How to Make Chocolate Caliente (Oaxacan Hot Chocolate)
Chocolate caliente is a delicious drink made with Mexican chocolate tablets and water or milk. It’s served hot and frothy and is much richer and more flavorful than American hot chocolate, even when made with water, the way it’s traditionally made in Oaxaca.
WHAT IS MEXICAN CHOCOLATE?
Chocolate Mexicano refers to the chocolate used to make chocolate caliente, or Mexican hot chocolate. The three areas best known for chocolate in Mexico are Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco. I’m most familiar with Oaxacan chocolate, which I’ve had the pleasure of making by hand out of minimally processed cacao, cinnamon, and sugar during my stay at La Casa de Mis Recuerdos Bed and Breakfast in Oaxaca.
- Mexican chocolate is traditionally made by grinding cacao beans on a metate (stone slab). This technique gives it a grainy texture, quite different from smooth, processed chocolates. Nowadays there are chocolate shops throughout Oaxaca that grind the ingredients in an industrial molino (mill).
- Chocolate caliente is a very common drink in Oaxaca, where I’ve enjoyed it morning, noon, and night with pan dulce or after a delicious meal.
- To prepare Oaxacan chocolate in drink form, I melt my chocolate tablets into hot water and then whisk the mixture vigorously using a molinillo (wooden whisk), which helps create a frothy top.
FUN FACT: In Oaxaca, I learned that this form of Oaxacan hot chocolate is only prepared with milk for tourists, and on rare occasion, for weddings and funerals. Otherwise in restaurants and homes, locals typically make it with water, which is just as delicious!
WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Easy to make: You can make this recipe in under 10 minutes with just two ingredients!
- Delicious flavor: Oaxacan hot chocolate is less sweet and much richer and flavorful than its American counterpart, even when made with water.
- Real ingredients: If you’re drinking real chocolate caliente made with Oaxacan chocolate, you know exactly what’s in it: cacao, cinnamon, and sugar. If you’re lucky enough to make the chocolate tablets yourself while in Oaxaca (an activity I highly recommend!), you can even control how much sugar goes into it.
FUN FACT: On Day of the Dead, people leave drinks such as Mexican hot chocolate on altars in order to lure the spirits of loved ones back to the living world.
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BRANDS TO TRY
Of course everybody who has tasted Mexican hot chocolate has most certainly heard of the brand Abuelita. I’m here to share a few lesser-known brands, which I happen to love. You can find most of them online, but I highly recommend a trip to Oaxaca where you can buy it direct from the source!
- Chocolate de la Villa Real
- Seasons of My Heart Oaxacan Chocolate
- Mayordomo Chocolate Para Mesa
- Chocolate Ibarra
- Taza Mexican Chocolate Disks
- Casa Crespo Chocolate Oaxaqueño
- La Soledad Chocolate Oaxaqueño
If you’re planning a visit to Oaxaca, be sure to check out my posts: Where to Stay in Oaxaca: Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Apartments, Top 3 Oaxaca Markets Every Food Lover Should Visit, Oaxaca Markets: Tlacolula, A Feast for the Senses, Oaxaca Weather: A Comprehensive Guide for Travelers
5 FUN FACTS ABOUT MEXICAN CHOCOLATE
- Pre-Hispanic roots: Mexican chocolate has roots tracing back to the Aztecs and Mayans, who considered cacao sacred and used it in ceremonial drinks. They even used cacao beans as currency!
- Unique health benefits: Traditional Mexican chocolate has high levels of antioxidants and mood-boosting compounds from minimally processed cacao. Some say it even has a slight energy-boosting effect, thanks to the cacao!
- A drink for royalty: The Aztecs drank their chocolate caliente unsweetened and mixed with spices, chili peppers, and sometimes cornmeal. The drink was bitter, frothy, and reserved for royalty, elites, and warriors. Spanish colonizers later introduced other spices and sugar.
- Perfect with a molinillo: Hot chocolate in Oaxaca is traditionally whisked with a molinillo, a wooden whisk that’s rotated between the palms to create froth. The molinillo not only stirs but also aerates the drink, giving it a creamy, frothy top.
