Champurrado-Style Mexican Hot Chocolate (Día de los Muertos)
Okay, picture hot chocolate. Now picture hot chocolate that went to the gym, got a little stronger, and came back wrapped in a cinnamon-scented blanket. That’s champurrado.
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Champurrado is a Mexican atole, a warm drink thickened with masa (the corn dough used for tortillas and tamales), stirred together with chocolate, piloncillo and cinnamon. It’s thick, silky, a little toasty from the corn, and honestly kind of life-changing the first time you try it.
With Día de los Muertos coming up on Nov 1 and 2, warm drinks like champurrado show up on a lot of tables next to tamales and pan de muerto. It’s a holiday about lovingly remembering family and friends who have passed, so I wanted to share a simple, cozy version you can make at home and pass around.
My champurrado-style hot chocolate takes about 20 minutes, one pot and one whisk. Zero alcohol, all hug-in-a-mug.
Why you’ll love it
- Thick and silky: masa harina gives it a velvety, almost pudding-like body. Spoon optional but encouraged.
- Cozy spice: a whole cinnamon stick simmers right in the pot.
- Pantry friendly: masa harina, milk, chocolate, sugar, cinnamon. That’s the whole crew.
- Easy swaps: works with oat milk and cocoa powder for a dairy-free mug (details below).
What is champurrado, anyway?
Atole is a family of warm Mexican drinks thickened with masa. Add chocolate and you’ve got champurrado. Traditional versions use piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar sold in little cones) and Mexican chocolate tablets, which already have sugar and cinnamon in them.
I’m calling mine champurrado-style because every family seems to have its own way of making it, and I’m not about to claim mine is the one true version. Think of this as a delicious, beginner-friendly starting point.
Tips for the best champurrado
- Slurry first. Whisk the masa harina into cold or room-temp water before it goes near the hot milk. Dump dry masa into hot milk and you’ll be fishing out lumps all night. Ask me how I know.
- Keep whisking. Masa likes to settle on the bottom and scorch. Medium-low heat and a whisk in your hand the whole time.
- Taste before you sweeten more. Mexican chocolate tablets are already sweet, so add the piloncillo a little at a time.
- Too thick? Splash in more milk. Too thin? Simmer a few more minutes. It also thickens as it cools.
- Get it foamy. A wooden molinillo spun between your palms is the classic move. A whisk or a milk frother works too.
More chocolatey, cozy sips
Still craving chocolate? Same, always. My Dark Chocolate Orange Mocktini is the fancy, chilled cousin of this mug. Want more fall warmth? Browse my 10 pumpkin mocktails or my cozy Sober October mocktails.
Allergy and alcohol-free notes
- Dairy: the classic version is made with milk. See the dairy-free swap below.
- Corn: masa harina is made from corn, so this one is not for anyone avoiding corn.
- Check the chocolate label: some Mexican chocolate tablets contain soy lecithin, milk, or ground nuts, or are made on shared equipment with nuts. Read the label, especially if you’re serving guests.
- Gluten: masa harina is naturally gluten-free, but check the bag for a gluten-free label if that matters for you.
- Dairy-free swap: use oat milk (my favorite here, it’s extra creamy) or another plant milk, plus unsweetened cocoa powder or a chocolate labeled dairy-free.
- Alcohol-free check: champurrado is naturally alcohol-free. The only sneaky spot is vanilla extract, which is usually made with alcohol, so I use alcohol-free vanilla or skip it.
Tools to use: masa harina, Mexican chocolate tablets, and a wooden molinillo for twirling like you mean it, all on Amazon. Any brand works.
Allergy note: Abuelita tablets contain soy and nut oils and are made in a facility with peanut, milk, wheat and egg.
Champurrado-Style Mexican Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup masa harina not cornmeal or cornstarch
- 1 cup water room temperature
- 3 cups whole milk or oat milk for dairy-free
- 1 cinnamon stick about 3 inches
- 2 oz piloncillo chopped, or 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar; add more to taste
- 1 tablet Mexican chocolate about 3 oz, chopped; or 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus 2 extra tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla alcohol-free vanilla, or skip
- ground cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk the masa harina into the water until completely smooth with no lumps. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk with the cinnamon stick and piloncillo, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves, about 5 minutes. Don't let it boil.
- Whisk the masa mixture again, then slowly pour it into the warm milk while whisking constantly.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking often and scraping the bottom, until thickened to a silky, gravy-like consistency, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the chopped Mexican chocolate (or cocoa powder plus extra sugar) and whisk until fully melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add more piloncillo or brown sugar if you like it sweeter.
- Remove from the heat, fish out the cinnamon stick, and stir in the salt and vanilla.
- Froth with a molinillo, whisk or milk frother until foamy, then pour into mugs, dust with cinnamon and serve hot.
