This colada de maizena (cornstarch pudding) is simple and very easy to make. The perfect afternoon snack or simple dessert.
What is Colada de Maizena?
It is a popular dish made with milk, maizena (cornstarch), vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. It's almost like a vanilla pudding without the eggs.
I e-mailed all of my cousins in Colombia trying to find this recipe. My grandmother made this often pudding when I was growing up as an afternoon snack and it's been a long time since I've had it. I don't know if it was the weather, but I've been craving colada for a while. I made it last week and it was so comforting and tasted just like Mamita's!
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions is below.
Corn Starch: You need to use this main ingredient to make the colada.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk to make this recipe.
Cinnamon: I like to use sticks for flavor.
Vanilla Bean: Adding de whole bean adds delicious vanilla flavor to the colada.
Sugar: I like to use organic sugar to my recipe
Tips to Make this Recipe
I like using a whole vanilla bean to make this recipe, but you can use vanilla extract if you prefer.
I recommend using whole milk when making colada de maizena, because I find that the texture is creamier with whole milk.
You can serve the colada warm or let it chill before serving it. If you refrigerate it, be sure to place plastic wrap over it.
How to make Colada de Maizena
- In a medium bowl, mix together the maizena or corn starch with 1 cup of the milk until the corn starch is dissolved and there are no lumps.
- Pour the rest of the milk, the sugar, cinnamon stick and the vanilla seeds into a medium pot, then gradually whisk in the corn starch mixture.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the colada is thickened to the consistency of a thin pudding.
- Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon stick and serve hot.
You can also adjust the amount of milk to adjust the consistency of the pudding. The same applies to the amount of sugar and how sweet you want the colada. I like mine thick and sweet and I usually eat it with a spoon. This recipe is really easy to make and kids love it!
More Desserts to Try
Coffee Mousse (Esponjado de Café)
Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)
Colada de Maizena Recipe (Colombian Cornstarch Pudding)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup maizena corn starch
- 5 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the maizena or corn starch with 1 cup of the milk until the corn starch is dissolved and there are no lumps.
- Pour the rest of the milk, the sugar, cinnamon stick and the vanilla seeds into a medium pot, then gradually whisk in the corn starch mixture.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the colada is thickened to the consistency of a thin pudding.
- Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon stick and serve hot.
Barbara
My mother used to make something like this for us, Erica...she served it with fruit on top. Love the idea of cinnamon.
Belinda @zomppa
It's cold again here and this looks like the perfect solution!
tasteofbeirut
This is so similar to drinks and puddings that are made in Lebanon; except we don't use cinnamon in sweets, rather orange blossom water and rose water.
Ivy
I was just about to say the same thing as Joumama and then saw her comment. We make it may be slightly thicker and call it a pudding and it's one I make nearly every time I have leftover milk.
Michi
My mom would make it like this or with cut up pieces of bread in it. Sooooo yummy!
Heather B
Mmmmmmm This sounds perfect!
Caroll Buitrago Long
Hola Erica,
Gracias Dios pusiste esta receta. He estado con antojos de Maizena a causa del frio, no de embarazo ( eso creo) y seguro que la voy a preparar esta noche...Que manjar!!!
Un abrazo y gracias por leer mi mente de nuevo!
A Canadian Foodie
Well how simple is that? And it would be tasty! Kind of like a vanilla cinnamon pudding.
YUM!
🙂
Valerie
PS Congratulations on your pregnancy! Thrilling!
grace
mmm, this sounds tasty! of course, anything flavored with cinnamon is a hit with me. 🙂
Anonymous
This reminds me of my younger years when my Lela would do this for me in the cooler days. So many happy memories. Thank you.
norma
OMG! My nani used to make this for us in Venezuela. Thanks for the memories...I will try this over the weekend.
Angela Zuluaga
Hola Erica,
He estado siguiendo tu blog y me encantan todas las recetas que pones, hace rato no como Maizena y con este frio, me has inspirado. Me puedes decir si sabes de mas blogs de colombianos en USA? he intentado encontrar y eres la unica.
Suerte con el embarazo,
Angela
Erica
Angela- No!!!!!
Caroll Buitrago-Long
Angela, si te refieres a Blogs de comida colombiana, no creo que haya alguno mejor que este, Pero en cuanto a blogs personales, te aseguro que si habra....
Yo tengo uno y aunque no lo he puesto al dia mucho que digamos ahi esta en el mundo cibernetico.
Espero que estes muy bien y encuentres lo que buscas....Por ahora disfrutemos de esta belleza de blog que Erica nos regala.
Un abrazo pa'l frio!
