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Mexican

Champurrado

Vegetarian

A thick, warming Mexican chocolate drink of the atole family, thickened with masa and sweetened with piloncillo and cinnamon, popular at Christmas and with tamales.

Champurrado is a Mexican hot drink from Mexico, ready in about 20 minutes and made with masa harina and dark chocolate (70–85%). It serves 5 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Serves
5
Level
Beginner
Calories
246

Ingredients

5 cups

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the masa harina (opens in a new tab) into 250 ml of the water until completely smooth.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining water and the milk (opens in a new tab) with the cinnamon (opens in a new tab) to a simmer. Add the chocolate (opens in a new tab) and sugar and whisk (opens in a new tab) until melted.

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the masa (opens in a new tab) mixture through a sieve, whisking constantly, and simmer gently until thick and creamy, 6–8 minutes. Add vanilla (opens in a new tab) and salt, remove the cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and whisk (opens in a new tab) until frothy before serving.

    • 8 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Thick drinks hold heat — let it cool slightly before giving it to children.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Well documentedAtoles (masa-thickened drinks) are pre-Hispanic; chocolate was also a Mesoamerican drink.More food from Mexico
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method
Simmered, Whipped
Taste
sweet, rich, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: Alcohol-freeWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Child-friendly · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Masa harina · Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Milk · Brown sugar · Cinnamon
Techniques
Simmering · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk, dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

246 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 242 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 50%
  • Fat 41%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy246 kcal102 kcal
Protein5.5 g2.3 g
Carbohydrate31.2 g12.9 g
Net carbohydrate28.2 g11.7 g
Sugars19.4 g8 g
Added sugars——
Fibre2.9 g1.2 g
Fat11.4 g4.7 g
Saturated fat6.4 g2.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol11 mg4 mg
Sodium84 mg35 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
307 mg
Calcium
168 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
64 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
48 µg
Vitamin C
—
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: vanilla extract.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

  • Serve with tamales or pan dulce.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days; it thickens as it cools.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of milk, whisking.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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