Mexican Hot Chocolate Abuelita

ByAna Frias Published Last Updated
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Make THE BEST Mexican Hot Chocolate Abuelita! With a creaminess and rich chocolate flavor, this homemade hot cocoa will disappear in no time.

Two clear mugs with hot chocolate and whipped cream.

If there is something that Mexicans like, it’s drinks! From cafe de olla, Ponche Navideño, Rompope, Champurrado, Atole to a delicious & refreshing Horchata. That is why when the temperature in Mexico barely goes down, the first thing we want to drink is hot chocolate.

There are many ways and recipes to prepare it, but this time I’ll show you a recipe for an authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate made with Chocolate Abuelita that is very simple to make and delicious!

Two blue mugs with chocolate and a cinnamon stick.

Ingredients

You can find the ingredients in any supermarket and it will not take you more than 20 minutes to prepare it.

  • Any Mexican chocolate tablet will do but my favorite is Abuelita as I grew up drinking this one. These tablets are already sweetened and there is no need to add any more sugar.
  • Cinnamon powder for extra flavor
  • Milk
  • Evaporated milk
  • Molinillo, wooden spoon or a whisk
  • A medium saucepan
A jar with milk, chocolate abuelita and cinnamon

How to make Mexican Hot Chocolate

  • In a medium saucepan, add the milk
  • When it starts to boil add the Mexican chocolate tablet and mix until it dissolves. It does not take very long to melt. About two minutes only.
  • Sprinkle cinnamon powder to taste but start with adding just a little bit as the chocolate tablet already has some cinnamon in it.
  • Stir with the molinillo, whisk or wooden spoon until you have a smooth mixture.
  • Continue to cook for another 5 minutes on low heat-medium heat 
  • Serve hot and accompany with pan dulce or delicious traditional churros.
Two blue mugs with hot chocolate garnished with a cinnamon stick and pan dulce on the side.

Cook’s Notes

  • There is no need to add sugar to this recipe as the Mexican chocolate tablets are already sweetened to perfection.
  • Keep an eye on the mixture while it cooks to ensure that it does not overflow. Cleaning the stove after that happens it’s no fun!

FAQs

Can you make Mexican hot chocolate with almond milk?

Absolutely you can! In fact, the almond flavor will add an extra depth that regular milk may not. If you make it with almond milk please report back how it turned out…I would love to know!

What’s the difference between Mexican hot chocolate and regular?

Usually Mexican hot chocolate comes in round tablets that are ready to be mixed with hot milk. The round tablets are made of sugar, cocoa and cinnamon.

The regular hot chocolate does not contain cinnamon and usually has less sugar. But this means it’s not as flavorful as Mexican hot chocolate. If you haven’t tried the latter one, I truly recommend you do!

What’s Mexican hot chocolate called

When someone asks for hot chocolate in Mexico, most likely they’re referring to Chocolate Abuelita. Another popular brand is Ibarra but the most popular one is Abuelita.

Two clear mugs with hot chocolate and whipped cream.

Serve hot with whipped cream and accompany with pan dulce or delicious traditional churros. It also goes perfect with Molletes for breakfast!

Two blue mugs with hot chocolate garnished with a cinnamon stick and pan dulce on the side.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Servings 3 cups
Ana Frias
5 from 15 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
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Make this Mexican Hot Chocolate at home in minutes and skip the coffee shop lines and make your own! Full of the flavors that reminds us of Mexico this will be your new favorite hot chocolate recipe!

Equipment

  • Molinillo, whisk or wooden spoon
  • Medium saucepan
3 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Mexican chocolate tablet
  • 2 cups milk 2% or whole milk
  • 1 cup evaporated milk (or just add another cup of regular milk)
  • Cinnamon powder to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a medium saucepan, add the milk
  • When it starts to boil add the Mexican chocolate tablet and mix until it dissolves.
  • Add cinnamon powder to taste
  • Stir with the molinillo, whisk or wooden spoon until you have a smooth mixture.
  • Continue to cook for another 5 minutes on low heat-medium heat 
  • Serve hot with whipped cream and accompany with pan dulce or delicious traditional churros.

*Ana’s Notes:

Keep an eye on the mixture while it cooks to ensure that it does not overflow. 
There is no need to add sugar to this recipe as the Mexican chocolate tablets are already sweetened to perfection.

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NUTRITION

Serving: 1cups | Sodium: 117mg | Calcium: 207mg | Vitamin C: 11mg | Vitamin A: 46IU | Sugar: 35g | Potassium: 350mg | Cholesterol: 26mg | Calories: 265kcal | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Fat: 11g | Protein: 9g | Carbohydrates: 36g

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.

This recipe was originally published in Oct. 2018. It was updated in December 2020 to revise the content and photographs. Buen Provecho! 

A blue mug with Chocolate Abuelita and a cinnamon stick.

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26 Comments

  1. Excited to try this. Can this be adapted to make atole champurrado? Would you still use all milk, just extra, or part water, part milk?

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    You’re meant to use evaporated milk not sweetened condensed milk. I also added leftover egg nog and a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder and it tasted great!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    I made Mexican hit chocolate for the family over the weekend and it was a hit! I thought it had the perfect consistency just like the ones I had in Mexico. I used chocolate abuelita and it was creamy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  4. Too heavy. Instead of putting 1 cup as suggested, I put less about 3/4 of a cup and 2 tablespoons of condensed milk, yet it was very heavy. After I tasted it I didn’t want more. I had to add about 2 bottles of water to dilute the overly sweet chocolate.
    Sorry, I was really looking forward to it, but it was a let down, in my personal experience.

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Such chocolatey goodness! YUM! It seldom gets below 40 degrees in AZ but the past few days its been in the 30s! Excuse me, but I need to go make myself a cup right now. Bye!

    Reply

    1. Hi Emmeline! I how you do! If you don’t, just add some cinnamon to regular chocolate. This will give you the hint of Mexican Chocolate. Enjoy all the way in Sweden!

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    I love this Mexican hot chocolate! It is creamy and so comforting during the cold mornings. I will definitely be enjoying this all season long!

    Reply

  12. 5 stars
    My sister is coming to visit for the holidays and I cannot wait to make this for her. We are big fans of all your recipes, they are simply delicious!

    Reply