This Colombian-Style Hot Chocolate is popular in the Cundinamarca region of the country as it's known as Chocolate Santafereño. This drink can be served for breakfast or snack with your favorite Colombian cheese bread.
What is Chocolate Santafereño?
It's a popular warm drink in Colombia, especially in Bogotá, the countries capital. Hot chocolate is a staple in almost every Colombian home. In my family, as good “paisas”, we drink this hot chocolate at breakfast with arepa and cheese and sometimes as a “merienda”, an evening snack with Colombian pastries or bread and cheese.
In Colombia we like to add chunks of cheese into our hot chocolate. It's a traditional way to have this drink and it's absolutely delicious.You should try it!
What you Need to Make Colombian Hot Chocolate?
If you would like to make Chocolate Santafereño as we do in Colombia, you'll need two old-fashioned Colombian kitchen gadgets. A “chocolatera” and a “bolinillo” (or molinillo).You can buy them at local Latin stores or online.
The printable recipe card with exact ingredients amounts and cooking directions is below.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk to make this recipe, because it gives the hot chocolate a creamy texture. To make it dairy-free you can replace the milk with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. They will change the flavor and texture of the traditional drink.
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to this drink.
Chocolate: I like using a Colombian chocolate brand "Luker"to make my hot chocolate. I usually find it in my local Latin market or online on Amazon. If you don't find this brand, just use your favorite and good quality bittersweet chocolate bar to make this recipe.
Sugar: Add to your taste.
Some of my favorite breads to serve with this Colombian hot chocolate are pandebono, almojábana, buñuelos and pan blandito.
More Comforting Drinks
Aromáticas de Frutas (Fruit Tea)
Colombian-Style Hot Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar or to your taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point, add the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the sugar and cinnamon.
- Whisk vigorously or transfer to a blender. Reheat gently and serve immediately.
Daily Diner
wow that looks good.
Diana
I'll have to look for that at the Mexican store. By the way, I left you a tasty award on my blog 😉
Lynda
I could use a cup of this delicious hot chocolate right about now. Thanks for the recipe!
Angie's Recipes
A nice heart-warming drink!
Angie's Recipes
Erica
Thank you all for the comments!
Felisha
I just had hot chocolate and home made buñuelos for breakfast 🙂 Yummy!!
Enoch
I discovered this website yesterday and I am excited since I love Colombian people and their food. I learned how to make Colombian hot chocolate from a Colombian baker in NY and it is awesome! Looking forward to receiving more of your newsletters. BTW I already have the molinillo and the bars of LUKER. The best one is the sugar-free one so you can adjust the sweetnes.
Oysterculture
oh yum, cinnamon and chocolate is the perfect combo!
Sophie
Who doesn't love a good hot chocolate? MMMMMMMM,...
Erica
Hi kenny,
Yes, you can use cocoa powder.
ruth
Yum! Chocolate and cinnamon! Looks so rich, Id love that for my breakfast right now!
KennyT
Hi Erica, can I use cocoa powder + sugar instead? I wanna try this recipe and I have some cocoa powder but not sweet chocolate on hand. Thanks.
Kim
This looks really delicious for those toasty cold evenings coming up. I love the cinnamon addition.
Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction
Yum... I love hot chocolate and the addition of cinnamon is so fabulous! I think I will have to whip some of this up this weekend!
rebecca subbiah
oh wow this looks divine, i want one now
Diana
Erica, I love hot chocolate. Especiallly to dip churros into. What kind of chocolate do you use? A specific brand?
Erica
Hi Diana,
I use "Chocolate Luker" it is from Colombia, if I don't have that one I use Goya.