Ask anybody that comes back from a trip from Southern Spain and what was the most memorable thing! I bet at least one will mention thick hot chocolate with churros!
Indeed Spanish hot chocolate is different from hot chocolate from the rest of Europe.
Do you want to recreate thick hot chocolate from Spain? Let’s dive right into this heart-warming Spanish hot chocolate recipe. And pair it with our other Spanish desserts.
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Background of the dish
The Spanish hot Chocolate, also known as Chocolate caliente in Spanish, is one of the most popular winter drinks not only in Southern Spain but all around the world.
This Spanish Chocolate drink had its origins in the XVIIth century and it used to be consumed only by the Spanish Aristocracy.
The idea of the Hot Chocolate came from the Mayan Empire, but the Spanish merchants modified the recipe giving it a unique and distinguished flavor.
The main difference between the two Chocolate caliente versions is that Spanish Hot Chocolate is more thick and sweet, and the recipe calls for fewer spices, allowing the chocolate to be the main star of this drink.
Nowadays, this beloved beverage is one of the most consumed Andalusian foods during the cold winter days, served alongside warm Churros.
Let’s dive right into the authentic Spanish thick chocolate recipe!
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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Hot Chocolate Recipe
To make this Hot Chocolate recipe at home you will need little to no equipment, which means that this Spanish chocolate drink is really easy to make and you won’t need to clean many dishes!
You’ll only need a large pot, a spoon, and a stove, so it is really fast forward.
When it comes to the ingredients, they are also pretty basic, such as milk, sugar, chocolate, and cornstarch, and according to your preferences you can play with the amount of each!
Hot chocolate enthusiasts know that this beverage is best served with cookies. If you’re one of the true enthusiasts then try our Spanish Chocolate Chip Cookies with your hot chocolate.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1L) whole milk
- 350g semi-sweet or dark, bittersweet chocolate
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
*Optional; a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spice of your choice
How to make Spanish Hot Chocolate Recipe – Step by Step Guide
- To make this thick Spanish hot chocolate recipe, the first thing you have to do is to dissolve cornstarch into the milk in a large pot. Once that every single bit of the cornstarch is dissolved and there’s no lump left you are ready to move on.
- After that, mix sugar but don’t worry if it isn’t completely dissolved because once you start heating the milk it will immediately dissolve. Meanwhile, start chopping chocolate into small pieces.
- Place the pot with the milk on a stove on low heat. Be careful while heating the milk because it can start boiling really fast and that’s not what you want for this recipe. Mix continuously to make sure that everything is combined.
- Once that your milk is warm, add the chopped chocolate. If you want to add any spices, this is the moment to do it.
- When the chocolate starts to melt, make sure to mix thoroughly until you get a hot and thick result. This step is the key on how to make thick hot chocolate, so don’t stop mixing until you get the desired consistency.
- While it is warm, fill four cups with your Spanish chocolate drink and enjoy it!
Substitution of ingredients
Even though this is the best homemade hot chocolate recipe, there are different changes that you can make according to your preferences.
For example, if you really like trying different spices, you can add more of them! Like pepper, nutmeg, and even turmeric.
Besides that, when it comes to the type of chocolate or sugar, it also depends on your personal taste. If you have a sweet tooth, you can use semi-sweet chocolate and add one more tablespoon of sugar.
But if you rather a more bitter hot chocolate, you can use dark chocolate and add more or less sugar while you are making the thick hot chocolate recipe.
You can also make changes to the milk, there are some delicious vegan versions that could work as a wonderful substitution.
There is an easy vegan rich hot chocolate recipe that substitutes the milk for any vegetable milk of your choice, such as almond, coconut, or soy milk.
There are also some recipes that call for water, but it is hard to work with chocolate and water.
Tips on Serving Spanish Hot Chocolate
The Spanish hot chocolate is commonly eaten during the afternoon but you can have it for breakfast or even as a dessert. Especially on Sundays, it’s one of the most popular activities to go out with all the family to enjoy some hot thick chocolate.
In case you’re in Malaga and are wondering what to eat in Malaga, a chocolate caliente is a must – the most famous place being Los Valle and Casa Aranda (one of the oldest businesses in town).
