality drinks without complexity.
6. Bravilor Bolero 11 - Hot Chocolate On Demand, Only
The Bolero 11 is a dedicated instant drinks machine designed solely for serving hot chocolate. It does not brew coffee or any other espresso-based drinks, making it a focused solution for businesses that want to serve rich, consistent hot chocolate quickly and with minimal effort.
With one large canister for instant chocolate powder, the Bolero 11 produces a drink in seconds and includes a separate hot water outlet for tea or soup. Its durable stainless steel build, eco mode, and simple cleaning programmes make it reliable and easy to run. For venues where hot chocolate is a key part of the menu, such as leisure centres, event spaces, or seasonal service points, it’s an efficient, no-compromise option.
