Name: Mexican Champurrado
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup masa harina; 8 cups water (divided); 1 medium piloncillo cone (or 4 small ones); 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick; 1 Mexican chocolate disc (or 2 depending on how chocolatey you prefer); 2 cups milk (whole or 2%); 12 ounces evaporated milk

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Mexican Champurrado is a warm, traditional drink often referred to as Mexican hot chocolate. This thick and creamy recipe, straight from my aunt in Mexico, is so comforting and perfect for the cold-weather.

A warm mug of Mexican champurrado with a cinnamon stick and Mexican chocolate disc beside it.

I learned today's recipe from my tia Olga, my mom's oldest sister. My tia Olga lives in Chihuahua, Mexico where I was born. She is one of the kindest, gentlest, most loving people that I know.

She is also an amazing cook, just like my mom was, and was more than happy to let me share her amazing recipe for champurrado here on the blog.

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What is Champurrado?
Why You'll Love This Champurrado Recipe
The Ingredients
How to Make Champurrado
Recommended for This Recipe
Recipe

What is Champurrado?

Champurrado is a traditional Mexican drink that is often referred to as Mexican hot chocolate. This is no ordinary hot chocolate though.

Champurrado is a type of atole. Atoles are hot drinks made with corn flour, known as masa harina, resulting in a creamy, thick consistency. Atoles are usually sweet and flavored with spices, fruits, nuts or in the case of champurrado, with Mexican chocolate.

Like other atoles, champurrado is typically served during the winter months and especially during the holidays.

For more comforting atole recipes, check out Atole de Nuez and Rice Atole.

Why You'll Love This Champurrado Recipe

Comforting: Warm, rich and hearty, this is the perfect, comforting drink.

Thick and Creamy: The mix of milk and masa harina create an amazing consistency.

Great for Entertaining: Easily double this recipe for big gatherings and parties.

Traditional Recipe: Dating back to Aztec and Mayan times, champurrado is an important part of the Mexican culture.

The Ingredients

Piloncillo: Piloncillo is an unrefined whole cane sugar with a sweet, caramel-like flavor. Piloncillo (sometimes called panela) can be found at Mexican and Latin American supermarkets. Look for the ones that come in medium-sized cones. If you are unable to find piloncillo, you can substitute dark brown sugar.

Cinnamon Stick: I prefer Ceylon cinnamon (known as canela) which has a mild, sweet flavor. Click here to buy online.

Water

Masa Harina: Masa Harina is corn flour that is used to make corn tortillas, sopes, gorditas and so much more. Find masa harina at many grocery stores and Latin American supermarkets. You can also find many brands sold online. Check the bottom of the post for links.

Milk: You can use either whole milk or 2% but whole milk will result in a creamier, richer drink.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk adds more richness and creaminess to the champurrado. If you don't have any, you can use more regular milk in its place.

Mexican Chocolate: Mexican chocolate is a blend of cacao, cinnamon, and sugar. You can find it sold in discs. The most popular brands include Abuelita and Ibarra. I also recently found a brand called Taza that uses high-quality, organic ingredients in their chocolate.

How to Make Champurrado

1. Toast the Masa Harina

Add ½ cup masa harina to a medium pan and toast over low heat until lightly golden, stirring often so it toasts evenly and doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.

Boil cinnamon and piloncillo in a pot of water

2. Boil Water

Bring 6 ½ cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 medium cone of piloncillo and 1 cinnamon stick. Simmer until the piloncillo dissolves.

3. Add Chocolate

Add 1 or 2 chocolate discs and stir until fully dissolved.

4. Add Milks

Pour in the milk and evaporated milk. Bring to a gentle simmer, do not let it boil. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. Blend the Masa

Blend the toasted masa with 1 ½ cups warm water until completely smooth.

Mix ingredients together for champurrado in a pot

6. Add the Masa Mixture

Slowly pour the blended masa into the pot while whisking continuously. Cook on low for about 10 minutes, whisking every couple of minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve warm.

Recommended for This Recipe

Taza Chocolate

This Taza Chocolate is one of my favorite brands of Mexican chocolate to use in this recipe and in mole. It is made with only organic cacao beans and organic cane sugar and has a great flavor.

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How to Serve

This warm drink can be enjoyed by itself just like regular hot chocolate. Often times it is served with tamales or pan dulce (Mexican pastries).

You can also accompany this rich drink with:

Storing and Reheating

Store champurrado in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed jar or other air-tight container for up to 4 days.

After storing, the drink may thicken even more. Add a little bit of milk or water when reheating to thin it out.

To reheat, place in a small pot on medium heat until steaming. You can also reheat in a microwave safe mug for about one minute or until heated through.

Tips and Variations

Make it dairy-free! Replace the milk with almond milk and use a dairy-free evaporated milk.
If you cannot find dairy-free evaporated milk (such as coconut evaporated milk), use light coconut milk or just use all almond milk.
If you like a champurrado that isn't as thick, simply use less of the masa harina than what the recipe calls for.
Traditionally a molinillo, a Mexican wooden whisk, is what is used to froth and mix champurrado. You can find a molinillo here.

More Drink Recipes

Overhead view of a cup of creamy Mexican champurrado with cinnamon and Mexican chocolate.

I hope you enjoy! If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment with a star rating below. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to stay in touch, and don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter.

Recipe