- Used in savory dishes: Mexican chocolate isn’t just for drinking—it’s a key ingredient in mole, a rich, complex sauce used in savory dishes. The chocolate adds depth and a hint of sweetness, balancing out spices and chiles.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Mexican chocolate tablets (see list above)
- Water or milk
RECOMMENDED BY LOLA FOR THIS RECIPE
Handmade Mexican Molinillo
If you’re really on a journey to make chocolate caliente, you may want to invest in a molinillo. It’s beautiful to have on display in your kitchen, too! VIEW PRODUCT
HOW TO MAKE OAXACAN HOT CHOCOLATE
1. Heat water and add chocolate
- In a small saucepan, bring water (or milk) to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add chocolate and using a wooden spoon, break into smaller chunks. Stir until chocolate is completely dissolved. This process should take approximately 10 minutes.
2. Whisk chocolate
- Pour chocolate into a clay pitcher and then whisk briskly with a molinillo until mixture is smooth and frothy.
- PRO TIP: While a molinillo (wooden whisk) and olla de barro (clay pot) are the preferred kitchen utensils used to prepare hot chocolate in Mexico, a regular wire whisk and a saucepan are fine substitutes. In fact, I know people who get a frothy consistency by mixing it in a blender on a high setting.
3. Serve and enjoy
- Serve alone or alongside your favorite pan dulce, pan de manzana, easy buñuelos, lavender sugar cookies, marigold sugar cookies or cinnamon rugelach!
FUN FACT: In Oaxaca, some people believe that if a young woman makes hot chocolate that is not frothy, this is indicative of her lack of kitchen skills.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What makes Mexican chocolate different from regular chocolate?
Mexican chocolate is minimally processed, often stone-ground, and usually includes sugar and cinnamon (and sometimes vanilla or nuts) directly in the mix. It has a grainier texture than smooth, processed chocolate, making it rustic and flavorful, especially when melted into drinks.
Can I eat Mexican chocolate straight from the tablet?
Yes, you can eat it directly, but it’s quite gritty and can be sweet depending on how much sugar it’s made with. Mexican chocolate is traditionally used for making hot chocolate or baking, where its unique texture and flavor shine best.
LOOKING FOR MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES?
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- Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
- Mexican Chocolate Paletas
- Mexican Chocolate Protein Shake
- Easy Chocolate Haystacks with Mini Marshmallows
HOT TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CALIENTE (OAXACAN HOT CHOCOLATE)
Equipment
- Olla de barro
Ingredients
- 24 ounces water or milk for the Americanized version
- 4 ounces Mexican chocolate
Instructions
- Heat water and add chocolate. In a small saucepan, bring water or milk to a simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate and using a wooden spoon, break into smaller chunks. Stir until chocolate is completely dissolved. This process should take approximately 10 minutes.
- Whisk chocolate. Pour chocolate into a clay pitcher and then whisk briskly with a molinillo until mixture is smooth and frothy.PRO TIP: While a molinillo (wooden whisk) and olla de barro (clay pot) are the preferred kitchen utensils used to prepare hot chocolate in Mexico, a regular wire whisk and a saucepan are fine substitutes. In fact, I know people who get a frothy consistency by mixing it in a blender on a high setting.
- Serve and enjoy. Serve alone or alongside your favorite pan dulce!
Nutrition
This recipe originally published on November 2, 2015 and updated with more clear instructions and images on November 17, 2024.
Lola’s Cocina is a small business that earns various revenue streams. This includes sponsored posts and affiliate commissions from linked products, which I use and love. This commission is an agreement between Lola’s Cocina and retailers, with no extra cost to readers. This income helps sustains the site.
Lola Wiarco Dweck
Lola is a Mexican-American recipe developer, writer, and cooking instructor who loves sharing her culture with the world. Growing up in California and spending summers in Mexico, Lola celebrates her family’s Mexican recipes and vibrant culture through Lola’s Cocina.
Wow! I had no idea that in Oaxaca it is only prepared with milk on special occasions! It looks amazing in that pretty little talavera mug.
I never would’ve thought of making it with water, but I bet the flavors might come through even more than with milk. But I also like to eat the tablets just like they are so maybe I’m not the best judge. 🙂 Yum!!
As long as you add enough chocolate, it’s still very rich. I always asked for mine with water in order to feel like a local.:)
This recipe is so much better than the instant hot chocolate packs, even abuelita. Mine didn’t come out too frothy… I guess i need to work on my kitchen skills!
I agree! The flavor is so much richer. I also need to work on my frothing skills.
I love the recipes
So happy to hear!
Thanks so much for sharing an authentic Oaxacan hot chocolate recipe! So many recipes I’ve seen cater to tourists / Americans and only make it with milk, but everywhere I’ve tasted it in Oaxaca, it’s made with water, which is so rich and delicious even though it’s dairy-free.