How to Make Champurrado (A Thick, Mexican Hot Chocolate)

Learn how to make champurrado – a delicious Mexican hot drink made with corn masa and chocolate – the perfect way to warm up in cold, wintery weather!

Champurrado is a pretty popular drink in Mexico. It’s a chocolate based atole, prepared with corn masa and chocolate. It’s definitely not something we drink all year long… but more towards the fall when the weather cools down.

For many in Mexico it’s a drink for the field workers to keep their bellies full and warm as they work on colder mornings.

Every so often we’ll make it at home too, because it’s something my older children enjoy it.  We always keep the ingredients in the pantry, for us they are staples. So we never really have to make a special trip to get anything at the store.

Depending on where you are from, everyone makes it slightly different. Some people love to use a can of evaporated milk, some prefer adding anise sticks, and some prefer using Ibarra chocolate instead of Abuelita.

If you don’t have piloncillo readily available in your pantry, any hispanic market will have it as a regular item. Safeway carries it as well, but you won’t find it in bulk. You will need to look in the Latin area, and it’s usually found 2 pieces to a small sealed bag.

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Champurrado

A delicious Mexican hot drink made with corn masa and chocolate - the perfect way to warm up in cold, wintery weather!

Course Drinks

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword champurrado, hot chocolate, Mexican

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 162kcal

Author Admin

Ingredients

• 2 C water
• 1 C milk
• 12 oz Carnation evaporated milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tablet of Abuelita or Ibarra
• 6 oz. piloncillo
• 1/2 C masa

Instructions

• Fill up the stock pot with the 2 C. water & 1 C. milk and add the cinnamon stick, piloncillo and chocolate tablet
• Simmer the mixture until the piloncillo and tablet dissolve, about 8-10 minutes
• Take 1 C. of the hot mixture out and put in the blender with the masa & blend until smooth
• Pour the blender mixture back in the stock pot slowly (mixing well as you go)
• Add the Carnation evaporated milk
• Simmer at low heat another 6-8 minutes while stirring frequently to prevent clumps until the mixture thickens up (it'll be a light gravy consistency)
• Ladle into mugs - but be careful because it'll be VERY hot!

Notes

Piloncillo will be very hard at first - you really don't need to cut it (if you want to, you can heat it up first to soften). Once it sits in the hot water for a few minutes it will dissolve quite fast.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg

As champurrado cools, it thickens greatly. If you have some left, you can refrigerate for up to 3-4 days – when you reheat, add a little water to thin it out.

Looking for more warm drinks for the chilly fall weather?

• Atole de Vainilla 
• Atole de Aveena

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