The ideal pairing for the hot chocolate is the Churro, which is a delicious fried dough pastry, and a traditional snack from Spain. You can dip the churro in the hot chocolate, and if you eat these two together for breakfast you’ll be filled for almost the entire day!
If you can’t find churros in your town, you can try our authentic churros recipe from Spain or substitute them for waffles, or any type of pastry.
Keep in mind that you can also drink hot chocolate by itself and it will still be a wonderful afternoon snack.
Besides that, you can serve the hot chocolate and add some whipped cream on top, which will work really well if you choose more bitter chocolate.
If you are making this drink for the holidays you can pour some red and green sprinkles on top of the whipped cream, and serve it next to some Spanish marzipan cookies. This will bring Christmas joy to the table.
Are you craving something chocolatey and comforting? You can serve some Spanish rice pudding topped with hot chocolate for an extra delicious kick.
And yet another great idea is to use the chocolate sauce as a dip for the Leche frita bites – a heavenly combination.
Tips on Storage
This is the best hot chocolate recipe you can make, also when it comes to the storage process.
Once that your hot chocolate is ready, you can let it cool at room temperature for no more than 1 hour, and then take it to the fridge where you can store it for 1 to 3 days.
It is really important that whenever you are reheating the hot chocolate, it doesn’t reach the boiling point, because otherwise, you won’t be able to consume it.
This will be easier if you reheat it on a large pot at medium heat because you have more control of the situation, meanwhile, in the microwave, this is harder to do.
Can’t get enough of Spanish hot chocolate? Have a look at our webstory about the hot chocolate recipe from Spain.
Recipe Card: How to make hot thick chocolate from Spain
Spanish Hot Chocolate Recipe - Thick Hot Chocolate
The Spanish hot Chocolate, also known as Chocolate caliente in Spanish, is one of the most popular winter drinks not only in Southern Spain but all around the world.
This Spanish Chocolate drink had its origins in the XVIIth century and it used to be consumed only by the Spanish Aristocracy.
The idea of the Hot Chocolate actually came from the Mayan Empire, but the Spanish merchants modified the recipe giving it a unique and distinguished flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1L) whole milk
- 350g semi-sweet or dark chocolate
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- *Optional; a pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spice of your choice
Instructions
- On a large pot mix cornstarch with milk until combined.
- Add sugar and dissolve. In the meantime chop chocolate into small pieces.
- Take the pot with milk and warm it at medium heat. Make sure to mix constantly.
- Add the chocolate to the hot milk and let it melt.
- *Optional; at this point, you can add cinnamon or any desired spice.
- Mix thoroughly until you get a thick and smooth consistency.
- Serve hot on individual cups.
Notes
When it comes to the spices, you can add as much as you want and any type. The Mexican version of this drink even calls for black pepper, so you can use anything you want!
Also, for the sugar, 3 tablespoons are the standard amount, but you can use more or less depending on your personal taste and on the type of chocolate that you are using.
Once you get familiar with how to make homemade hot chocolate, you can start playing with more ingredients and spices without any problem!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 653Total Fat 33.9gSaturated Fat 22.7gCholesterol 45mgSodium 167mgCarbohydrates 73.2gFiber 3gSugar 66.9gProtein 14.6g
Hola, I’m Paulina! Together with my team, we are passionate about Southern Spain. Here we share all you need to know for great times in Southern Spain with the best places to visit, stay and, of course, the best food to eat.
Let’s dive in and explore Southern Spain’s outdoors, food and culture con pasión!
Brian Neale
Wednesday 12th of May 2021
I have tried hot chocolate with Churros in one of the Valor cafe's and I found it to thick for me to drink. Valor makes excellent chocolate bars etc we visited the Valor chocolate museum in Vilajoyoso well worth seeing how they make the chocolate bars etc and I purchased a bar of chocolate from the shop very tasty it was too. pity we cannot get it in Belgium not available here sorry to say.
Paulina
Tuesday 1st of June 2021
Yes indeed! The Spanish hot chocolate is worth alone a trip to Spain :) I love the Valor chocolate though. However, my favorite is the hot thick chocolate from Spain and when you can dip in some crispy homemade churros. Btw, I published a recipe on how to make churros at home.