Homemade Atole De Maizena is a classic Mexican hot drink perfect for a cold day. Skip the premade stuff and make this with cornstarch, milk, sugar and cinnamon. Top with cinnamon powder or a dollop of whipped cream.

A Mexican mug with a milky drink sprinkled with cinnamon powder.

Maizena Atole Drink

Friends, it is so incredibly easy to make Atole De Maizena. Put down that powdery packet! Throw a handful of real ingredients into a saucepan and you will have homemade Atole in minutes! It’s simple, delicious, and so much more satisfying than the store-bought stuff.

Atole is a dense drink of pre-Hispanic origin consumed in Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American countries.

It is one of the most popular drinks throughout Mexico. Each region has its own version with different ingredients, lending many different flavors of atoles! In some cases it is sweetened with sugar, piloncillo or honey and the base can be water and/or milk. Then it comes the ingredient that makes the atole unique: either a type of flour, grain, nut or fruit.

A box of maizena brand cornstarch.

Today’s version is made with cornstarch or “fecula de maiz” in Spanish. The Maizena name comes from the brand Maizena which is the most popular brand in Mexico (and other countries) so the name stuck to this drink.

A Mexican mug with a milky drink sprinkled with cinnamon powder.

Ingredients

There’s just four ingredients in this recipe! In my opinion, the best atole is simple to make, with just a few quality ingredients.

  • Milk – You can use dairy or dairy-free milk, including cashew milk, almond milk, or oat milk. The creamier the better! And since this recipe has sugar in it, I’d choose unsweetened store-bought milks.
  • Maizena brand corn starch. Make sure it’s fresh and not expired.
  • Cinnamon stick – this gives so much flavor!
  • The sweetener – Use white or brown sugar. It is also popular to use condensed milk which lends a silky texture to this drink.
  • Vanilla extract

***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.

The ingredients for this recipe placed on a blue background.
A branch graphic for posts.

How To Make Atole De Maizena

In a cup or bowl combine ½ cup milk and 3 tablespoons maizena. Using a fork or a whisk, mix well until all the lumps have disappeared.

  • In a medium saucepan add the rest of the milk and the cinnamon stick. Heat milk over medium heat.
A white saucepan with milk and a measuring cup pouring more milk into it.

Once the milk is warm, add the maizena mixture and mix everything together with a cooking spoon or a whisk. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid the milk to sticking to the bottom of the pan.

  • Add the sugar and vanilla. Increase heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
  • Serve while hot and sprinkle cinnamon or a dollop of whipped cream (optional).

The consistency will be thick like a light gravy or heavy cream.

Making atole de maizena in a white saucepan and mixing it with a white spoon.

Ways to enjoy Atole

Atole always goes perfect with something sweet like empanaditas, churros, marranitos, or your favorite pan dulce.

It also goes great with:


Storage Icon Graphic.

Chef’s Tips and Notes

How to store:

 Pour into airtight glass jars, and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. It may separate, but that’s fine if it does, as it will recombine when you reheat it.

How to reheat Atole:

  • Stovetop – Reheat in a saucepan over low heat until warm, stirring frequently.
  • Slow Cooker – When serving at a party, we love to keep Atole warm in a slow cooker on the low heat setting.
A Mexican mug with a atole de maizena sprinkled with cinnamon powder.

I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact  me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana

Print Recipe

Making atole de maizena in a white saucepan and mixing it with a white spoon.

Atole De Maizena

Servings 4 cups
Ana Frias
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Creamy Atole De Maizena. A combination of milk, cornstarch and cinnamon make this Atole extra flavorful and delicious! Ready in just a few minutes.
4 cups

Ingredients  

  • 4 cups milk (1 liter) your favorite kind
  • 4 tablespoons maizena (corn starch)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks broken up a little bit
  • 3 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)
  • teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • In a cup or bowl combine ½ cup milk and 4 tablespoons maizena. Using a fork or a whisk, mix well until all the lumps have disappeared.
  • In a medium saucepan add the rest of the milk and the cinnamon sticks. Heat milk over medium heat.
  • Once the milk is warm, add the maizena mixture and mix everything together with a cooking spoon or a whisk. Add the sugar and vanilla and keep stirring to avoid the milk to sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Important! Stir often to avoid the milk to sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Increase heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Serve while hot and sprinkle cinnamon or a dollop of whipped cream (optional).

Muy Delish Notes:

How to store:

 Pour into airtight glass jars, and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. It may separate, but that’s fine if it does, as it will recombine when you reheat it.

How to reheat Atole:

  • Stovetop – Reheat in a saucepan over low heat until warm, stirring frequently.
  • Slow Cooker – When serving at a party, we love to keep Atole warm in a slow cooker on the low heat setting.

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 389mg | Sugar: 22g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

Hey, let’s be friends on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




One Comment