Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Champurrado is the corn-thickened Mexican hot chocolate — a thick, spiced, deeply comforting winter drink that sits halfway between a hot chocolate and a porridge: whole milk and water are brought to a simmer with a stick of cinnamon and a star anise, thickened with masa harina (or the traditional atole base — cooked and blended fresh masa), and finished with disc of Mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita) melted in until smooth. Served in mugs with a stack of tamales or a piece of pan dulce on the side for dipping, champurrado is the traditional Mexican breakfast drink of the December and January months, especially served during posadas (the nine-day Christmas Eve buildup) and on Día de la Candelaria (February 2).
Method
Combine 500ml water, cinnamon stick, star anise and orange peel in a heavy pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes to infuse.
In a separate bowl, whisk the masa harina into 200ml cold water until smooth and free of lumps. This slurry stage is essential — dry masa sprinkled into hot water clumps.
Whisking constantly, slowly pour the masa slurry into the simmering water. Continue to whisk for 3 minutes as the mixture thickens.
Pour in the milk. Add the piloncillo (crushed or grated for faster dissolving) and salt. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a simmer.
Break the chocolate disc into small pieces. Whisk into the simmering champurrado. Continue whisking 3 minutes until the chocolate has fully dissolved and the drink is smooth, glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla extract. Taste and adjust sweetness — add more piloncillo if not sweet enough. Fish out the cinnamon stick, star anise and orange peel.
Pour into warm mugs. Dust with ground cinnamon. Serve immediately with tamales, pan dulce or churros on the side for dipping. In cold weather, a thick champurrado is a full breakfast in a cup.
Champurrado thickens as it cools. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk to thin it back to a drinking consistency. Holds in the fridge 2 days.
Tips
- Slurry the masa. Dry masa harina sprinkled into hot liquid clumps into lumps that never dissolve. Whisking into cold water first, then adding, gives you a smooth drink.
- Mexican chocolate, not baking chocolate. Ibarra and Abuelita chocolate discs are made specifically for hot chocolate — they contain sugar, cinnamon and sometimes almonds. Regular dark chocolate gives you a fine drink but not a Mexican one.
- Piloncillo is the correct sweetener. Its molasses depth pairs specifically with the corn and chocolate. Brown sugar plus a splash of molasses is the practical substitute.
- Simmer, don't boil. High heat causes the milk to catch on the pot base and the masa to separate. A gentle simmer with constant whisking gives you the classical smooth texture.
- Best on cold mornings. Champurrado is the winter-morning breakfast drink. In summer heat it feels heavy; in December cold it feels essential. Time-of-year matters.
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