Drinks

Spanish Hot Chocolate (Chocolate a la Taza)

Name: Spanish Hot Chocolate (Chocolate a la Taza)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 500 ml whole milk, divided; 100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 2 tbsp sugar, or to taste -- this is meant to be less sweet than American hot chocolate; pinch of salt; churros, for dipping

Thick, pudding-like drinking chocolate made for dipping churros.

Vegetarian Gluten-Free Nut-Free

Small cup of thick Spanish hot chocolate served with churros for dipping — Thick enough to coat a churro -- that's the point, not an accident.

Prep5 min

Cook10 min

Total15 min

Servings 2 servings

DifficultyMedium

Milk and dark chocolate thickened with cornstarch into a spoon-coating, pudding-like drink -- traditionally served alongside churros for dipping, and deliberately less sweet than a mug of American hot chocolate.

Ingredients

500 ml whole milk, divided
100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar, or to taste -- this is meant to be less sweet than American hot chocolate
pinch of salt

To serve

churros, for dipping

Instructions

Whisk the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of the cold milk in a small bowl until smooth, and set aside.
Warm the rest of the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the chopped chocolate until fully melted and smooth.
Melting the chocolate over low heat, whisking constantly, keeps it from seizing or scorching against the bottom of the pan.
Whisk in the sugar, salt, and the cornstarch slurry.
Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 5 minutes. 5 min
It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a dipped churro -- if it still pours like a thin drink, it hasn't cooked long enough for the cornstarch to set up.
Pour into small cups and serve immediately with churros for dipping.

Notes

The cornstarch, not extra chocolate, is what gives this its signature pudding-like thickness -- that's what separates chocolate a la taza from a regular mug of hot chocolate.
Use the best dark chocolate you have -- this recipe has so few ingredients that the chocolate's quality is the whole drink.
No whipped cream or marshmallows -- the traditional pairing is churros, and the drink itself is kept on the less-sweet side.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 cup) -- estimated, not lab-tested.
Nutrient	Amount
Calories	300 kcal
Total Fat	17 g
Saturated Fat	10 g
Carbohydrates	30 g
Fiber	3 g
Sugar	18 g
Protein	8 g
Sodium	110 mg
Cholesterol	20 mg
Values are estimates based on standard ingredient data, not laboratory analysis.

Photo: LWY from Pasadena, USA, CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 3:2 and re-encoded as WebP/JPEG for web delivery.