An easy Mexican Atole recipe for the classic creamy beverage made with masa harina, cinnamon, and unrefined cane sugar. Ready in 20 minutes!
If you are looking for a traditional Mexican Drink Recipe, it doesn’t get more traditional than a hot cup of Atole. You’ll fall in love with the creamy texture and sweet cinnamon vanilla flavor. For more classic Mexican beverages, try Champurrado and Horchata next!
Table of contents
- Sabrina’s Mexican Atole Recipe
- Mexican Atole Ingredients
- Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- How to Make Mexican Atole
- Can Atole be made ahead of time?
- Nutritional Facts
- Making Mexican Atole Tips & Tricks
- What to Pair With Mexican Atole
- How to Store
- Ideas to Serve Mexican Atole
- Frequent Recipes
- Recipe Card
- Mexican Atole Variations
- Related Recipes
Sabrina’s Mexican Atole Recipe
This easy and simple cozy drink is just what you need this winter! It will warm you up from the inside and the creamy vanilla and cinnamon flavors make it the perfect drink to go with all your favorite holiday desserts. It’s made in just 20 minutes, about the time for a batch of cookies to bake!
Atole, pronounced ah-toh-leh, is a creamy hot drink made from corn flour, water, cinnamon, cinnamon and unrefined sugar. Now, you might be hesitant about making a drink with corn flour, or any flour, but trust me it works! The subtle corn flavor has an almost nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the vanilla and cinnamon. The flour is blended with the water then whisked often for a creamy, smooth and thick drink that feels like drinking a cozy hug!
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Mexican Atole Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup Masa Harina: Masa harina is corn flour made from alkalized corn kernels that gives it a nutty flavor that is a bit different from cornmeal which has a sweet corn flavor. Since it’s the main ingredient, you want to use a high quality masa harina, or corn flour. If you can find it, try making your Atole with blue corn flour for a beautiful and delicious twist!
- 6 Cups Water: You want to add plenty of water because masa harina will soak it up and continue to thicken as it heats. You could also swap some water with whole milk to make a creamier, richer drink, but don’t whisk it in until the mixture is simmering.
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Cinnamon: This delicious drink is filled with warm cinnamon flavor thanks to a generous amount of ground cinnamon. Using ground cinnamon means you don’t have to infuse the water beforehand so it saves you time.
- ½ Cup Piloncillo: Piloncillo is unrefined cane sugar that is usually sold packed in cones. It can be found in the Hispanic food section or at any Mexican grocery store. You could also use packed brown sugar or raw cane sugar.
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla: Once the drink has finished cooking, you add some vanilla to give it even more flavor. You want to add it at the end so the vanilla doesn’t evaporate or lose flavor while the mixture cooks.
- Cinnamon Sticks: Whole cinnamon sticks not only make a pretty garnish, but they also infuse the Atole with even more cinnamon flavor while they steep in the hot drink.
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Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Blender: A blender makes this recipe practically fail proof so you never get clumpy Atole. Normally you would have to soak the masa harina then slowly add it to hot water while constantly mixing. Blending it skips the extra steps while guaranteeing it comes out super smooth!
- Grater: The piloncillo cones are packed pretty solid. Grate up the cones, chop them up or let them steep in the water beforehand to soften them a bit before blending. You’ll also grate some extra on top for a garnish.
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How to Make Mexican Atole
Time needed: 20 minutes.
- Blend the Corn Mixture
Add the water, masa harina, ground cinnamon, and piloncillo to a blender. Chop your piloncillo into large chunks or grate it to make blending easier. Blend the mixture until it is smooth, for at least 2 minutes.
- Warm the Atole
Transfer the harina mixture to a large saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 8-10 minutes while continuing to frequently whisk.
- Flavor and Serve
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Whisk for another minute until well combined. Serve hot in mugs with a cinnamon stick and some extra piloncillo on top.
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Can Atole be made ahead of time?
While it’s possible to store and reheat your Mexican Atole, this hot corn drink is not really one you can keep for a long while. It’s going to keep thickening as it sits, so it will turn more into a drinkable porridge, that still tastes amazing but is best served with a spoon and maybe some toppings (see Ideas to Serve).
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Nutritional Facts
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Making Mexican Atole Tips & Tricks
- Always Add Vanilla Last
- Have you ever wondered why you add vanilla at the end of recipes when you’re cooking on the stove? It’s because vanilla evaporates as it heats up so you can lose a lot of the delicious flavor if you add it at the beginning. Adding it at the end makes sure you get the best vanilla taste!
- Whisk for Perfectly Smooth Atole
- While the blender does a lot of the work to get smooth Atole so you don’t have to slowly add the corn flour, you still need to stir it pretty frequently. Since corn flour will naturally thicken and settle, stirring it consistently helps break up any stray chunks for a silky smooth, perfect Atole!
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What to Pair With Mexican Atole
Breakfast: This delicious and rich drink can be enjoyed at breakfast with your favorite pastries and baked goods. Serve it at brunch with a buttery Coffee Cake or some warm Cinnamon Streusel Muffins.
Dessert: A hot cup of Atole will warm you up at night during the wintertime! The cozy drink goes perfectly with sweet Mexican desserts like churros, Caramel Flan, or Tres Leches Cake.
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How to Store
Store: You’ll need to store any leftover Atole in the refrigerator after no more than 2 hours at room temperature. Keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat: It’s best to reheat Mexican Atole on the stovetop while whisking frequently. You can add some more water or some milk to thin it back out as it heats up.
Freeze: This is not a beverage recipe that you can freeze. It will lose the creamy texture after thawing and reheating. It’s best to just make it fresh.
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Ideas to Serve Mexican Atole
Porridge: If you have leftovers, you will notice it got much thicker. While you can thin it out with water, why not serve it like porridge or cream of wheat? Simply heat it up and add toppings like butter, raisins, or fresh fruit.
Toppings: You don’t have to wait for it to thicken to add delicious toppings. Top a hot cup of Atole with some toasted pecans, Whipped Cream, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce (or all three!) to make it a little more delicious.
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Frequent Recipes
Both Atole and Champurrado are a hot beverage thickened with masa harina. Technically, champurrado is just a chocolate version of Atole. It also differs with this recipe because my Atole is not made with milk where my Champurrado does have milk added.
Atole is a traditional Mexican beverage that goes back centuries to ancient Mexican civilizations. There are different regional versions and the drink is quite a bit different than the ancients drank, but the basics like masa harina, water and cinnamon are a constant part of the recipe.
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Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2/3 cup masa harina , corn flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup piloncillo , highly preferred or use packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cinnamon sticks , for serving
Instructions
- To your blender add the water, masa harina, cinnamon and piloncillo. Note: the piloncillo is very important to the authenticity of this recipe, so if possible use this.
- Blend until smooth, for 2 minutes.
- Add the harina mixture to a large saucepan on medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Remove from the heat, add in vanilla extract and whisk well.
- Pour into mugs and serve with cinnamon sticks and a grating of the piloncillo on top.
Nutrition
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Mexican Atole Variations
Milk: If you want an extra creamy Atole, you can add some milk to the mixture! Replace 1 cup of water with milk, but don’t add it until you’ve heated the water and corn mixture. Pour it slowly into the hot corn water mixture while continuously whisking.
Chocolate: Make a chocolate version of Atole similar to Champurrado by adding pieces of dark chocolate to the hot mixture while it’s cooking and whisking until smooth and fully incorporated.
Fruit: Make your Atole with delicious fruit flavors by adding a cup of pureed fruit of your choice. Blend the fruit separately until smooth then whisk it in slowly as the corn mixture is cooking.
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