Mexican Atole (Warm Cornmeal Drink)
Warming Mexican Atole
Atole (pronounced ah-TOH-leh) is a traditional beverage in Mexican cuisine made from masa harina, the type of corn flour that is traditionally used to make corn tortillas. (For atole made from rice, try the Guatemalan version, atolillo.)
It is a popular breakfast dish that dates back to the time of the Aztecs and Mayans.
Atole is traditionally drunk at celebrations of Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, a celebration that happens on November 1 and 2 to celebrate and remember those who have passed away.
The drink is often served for breakfast or as an after dinner snack. Its consistency reminds us of a thin cream of wheat, so it makes sense that it is often served for breakfast like cream of wheat or oatmeal.
Our Atole Recipe
Atole de Vainilla, the version we are sharing today, is flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. The warm, spicy fragrance of this Atole de Vainilla makes this beverage incredibly inviting and comforting, even before it is poured into the mugs.
It is a simple recipe, made with masa harina, liquid, and sweetener that is simmered with cinnamon and vanilla.
How To Make Atole de Vainilla
The process to make atole is incredibly simple and very similar to making cream of wheat.
- Mix masa harina, water, milk, piloncillo and cinnamon in a saucepan
- Simmer until fragrant and your desired thickness
- Add vanilla off of the heat
- Serve warm
The consistency of atole can vary from thick and porridge-like to thin and pour-able, depending on how much liquid you add.
Our recipe makes an atole that is thick, but still drinkable. However, if you prefer yours on the thinner side, just add a little more milk.
What Is Piloncillo?
Atole is traditionally sweetened with piloncillo (pronounced PIL-on-SE-yo). Piloncillo is unrefined cane sugar that is pressed into a cone shape. It has a flavor is similar to brown sugar, with a deep molasses punch.
You can typically find piloncillo at any Mexican grocery store and online.
If you have a hard time finding piloncillo or don't live near a Mexican grocery, don't worry. You can mimic the flavor of piloncillo in atole by using brown sugar.
Other Mexican Dia De Los Muertos Recipes
If you're interested in trying more traditional Dia de los Muertos recipes, you'll want to have a look at our Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread) and Mexican Candied Pumpkin recipes!
Mexican Atole
A warming drink perfect for winter, Mexican Atole is full of the comforting flavors of vanilla and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- ½ c masa harina, (not cornmeal)
- 3 c water
- 1 c milk, 2% or whole
- ¼ c grated piloncillo, or brown sugar (more if desired)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine masa harina, water, milk, piloncillo (or brown sugar), and cinnamon. Whisk the mixture to combine. Bring it to a simmer over medium high heat, whisking often.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the mixture for 5-10 minutes, whisking often, until your desired consistency is reached.
- Remove the atole from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Serve hot or warm with a pinch of cinnamon to garnish.
Notes
This recipe from 2015 was updated in Feb 2017. We made the atole even better! Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
8 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 127Unsaturated Fat: 0g
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We've updated our pictures since we first made it, but we've left the original images here as a fun throwback and shout out to how far we've come. Enjoy!
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Hola All! This is a great hot morning beverage that sings of Mexico!!! Texture reminds me of a bit of cream of wheat (which I love), but if compared to hot cocoa, it's thicker, smoother, and amazingly CREAMY with little to no milk! I added a few pinches of salt to bring out the corn flavor and also added a bit of nutmeg and clove to give more spice! For those of us that don't drink dairy, this one works fabulous to get that creaminess that we all still love with your favorite alternative milk! I Would like to get my hands on some fresh ground masa, and try it out with that to get more corn flavor, but for now, I will experiment with different floury masas (I used BRM Organic)...maybe a nixtamalized masa would bring out the corn flavor? THX!!
We're so glad you enjoyed the atole recipe! Do let us know what you discover as you play around with the recipe!
I know how to make this by heart, but I love to try other recipes and variations. Just wanted to say this was super delicious. 🙂
Thank you Carolina! We're glad you tried our recipe!
Hi Sarah!
