This Atole de Avena (oatmeal drink) is an easy & healthy version of the classic Mexican drink Atole De Masa. Enjoy it any time of year! This version is made with oatmeal and flavored with cinnamon, brown sugar & vanilla.
The traditional Atole version
Let's talk about all the different ways you can make it. Let's start with the traditional one shall we?
Authentic Atole is made with masa (yes, the same one you make corn tortillas with), cooked with water or milk and sweetened with piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar).
Flavor variations include rice, cornmeal, guava, oatmeal and amaranth. Sweeten it with brown or white sugar, honey, or even artificial sweeteners if that's your thing.
Finally, if you add chocolate, it becomes the popular drink known as Champurrado.
There you go my friends, a little background on this delicious and hearty Mexican drink. For this version I chose Oatmeal as it is a little healthier and easier to find throughout the United States and other countries (except Mexico of course 🙂 )
If you would like to enjoy more hot Mexican drinks, try this Mexican Hot Chocolate... another classic that is a must have!
Ingredients for Mexican Oatmeal Drink
For this Atole De Avena recipe I'm keeping things light and healthy but the original flavor has is just as good or even better!.... It is simply delicious!
- ½ cup rolled oats. You can substitute rolled oats if you can't grind them with oat flour. This will work too!
- 2 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk or you can use whatever milk you prefer. This one is low calories so keep that in mind!
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ⅓ to ½ cup brown sugar or sweetened to taste. If you prefer to use piloncillo, use 2 oz (see note below about piloncillo)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
What is piloncillo? It is basically unrefined whole cane sugar with no additives. It's not the same as brown sugar but you can use it interchangeably.
How to make Atole de Avena
- Start by grinding the oats in a blender or small food processor. We will grind it until it reaches a thick flour consistency. I used a small blender like a Magic Bullet.
- Then add all of the ground oatmeal plus the rest of the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a soft boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often making sure the milk does not boil over (this is the hard part since I tend to get distracted and make a mess if it boils over lol)
- Once it reaches the consistency of runny pudding, remove from heat and serve hot in mugs.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon if you like.
This recipe was originally published in Oct 2016. It was updated in April 2020 to revise the content and photographs. The original recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
Atole De Avena (Mexican Oatmeal Drink)
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats You can substitute rolled oats if you can't grind them with oat flour.
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ⅓ to ½ cup brown sugar or adjust to taste, or 2 oz Piloncillo
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grind the oats in a blender or small food processor until it reaches a thick flour consistency.
- In a small pot, add all ingredients and bring to a soft boil
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often making sure the milk does not boil over.
- Remove from heat and serve hot in mugs.
Notes
Nutrition
I had this delicious drink once at a Mexican market in Dallas. I made your recipe with 2% milk in the microwave and it was perfect. Thank you for this recipe!
Hey there,
Here in New Mexico, we make the traditional atole' with masa harina, water, milk, piloncillo and cinnamon. It's a childhood favorite and means warmth in the morning to me especially on these cold days! However, I am really looking forward to trying this more healthy version and these are things I always have in my pantry. Thank you. I love your blog, too.
Loved it!!! I made this today and it was DELICIOUS had all the right flavors. I WILL MAKE IT AGAIN.
So good to hear this Gloria!!! I really appreciate the feedback...have a fantastic new year! xo, ana
Can't wait to make this! I've been looking for a homemade recipe of the cereal oat drink mixes from the Philippines that is an instant mix, and this is the closest in consistency that I see on the pictures! Yay! Thank you!
Awe love this!!! Had no idea there was a similar Philippine recipe for oat drink but it's good to know! My hubby is half Philippino but he didn't grow up with the culture so he'll be happy to see this recipe in a different way. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed it!
Pour in the milk and add the Mexican chocolate. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until the chocolate has dissolved completely and the oatmeal has thickened slightly. Sweeten with sugar and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Enjoy!
Thank you for stopping by!
Made this and my 9 month old baby LOVES it, as do we! Sweetened with a handful of dates instead of sugar. Does anyone know how long this will keep in the refrigerator?
Great idea on sweetening with dates! Much better option. It will last up to week in the refrigerator. Thanks so much for the feedback!
The ground oats and almond milk give it a very different flavor than my moms homemade atole, but it was very delicious regardless! Will make again!
Hi Michaela! It may be that she used Masa for it? This is a little healthier but I love the masa version too. Thanks for the feedback and I'm so happy you like it!
Hi Ana thank you for the recipe, a little twist on the method. I come from a Mexican family and my family soaked the oatmeal overnight in water and used just the liquid.
Thank you Ana for such a great recipe! This is the kind of version I like
Thank you Monica! I like it too!
Wow, first time I heard about that type of drink. It looks very good in that pictures. Have to try making it for my next breakfast:)
You will love it Jessi! It will be amazing at breakfast time. I also like to make it as a dessert lol! Provecho!
Fascinating
Thank you Phyllis!