Champurrado (Mexican Chocolate Atole) Recipe

By
María del Mar Cuadra
A headshot of Maria del Mar Cuadra, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
María del Mar Cuadra
María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated May 10, 2019
201210:18-127677-LatAmCuisine-Champurrado-PRIMARY.jpg

Notes: Mexican chocolate can be found in the Latin American aisle of many supermarkets. Popular brands are Abuelita and Ibarra. If you can't find it, substitute bittersweet chocolate and add stir 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the masa harina mixture in step 1.

Piloncillo, an unrefined sugar used in Mexican cooking, is available in the Latin American aisle of many supermarkets. If you can't find it, substitute it with 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses

Recipe Details

Champurrado (Mexican Chocolate Atole) Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup masa harina, such as Maseca

  • 2 cups warm water

  • 2 cups milk

  • 3 ounces Mexican chocolate, finely chopped (see note)

  • 3 ounces piloncillo (see note)

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 2 star anise pods

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Directions

  1. In medium saucepan, whisk together masa harina and water until thoroughly combined. Stir in milk, chocolate, piloncillo, and salt. Add anise pods and cinnamon sticks and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook mixture, stirring occasionally until chocolate is melted, piloncillo is dissolved, and mixture has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard anise pods and cinnamon sticks. Serve.

Special equipment

medium saucepan, whisk or molinillo

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
214Calories
6gFat
36gCarbs
6gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories214
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g7%
Saturated Fat 3g17%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 144mg6%
Total Carbohydrate 36g13%
Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 201mg15%
Iron 1mg7%
Potassium 253mg5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes