Mexican Champurrado

Authentic Mexican champurrado is thick, rich, and comforting. Warm up your holiday season with this easy, traditional family recipe!

Jump to Recipe Add us as a Google trusted source

A traditional ceramic mug filled with frothy Mexican hot chocolate, also known as champurrado, sits on a wooden surface, accompanied by two cinnamon sticks and a round chocolate tablet nearby.

Mexican champurrado and tamales make the ultimate comfort combination, especially when the winter months roll in. I originally published this recipe back in 2018, but it’s been a family favorite forever!

This rich, thick Mexican hot chocolate drink is a holiday tradition for las posadas and Christmas time, but once you learn how easy it is to make at home, you will want to sip on it all season long. Velvety, warming, and deeply comforting, this recipe brings the authentic flavors of Mexico straight to your kitchen.

Also try this traditional Mexican Christmas drink: Ponche Navideño.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️

Authentic Flavor: Made with whole cinnamon, masa harina, and traditional Mexican chocolate for a genuine, old-school taste.
The Perfect Pairing: It is the quintessential companion to warm, savory tamales or fresh Mexican sweet bread.
Better Than Store-Bought: Making it at home is much less expensive than buying pre-made versions, and your whole house will smell incredible while it simmers.
Customizable Creaminess: While traditionally made without milk, adding milk gives it an ultra-creamy texture that everyone loves.

-Maggie

📖 Family Story: Cooking with Mom

When my mom came to visit, I thought it was the golden opportunity to get her to cook and teach me all the traditional recipes she usually guarded like state secrets—like my family’s recipe for Red Pork Tamales! To my absolute surprise, she agreed, and she even said she would appear in the video.

Making champurrado always brings back fond memories of being in Durango, Mexico, warming up with a hot cup of champurrado alongside fresh tamales on chilly days. Now, during the winter months, I make this all the time, and my son is just as obsessed with it as I am.

Having my mom’s experienced hands guiding me through the process— decades of kitchen wisdom—made this recipe even more special to preserve and share.

🌽 Masa Harina

Masa harina, in a nutshell, is a type of corn flour that goes through an alkaline process and ground. It has a unique flavor for that reason.

Don’t confuse this with regular hot chocolate. The biggest difference: Masa harina! That’s what will create a thick drink and distinct taste.
Masa harina is used in many Mexican recipes like corn tortillas, Mexican sopes, and masa for tamales.
That’s why this drink is so often had with tamales. You can always find Maseca masa harina on Amazon.
Very Important! You CAN’T substitute masa harina for corn flour. Accept no substitute. If they don’t use masa harina corn dough, it is not Mexican champurrado.

A hand mixes dough in a metal bowl filled with a thick, pale batter on a wooden surface.

🥣 Instructions

Add water to the masa to a medium bowl.
Mix thoroughly to get out all the lumps.

You can do this in the blender, with an immersion blender, or use a whisk.

My mother, though, is old school. She makes the masa mixture by hand. That’s the way she was taught, and that’s what she’ll do.

I love this picture of my mom’s experienced hand covered with masa and all. We made gorditas that day and had leftover masa dough.

A stainless steel bowl filled with smooth, light yellow batter sits on a wooden surface.

😃 Mexican Joke for the Holiday Season

Question: What US state makes the best tortillas, tamales, and champurrado?
Answer: Masa-chew-sets 😂

Four-photo collage: whole cinnamon stick in pan, cinnamon stick in bubbling water, thick liquid being poured through a strainer, and milk being poured into a pot of bubbling brown liquid.

Add 5 or more cups of water and a cinnamon stick to a large stock pot.
Bring to a boil and simmer at medium heat for a few minutes.
Add the masa mixture to the cinnamon tea.
Then, add a little water to the container.
Just enough to get any remaining masa mixture and add that to the pot as well.
Stir with a wire whisk.
4 cups of milk go into the pot.
Continue stirring.

Don’t stop stirring, or it will form lumps. No Lumpy Dumpty. Or your champurrado will have a great fall.

🥛 Types of Milk to Use

You can use skim milk, whole milk, or 2% milk. If you are following a particular diet, you can also use soy milk, coconut milk, goat milk, or almond milk. Traditionally, this Mexican chocolate drink was not made with milk. Many people (myself included) prefer a creamy texture. Try it without the milk, and let me know what you think.

Atole vs. Champurrado

This really depends where you are from in Mexico. People will use the terms interchangeably. However, in my family …

Atole de Chocolate (chocolate atole) – atoles are thickened with corn starch.
Mexican Champurrado is thickened with masa harina.

A hand holds a round tablet of Abuelita chocolate in yellow packaging over a pot of hot chocolate simmering on a stove.

Add a whole tablet of Mexican chocolate and sugar.
Continue stirring until it fully dissolves.
Taste it. Add more sugar if needed. If it’s too sweet, add more milk.
Let it cool slightly before serving.

Are you an Abuelita or Ibarra fan? There is a lot of controversy about these Mexican chocolate tablets. The debate rages on throughout Mexico and beyond. Truth is, Abuelita discs are not made in Mexico. Ibarra is true Mexican chocolate.

That said, I like Abuelita better. I was raised on it, and I can’t abandon the traditions that I know and love.

Don’t worry about this drink getting too cold. It retains its heat because of its thick consistency and perfect for the winter months. That’s another reason why you need to let it rest for a few minutes before serving. You do not want to burn anyone’s tongue.

➕ Substitutions and Additions

Instead of sugar, some people will make the cinnamon tea with piloncillo. This is the same ingredients used to make Café de Olla. Or consider making it with dark brown sugar. There are also different ways to level up this hot Mexican drink. Some will add star anise, whole cloves, anise seed, or orange peel for extra flavor. I say, whatever works!

🙋🏻‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between atole and champurrado?

While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably depending on where you are from in Mexico, the thickener is the key difference. Atole is typically thickened with cornstarch, whereas authentic Mexican champurrado is thickened with masa harina (corn flour), giving it a heartier and more traditional consistency.

Can I substitute regular corn flour for masa harina?

No! You cannot substitute standard corn flour for masa harina. Masa harina is treated with lime (nixtamalized), which gives it that distinct flavor and structural thickness required for authentic champurrado. Accept no substitutes!

Do I have to use milk?

Traditionally, champurrado was not made with milk. However, many people prefer a creamier texture. You can easily omit the milk for a traditional water-based version, or use whole milk, skim milk, or plant-based alternatives like almond, soy, or coconut milk.

How do I prevent lumps from forming?

Constant stirring with a wire whisk is your best friend here. When you add the masa mixture to the cinnamon tea and when you incorporate the chocolate, keep that whisk moving so your champurrado stays smooth and lump-free.

A brown ceramic mug filled with frothy Mexican Champurrado sits on a wooden surface, next to a cinnamon stick and a round piece of dark chocolate.

🫔 Enjoy With Mexican Tamales

There is nothing quite like homemade champurrado on a cold day. Whether you are celebrating the holiday season or hosting a Christmas gathering, this recipe delivers pure chocolate comforting goodness.

Enjoy Mexican champurrado with yummy tamales or pan dulce One sip and you’ll be in chocolate heaven!

😋 Hungry for More?

Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube for my latest recipes and videos.

Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!

Mexican Champurrado

Authentic Mexican champurrado is thick, rich, and comforting. Warm up your holiday season with this easy, traditional family recipe!

4.99 from 53 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 242kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

Instructions

Place 6 cups of water in a large stock pot along with the cinnamon stick.
Bring to a boil.
Let simmer for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, in a medium bowl, add the remaining 2 cups water and mix with the masa harina.
You can use a blender or a whisk to dissolve any clumps.
Add the masa mixture to the stock pot with the cinnamon tea.
Stir constantly.
Add the Mexican chocolate tablet to the stock pot.
Melt the chocolate while stirring. About 3 minutes.
Add the milk and sugar.
Stir constantly.
After about 8 minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.