Mexican Hot Chocolate: Cinnamon, Chilli and Why It Is Frothed
Mexican hot chocolate is not hot chocolate with cinnamon shaken on top. Two things make it what it is: the spices are bloomed with the cocoa rather than stirred into milk, and the drink is frothed until it is genuinely foamy.
How do you make it?
Makes: 2 cups · Prep: 3m · Total: 10m
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (15 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp (36 g) brown sugar or piloncillo
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, preferably Ceylon
- Pinch of cayenne — start with ⅛ tsp
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) just-boiled water
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Bloom the spices with the cocoa. Whisk cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and salt with the just-boiled water into a smooth paste. Blooming the spices in the hot paste, not the milk, is what makes the cinnamon read as warm rather than dusty.
- Add milk. Whisk in the milk and heat gently until steaming. Do not let it boil.
- Froth it. Take it off the heat, add the vanilla, then froth hard — a molinillo, a whisk between your palms, or 20 seconds with an immersion blender. The foam is not decoration; it changes the texture of every sip.
- Taste for heat. The cayenne should arrive at the back of the throat after you swallow, not on the tongue. Add a little more only if you cannot feel it at all.
- Serve. Pour from a height into warm mugs to keep the foam.
How much chilli should you put in?
An eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne for two cups. Done right, you should not taste chilli at all — you should feel a slow warmth at the back of the throat a second after swallowing. If it burns on the tongue, there is too much.
Why is Mexican hot chocolate frothed?
The traditional molinillo, a carved wooden whisk spun between the palms, exists because the drink was made with water long before it was made with milk, and foam gave it body. The habit survived the milk. Froth it and it tastes richer; skip it and the same ingredients taste thin.
What cinnamon should you use?
Ceylon cinnamon (canela) if you can get it. It is softer and more floral than the cassia sold as ordinary ground cinnamon, and cassia can turn slightly bitter in a hot drink. If cassia is what you have, use a little less.
Can you use a chocolate tablet instead of cocoa powder?
Traditional Mexican chocolate tablets already contain sugar and cinnamon, so they are convenient but fixed. Building it from unsweetened cocoa lets you set sweetness, cinnamon and heat independently — which matters here, because those three are the whole recipe. See how to identify pure cocoa powder for what to check on the bag.
Is this the same as champurrado?
No. Champurrado is the thicker cousin, made with masa harina so it becomes a drinkable porridge. Same spice profile, very different body. This recipe is the lighter everyday version.
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Common questions
How much cayenne goes in Mexican hot chocolate?
About one eighth of a teaspoon for two cups. You should feel warmth at the back of the throat after swallowing, not heat on the tongue.
Why is Mexican hot chocolate frothed?
It was traditionally made with water rather than milk, and foam gave the drink body. Frothing with a molinillo or whisk still makes it taste noticeably richer.
What is the difference between Mexican hot chocolate and champurrado?
Champurrado is thickened with masa harina into a much heavier, porridge-like drink. Mexican hot chocolate is the lighter version without masa.
What cinnamon is best for Mexican hot chocolate?
Ceylon cinnamon, known as canela, is softer and more floral than the cassia usually sold as ground cinnamon.
Where to go next
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.