Pumpkin Atole Recipe – Video at the End

Pumpkin atole is a traditional hot drink served in Autumn, great to keep celebrating Hispanin Heritage Month.

This recipe is also in Spanish: Atole de Calabaza

Weather is getting cool and we’re craving hot drinks now. For me, the first thing that came to mind was the atoles my granny used to make in this time of the year. I specially remember her pumpkin atole so I went and prepare it for my family.

While my granny was preparing the atole I remember going to the bakery in the block around my house to buy sweet Mexican bread. It uisually came fresh out of the oven at about five o’clock every afternoon, just in time for la merienda.

That snack time always included something traditional and with protein, in most cases milk which is one of the most reliable sources with high quality protein that we can find.

A single glass of 8 oz of milk contains 8 grams of high quality protein. I remind my children that milk has the protein that our muscles, bones and teeth need to grow strong and healthy.

Now it’s my turn to pamper my family with this traditional hot pumpkin atole with milk.

Remember, for this and almost all milk recipes, you can choose from the different options of milk fat. From whole milk, to fat free milk, low calorie or flavored milk, plus regular milk has no added sugar, honey sugar comes naturally from the lactose.

PUMPKIN ATOLE

Ingredients

• 1/2 Medium pumpkin
• 4 Water cups (separate quantities)
• 1 Piloncillo or panela
• 2 Cinnamon slashes
• 6 Smell pins
• 1/2 Cup cornmeal
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla spoon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Clean the pumpkin by removing all the seeds. Cut it into large pieces.

In a large pot, add the pumpkin, cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves and three cups of water (we reserve the rest water).

When it starts to boil, turn down the heat and cover, leave for about ten minutes or until the pumpkin get soft.

After that, remove from heat and place the pumpkin slices on a plate. Keep the water in which it boiled in the same pot because we will need it later.

Remove the pumpkin peel with a spoon and place the pumpkin in the blender. Then add milk, nutmeg, vanilla. Blend and keep apart.

In addition, mix the cornmeal with the remaining cup of cold water, until the lumps are gone. Separate.

Heat back the cinnamon and piloncillo water in the stove, incorporate the pumpkin puree mixture of the blender.

Now, gradually add the cornmeal dissolved in water, mix and move constantly for about ten minutes, so that the drink takes the thick consistency of atole.
Sweeten to taste and enjoy!

Check out more recipes with pumpkin:

• Creamy pumpkin soup recipe
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

Translated on October 2021.