I was looking for a recipe of 'atola', an East-Indian (Catholic community in Mumbai, India) sweet rice pudding which led me to yours. The Mexican 'atole' must most definitely be related to the 'atola' I'm speaking of as it is traditionally served on All Soul's Day, essentially Dia de Los Muertos. Could it be a colonial export by perhaps the Portuguese who were here? Your post has got me thinking...
What does the word 'atole' mean? Would you know?
Hi Britney. How interesting! As far as I can find, 'atole' (sometimes written 'atolli') is just the name of the drink. This version is sometimes called 'atol de elote' (corn atol) and it can be made from other things, like rice or oats. (You may want to take a look at this Guatamalan rice version. We go a bit more into the Latin history of the drink there.) It is very possible that there could be some broader cross-cultural spreading going on there.
@Sarah Ozimek, I will check it out. Thank you for your reply!
This was my first time trying this. Not only it was delcious; it was so comforting that I found myself wanting to go to bed after enjoying it!
Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you
actually know what you are talking about! Bookmarked.
Hope you enjoy it!
I cannot wait to make this recipe. My mother would make this for me and my brother when we were children and it was such a treat. The last time I had this was when I was 10 years old, I am 52 now.
You brought back some very fond memories. Thank you
So glad our recipe brought back good memories. We hope you enjoy the atole!
oh! It looks fabulous! I’ve never tried it but I will surely love it.
Thanks. Enjoy!
Hello! I tried out this recipe and I got a very grainy consistency like it wasn't smooth is that because I didn't mix well enough? I also added a tablespoon of cinnamon when it was a teaspoon, so that's my mistake. This is the second time I try doing atole (first was a different recipe) and its always grainy :(.
Hi Beverly. The first thing to check is that you are using masa harina and not cornmeal. After that, it may just be the nature of the drink. Atole isn’t smooth like hot chocolate, the texture is more like a thin, drinkable cream of wheat or porridge.
I followed your recipe and it was amazing! Everyone in my family enjoyed it so much, especially when winter is coming here in Viet Nam. However, I'm just asking if I can replace Masa Harina with corn meal, since in here, there are not many places which sell this and it's really painful to buy Masa Harina because everytime I wanted to, I had to go outside the city to buy it.
I hope that you will reply to my comment soon!
Hi Hieu. We haven't tried making atole using corn meal, however I think it can be done. You may just need to adjust the amount of liquid, as the cornmeal may absorb liquid slightly differently than masa harina. If you give it a try, definitely stop back by and let us know how it turns out for you!
This is my go to recipe whenever I make Atole! Quick question, what’s the serving size for 1 serving and how many calories per serving?
Hi Mariana. We're so glad you enjoy the recipe! 1 serving is 1 cup (8 oz) of atole and has 127 calories if using whole milk. We have updated our recipe card to show this info too. Thanks for asking!
I like my mother's version, which is made with Mexican chocolate and all milk instead of the milk/water combo. The chocolate (xocolatl) is presweetened, no need for piloncillo. I think it might call for a stick of canela to be boiled along with the mixture, but powdered cinnamon would be just as good.
This sounds delicious! We have been meaning to try a chocolate version!
I made this and it was amazing! I was a little apprehensive since my boyfriend has been spoiled with his mother's delicious and authentic Mexican recipes growing up. I think I make will be as good as hers. My toughest critic LOVED IT and even finished the rest of it!!! I even loved it and I don't like anything cinnamon flavored. The only thing I did different was use actual cinnamon sticks versus the powder. I placed three sticks and let it boil with the rest of the ingredients. It tasted delicious. Before I served it, I added an extra splash of vanilla and one more scoop of brown sugar. 5 stars!!! All day I kept daydreaming about having some more! Good job on the recipe!
Thank you Adriana! We're so glad you enjoyed it!
It looks/sounds like it would be delicious. Do you know if it would be as tasty if made with a non-dairy milk, such as almond or coconut? Thanks!
Hi Christi! I don't see why you couldn't use almond or coconut milk to make the Atole. It would definitely be worth a dry. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Thanks so much. 😉
Atole is AMAZING!!!! ESPECIALLY WITH TAMALES
Oh yes! It is one of our favorites! Thanks for stopping by Melanie!
It us very delicious. Very
Thanks Mario! We're so glad you enjoyed it!