This Changua Bogotana recipe is the perfect breakfast on a cold morning. It's a light, filling and comforting soup.
What is Changua?
It is a typical breakfast in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. It's a comforting soup made with milk, scallions, bread, cilantro and eggs.
Until recently, I had never made Changua and I didn’t have a recipe. My mom loves this egg soup, so I gave her a call hoping that she had a recipe. Well, she did so now that’s two of mom’s recipes in a row.
Variations and Notes
Like many traditional Colombian recipes, every cook, region and family has its own changua variation.
Some people like to add "cuajada" a Colombian cheese, almojábanas, potatoes to their changua.
In Bogotá, Changua is served for breakfast with bread on the side or in the soup, but this Colombian breakfast soup can be eaten at any time of the day.
It is also known to help with a hangover, so you can try it after your next party and let me know if it helped.
Ingredients
You will find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and directions below.
Milk: I prefer using whole milk, but use low fat if you prefer.
Water: To make the soup.
Eggs: I recommend using good quality eggs.
Cilantro: If you don't like cilantro use parsley
Scallions: Give the soup extra flavor
Salt and pepper to your taste.
Bread with butter to serve.
How to Make Changua
- Place the milk and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the eggs without breaking them.
- Let the eggs cook for 3 minutes and add the cilantro.
- Serve warm with bread on the side and garnish with fresh cilantro.
More Breakfast to Try
Huevos Pericos (Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Scallions)
Pandebono (Colombian Style Cheese Bread)
Changua Recipe (Colombian Egg and Milk Soup)
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups water
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus more for serving
- 3 scallions chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Bread with butter to serve
Instructions
- Place the milk and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the eggs without breaking them.
- Let the eggs cook for 3 minutes and add the cilantro.
- Serve warm with bread on the side and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Allison
We make it at home with envueltos in place of the bread in the soup & it is amazing u add it towards the very end because otherwise it will melt into the soup, but it gives it such a sweetness! You must try it.
Toni
How interesting! Thank you for sharing that. I had to look up envueltos and I love how there are so many versions, from egg & cheese with corn, to something resembling a chicken tamale, to a sort of Latin-German/Hungarian-African fusion with tomatoey beef wrapped in cabbage!
I truly believe that if more people in the world could enjoy a wide variety of foods and appreciate the similarities between cultures, not to mention cooking and eating together. . . We would have a more harmonious world. Food creates Peace.
Mary Ann Z
I love making this soup and didn't t know the name until I saw this website Photo. It reminds me of my mom , She was from Bogota,. Wonderful to find an actual recipe as she didn't leave a written recipe and I improvised from memory. I add a small amount of diced potato and also use mozzarella but now will add quest blanco instead.
Thank you. Mary Ann, a Colombian in upstate NY.
Diana
My mom taught me to make this with garlic as well which gives it an excellent taste, (I don't put pepper but maybe i'll try it next time) and we also add in pieces of French or Italian bread when it's close to being done. It's one of my favorite breakfast dishes.. brings me back to when I lived in Colombia!
Eduardo Patarroyo
In the most traditional changua eggs are optional and ther'es no pepper. It is supposed for putting; arepas, envueltos, mogollas, almojábanas or bread into it in pieces.
Eduardo Patarroyo
And it is not tecnically a soup and not for beeing seem like one, it's just a way of preparing milk for breakfast.
GEORGE ORDONEZ
and in Colombia they even put potatoes in it let me tell you ok bye and take care.
george ordonez
we sometimes put potatoes in this stuff and eat wit arepa and call it sopas later my dad is from Sangil, Santander sur, Colombia too. ok
Isabella
Love it. My mom used to make this for us all the time. She doesn't make it with bread, but with potatoes cooked in the milk broth. Maybe I will have to start making it for myself.
David
Alan, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you sound like a smart ass. Condiscending!
Jeffrey Whelchel
Know this comment is gonna sound silly to anyone that is a seasoned cook, but I'll forge ahead in any case. When I read your instructions I was a little confused by the line: "add the eggs without breaking them". I had a mental picture of eggs going in the pot with shells on. Even to the point of wondering why there wasn't a step to break the eggs after the 3 minutes. food.com's version of this recipe says to carefully add the eggs without breaking the yolk. Aha. now I have the correct mental picture. With the understanding that I'm still a possible candidate for the show, 'worst cooks in America', I thought you might like to clarify that step.
lorena
Today is my first time making changua I hope my american mom like it i'm adopted that's why i say my american mom if any of you like to adopt go to kidsaveorg.com
Alan Bowman
Hi Erica from Spain
I take it that by "add the eggs without breaking them", you are referring to the yolks - one has to break the shells to get at the egg inside.
I must try this one day as a "bland diet (convalescent) dish"
Abrazos
Alan
Erica Dinho
Hi Alan, Yes..without breaking the yolks!
Anonymous
Good point !
robert g.
OMG! Changua...I always think of it as hangover food. My aunt would make it the day after a big party for all the people who crashed at her house. Good memories! Thanks.
Corina
I don't really know much about Colombian food but this looks delicious and I'm glad I found your blog. I'm looking forward to having a browse through.
Heather
My father is from Bogota and I grew up eating this. Just made it this morning in fact. I put the bread in the soup though and add even amounts of milk and water with no pepper. Delicious. Thanks for sharing!
george ordonez
we used to eat in Sangil all the time it is called sopas. we eat them with arepa instead of bread. that is the rea way to eat this stuff. sopas is the thing to eat in colombia for breakfast.
Ann
Yes, I ate plenty of changua when I lived in Bogotá. I remember the bread placed in the soup bowl, then pouring the soup on top of it right before serving so it didn't get too soggy. I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for the post!