Champurrado is a warm and thick drink made with masa, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, piloncillo and milk. It’s Mexico’s favorite drink to have during cold & cozy nights and it’ll be yours soon too.
***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Did you know that when Mexican Hot Chocolate and Atole met they had a baby and that’s how Champurrado was born! True story ☺️.
What’s champurrado made of?
This warm, creamy and milky drink is made with masa, Mexican chocolate, piloncillo (or brown sugar) and cinnamon. It’s a very simple and authentic drink that will keep you warm once you have a steaming mug of Champurrado.
History on Mexican Champurrado
This is one of the oldest drinks in Mexico and it goes back to pre-Hispanic times. The Aztecs, who made the most of corn and prepared various dishes and drinks, including our beloved Atole.
The Aztecs used to make it for ceremonies and rituals!
These days, you’ll find people selling Champurrado on the streets or in small bakeries throughout Mexico. Even in the U.S. you’ll see it sold by street vendors and restaurants, specially during the holidays in December.
Champurrado is a thick drink that warms you up down to your bones!
Ingredients
These ingredients are to make a small batch of our drink. If you would like to make more, just double the ingredients!
- ½cupmasa (100 grams)– the one you use to make tamales. If you can’t find already made masa, you can use ½ cup of maseca (corn flour).
- Chocolate tablets: 1Abuelita or Ibarra Chocolate tablet– 90 grams tablet
- Sweetener: Piloncillo– half of the piloncillo (see note below). Also, if you can’t find piloncillo, you may replace it with ½ cup of dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon molasses.
- Spices: 1Cinnamon stick
- Milk – Use whole milk or 2%. Even almond milk will work to keep it dairy free.
- Optional: vanilla extract
Top Tip: The Piloncillo is very hard so to cut in half easily, place it in microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it up a little bit then cut with a knife.
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
How To Make Champurrado
- Start by mixing the masa in one cup of water in a blender. Puree until a smooth consistency and set aside.
Variation
If you’re using masa harina (maseca) toast it in a skillet on medium heat until light golden brown. Then add it to the water and blend just as step 1 above.
2) In a medium pot or large saucepan, add one cup of water, the cinnamon stick and piloncillo. Bring it to a soft rolling boil until the piloncillo melts. About 5 minutes.
This is what it looks like when the piloncillo has melted:
3) Add the milk and mix with whisk or molinillo. At this point you can remove the cinnamon stick if you like or leave it longer to continue adding flavor.I leave mine all the way to the end 😉
4) Once the milk is hot (but before it starts to boil), add the chocolate and whisk until it’s all dissolved. Stirring the mixture often so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
5) Once this mixture is hot, pour the masa & water mixture and continue to whisk constantly.
6) Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes (the masa has to cook) or until you reach a dense consistency. Add a little more milk if you desire a more liquidy consistency. Keep whisking often to prevent it from boiling over.
Serve hot and enjoy. Buen Provecho!
FAQs
What is Piloncillo?
Piloncillo is unrefined whole cane sugar that is sold in blocks. In Mexico is known by this name but in the rest of the Latin American countries is known by Panela.
What is the difference between atole and champurrado?
Atole, also known as Atol, is made with water, piloncillo and masa (corn flour). It does not contain any chocolate. When you add Mexican chocolate, that’s when it becomes Champurrado!
How to Store
Make sure the leftover champurrado has cool down before storing in the fridge.
- Fridge: Place in an airtight container or jar. It’s best if consumed within 3 days.
- To reheat: If having on the second day and it has become too thick, just add a little more water or milk when heating it up. That should bring it right back to the correct texture.
Serving Suggestions
This Mexican hot drink goes with many recipes or just by itself. Here are a few perfect ideas to try it with:
- Beef Tamales
- Pozole
- Chilaquiles
- Tlacoyos
- Migas
Gotta try it!
If you’ve never tried Champurrado before, then now is the time to taste it! You’ll be surprised by how delicious it is, even better than regular coffee or hot chocolate.
Buen provecho!
Enjoy…
More Hot Drinks
- Ponche Navideño
- Atole De Maizena
- Atole De Avena
- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Atole De Pinole
I hope you like this recipe!Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, pleasecontact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Champurrado
Servings 6 cups
Ana Frias
4.98 from 38 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
PRINT PIN RECIPE LEAVE A REVIEW
Champurrado Mexicano is a warm and thick drink made with masa, Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, piloncillo and milk. It’s the classic drink to have during cold & cozy nights.
6cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup prepared masa (100 grams) or ½ Maseca
- 2 cups water divided
- 1 Abuelita or Ibarra Chocolate tablet 90 grams tablet
- 3.5 oz Piloncillo half of the piloncillo (see note #2)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 4 cups whole milk or 2% or even almond milk to keep it dairy free.
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
In a blender, add one cup of water and the masa. Puree until a smooth consistency and set aside.
If you're using maseca, toast it in a skillet on medium heat until light golden brown. Then add it to the water and blend just as step 1 above.
In a medium size saucepan, add one cup of water, one cinnamon stick and piloncillo. Bring it to a soft rolling boil until the piloncillo melts. About 5 minutes. (See note #1)
Add the milk and whisk. Once the milk is hot, add the chocolate and whisk until it's all dissolved. Move the mixture often so that it does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Once this mixture is hot, add the masa & water mixture and whisk constantly.
Cook for about 10 minutes (the masa has too cook) or until you reach a dense consistency. Add a little more milk if you desire a more liquidy consistency. Keep whisking often to prevent it from boiling over.
Serve hot and enjoy. Buen Provecho!
Muy Delish Notes:
#1 To cut the piloncillo in half easily, place in microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it up a little bit then cut with a knife.
#2 Remove the cinnamon at this point if you like or leave it longer to continue adding flavor.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 230mg
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
