The BEST Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe

Mexican hot chocolate is an intensely rich, decadent, chocolatey drink that you need in your life! And only 10 minutes to make.

Serves: 4 Time: 10 minutes Cookbook: Rick Bayless Online

When cold weather sets in and snow starts to fall, my thoughts turn to hot chocolate. That wonderful, warm, rich, decadent drink that makes life worth living. Each sip puts a smile on my face. I don’t drink it too often, because, let’s be honest, it’s not the healthiest thing on planet earth.

But when I do drink hot chocolate, I go all out. And today, that means a Mexican hot chocolate recipe from the authority on Mexican cuisine, Rick Bayless. This simple but amazing hot chocolate drink is famous all over Central America and it takes just a few ingredients.

Give yourself a stove and ten minutes and you’ll soon be sipping the sweet flavor combination of cacao beans, milk, and just the right amount of sugar to transform cacao nibs from bitter to way better than you ever imagined.

Jump Ahead:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• ☕ Ingredients Needed to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate
• 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
• 🥄 How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate
• ♾️ Variations on Mexican Hot Chocolate
• ❓ Mexican Hot Chocolate: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious: This is the best hot chocolate! It has an intense chocolate flavor unlike anything else – no artificial flavor here.

Decadent: What do we love the most about this recipe? You’re basically drinking a chocolate bar, dark chocolate to be exact. With enough sugar and milk that it is absolutely luscious, velvety, and over-the-top decadent.

Comforting: This isn’t just any old made-from-a-packet hot cocoa. This is much richer than regular hot chocolate and much more comforting. It tastes like your Mexican abuela just gave you the biggest hug ever and told you she loved you. It’s that good.

Ingredients Needed to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate

• Mexican Chocolate: This is the main ingredient and you can find it at most large supermarkets. The most common option is chocolate Abuelita, but you might also find Ibarra if you’re in a large enough area.
• Whole Milk: This is the other main ingredient. If you want a richer taste, go with creamy milk that has a higher fat content. However, this can be made using 2%, non-fat, plant-based milk options, and even hot water.
• Cinnamon: This is optional and depends on your flavor preferences. You can toss a few cinnamon sticks in with the milk and chocolate while it heats or add ground cinnamon if you don’t want to worry about fishing the cinnamon sticks out before blending.
• Other Optional Ingredients: Feel free to experiment with the flavor profile! Add a pinch of chili powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper to give your hot chocolate a little kick. If you like a sweeter version, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, instead.

Equipment Needed In the Kitchen

3-Quart Saucepan

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Blender

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Whisk

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• Blender: This is the main tool you’ll need to get a creamy, frothy, foamy, delicious hot chocolate. You can also use an immersion blender.
• Wire Whisk: If you pour up the hot chocolate into a pitcher and let it sit, particles tend to settle. A quick stir with a wire whisk will get it all incorporated again.
• Authentic Tools (optional): If you want to go authentic, you’ll need a wooden molinillo (a wooden whisk) plus a Mexican chocolate pot. The wooden whisk is an ancient tool that’s been used for centuries to make this delicious drink!

How to Make Mexican Hot Chocolate

This is such an easy hot chocolate to make and its taste is unparalleled!

Melt the chocolate

First things first! Add the milk to a 1.5 quart saucepan over medium heat.

As the milk starts to warm, add the entire brick of chocolate and stir while the chocolate dissolves. If the milk starts to get too hot, turn the stove down to medium-low heat.

Note: You really don’t need to chop the chocolate up, here. It will melt into the milk as you stir.

Blend the chocolate mixture

Pour the entire chocolate mixture into your blender.

Blend on high for 30 seconds until the mixture is incorporated, creamy, and smooth.

Note: Carefully lift the lid, as hot liquids tend to build up steam when blended.

Enjoy!

Pour up your Mexican style hot chocolate into four glasses. Foam will rise to the top of each glass.

Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired, for flavor or presentation.

Variations on Mexican Hot Chocolate

Classic Mexican hot chocolate is sweet, delicious, and incredibly rich. Here are a few more ways to enjoy this delicious drink.

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate: If you love hot drinks that are spicy, add a touch of cayenne pepper to the mix before you blend it. This option is perfect for warming you up when the cold weather gets to be too much.

Cinnamon Mexican Hot Chocolate: Add a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture before you blend it to add a delicious cinnamon flavor.

Kid-Favorite Hot Chocolate: If you want to feel like a kid while drinking this, add mini marshmallows and whipped cream to the top! Serve with Alton Brown’s Sugar Cookies!

Want a mocha, instead? Go with Starbucks’ white chocolate mocha! It’s perfect for the holidays!

Mexican Hot Chocolate: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

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