Faith
This sounds absolutely delicious and looks so comorting, Erica! I love the cinnamon and vanilla in there!
Nina
Mi maizena no me salio buena. 🙁 Me quedo muy aguada. No quise dejarla en la estufa mas tiempo, por que se estaba pegando en vez de ponerse mas espesa.
Me tocara tratar otra vez y a lo mejor con menos leche?
Erica
Nina- Le puedes hechar mas maizena y ponerla en fuego bajo!
Evelyn
uhiii me llevaste a mi infancia con la colada
de maizena. Tan linda. Felicidades por tu web esta espectacular.xoxo.
Courtney
Hola Erica!
I've been following your blog for awhile now, I'm dating a Colombian who is living in Canada, and I often try to make Colombian food so he feels at home, but it's hard as we live in a small city and in order to have any similar ingredients even, we need to travel 2-3 hours. I've tried a couple things from your blog--let me say, most were a success, but anything involving cheese has been deemed a failure by him due to the differences in cheese, but my mum liked what he didn't, jajaj
I am going to try 3-5 things from your blog this weekend (or at least I plan to), because I have been craving areapas con queso for about a month now.
Gracias por ti, Erica. Espero todos es bueno contigo! (My Spanish is terrible, sorry, jej)
Caroll Buitrago-Long
Hola Erica,
Acabo de hacer la maizena de nuevo pero esta vez se me ahumo. Porque crees que pasa?? segui todos los pasos auqnue esta vez use la leche 2%, sera ese el problema?
Gracias
Nelly
Hey Erica!
This recipe is delicious. I made the colada with almond milk and mmmmmmm...great!.. Thanks for share you recipes.
God bless you 🙂
luzma
Hola Erica por casualidad tendras receta de las empanadas pastuzas con el aji de mani?
DowntownFoodie
I absolutely looove Maicena!! How cool that you guys add vanilla bean. Yum! Great recipe!
Marcela
Que rico, en El Salvador tenemos un postre muy similar...quiero probar!!!
Maria C
I prepared my colada today, I'm pregnant and craving Colombian food every day. I'm going to check on other of your recipes to see what I would like to have tomorrow.
Great page.
Carolina
You're a lifesaver! I was craving this and I couldn't get a hold of my mom. Que rica que me quedo, gracias!
Teri
Thanks for sharing this recipe, when I was stayed at the hospital in Costa Rica because of problems with my pregancy, I and all the other ladies with gestational diabetes were given this to drink in the evening as our snack to tide us over till breakfast. Now that I have a son who is allergic to corn and milk I wanted to make this recipe with his special formula -this should hide the taste of it- and cassava starch because hes also allergic to corn. I was not able to find the recipe anywhere till I found yours, it looks like what I had at the hospital, yum! again thanks for sharing!
Missy
I never heard of this recipe before. My daughter's future
mother-in-law introduced it her, and she inturn did the same to me. I enjoy it . It will be one of my comfort foods to end my evening.
Eva de Bulgaria
I love this recipe!!! Turns out perfect!!
Anonymous
Tastes great! I use cinnimon and whole cloves, let them boil in water for a while. I like to dip buttered toast in it... so delish
Laura cuellar
Yes there is something about pregnancy that makes this an extra special treat. This saved me in the first 2 months or so of breastfeeding at all ours of the night. I had no desireto eat something at such hours butneeding the calories all i had to do was heatup a cup from a batch made in the evening. Warm and sooo yummy comforting.
Sandra
Gracias por la receta. Yo solo le pondria menos agua y menos azucar, ya que la colada es mas espesa y mas simple. En Medellin solemos tomarla mezclada con galletas Saltin Noel en pedacitos. Saludos.
Claudia Lucia Easterling
OMG my parents are from Colombia, I use to have this as a child and I too craved this with my third pregnancy! So funny gotta love them Colombian roots! Glad I found you.
IRIS
I had a friend in middle school who's mom would make this. She was from Columbia. It's been like 20 years and I randomly remembered it and after so much time trying to remember what it was I found your recipe! I had only remembered the yellow box that said Maizena.
I'm making it now with almond milk (I think soy would be better but I don't have any right now. I'm also out of sugar so I'm using Splenda naturals.
It's pretty good but I need to make it with the real stuff next time.
Thank you!
Anonymous
*Colombia
Gloria
Both my grandmother and my mother used to make this. They used to pour half out of the pan and then add a bar of (drinking) chocolate and melt it in with the heat by stirring it in. I'm not sure if they let it set a bit, but then they poured the chocolate mix on top and we had a great double layered treat. Love it.