Colombian Hot Chocolate

Colombian hot chocolate with cinnamon and mozzarella—and yes, cheese! A warm hug in a mug you didn’t know you needed.

The first time I had chocolate santafereño, it came with jazz, rainy sidewalks, and a little bit of cheese confusion.

Jump to:

• Sweet, Salty, and Not Really for Me
• Ingredients
• How to Make This Colombian Hot Chocolate with Cheese
• Storage
• Top Tips
• What to Serve With Chocolate Santafereño
• Recipe

There’s a hush that only comes after the day has ended, when the kids are asleep, the kitchen is clean, and the warmth of what was cooked still clings to the walls. It’s in that quiet that the past sometimes nudges its way in.

Those are the moments when I remember Bogotá, not just the place, but a specific kind of feeling. Light, stretched out, full of music and the low chatter of friends leaning close over mugs of hot chocolate.

We were newly married then, a visitor in a country that would slowly start to feel like home through the people I loved. My husband and I had ducked into a jazz club in La Candelaria, El Chato Negro, on a rainy night when the streets glistened and the windows fogged up just enough to make everything inside feel dreamlike. A place where they serve Colombian drink classics like canelazo, aguardiente sours, and tamarind cocktails. The band played standards with a little local flair, and the warmth from the stage spilled into the room like honey.

That’s where I tasted Colombian-style hot chocolate for the first time. A thick, spiced hot choco served not just with sugar or cream, but with cubes of mozzarella cheese, gently melting at the bottom of the cup. My husband had ordered it for me. I stared at the cup. Blinked. Hesitated.

Sweet, Salty, and Not Really for Me

I love cheese and I love hot chocolate. But together? In the same cup? It felt like a dare.

I took a sip anyway. It was sweet and salty, rich and melty, and not something I’d crave again. But I watched him enjoy it. And his friends. And the whole cozy table leaned into that cup like it was the most natural thing. That moment mattered more than the taste.

Now, years later, I still make it. Not for me, but for them. For the memory, the comfort, the laughter. And whenever our friends visit and we want to share a bit of his childhood.

I’ve served it alongside plantain latkes with lime crema sauce or my mother-in-law's arepas. Another evening, I baked a batch of cinnamon chocolate rugelach, a gluten-free twist on my grandmother’s favorite pastry. The smell of cinnamon and cocoa filled the kitchen, and the combo just made sense.  

There was music playing in the background, probably something from the same jazz band we’d heard in Bogotá. And somehow, this drink I never quite fell for had made its way into my kitchen, into our traditions, woven in through laughter and second helpings.

I didn’t grow up with it. I don’t crave it. But it arrived in my life through love, through open-hearted curiosity, through the quiet magic that happens when you say yes to someone else’s comfort.

That’s the thing about chocolate santafereño. It’s not just a drink, it’s an invitation. A gentle way of saying, “You’re welcome here.”

Ingredients

• Colombian Chocolate (Chocolate Santafereño) – Traditionally made with panela (unrefined cane sugar), cinnamon, and sometimes cloves, these bars melt into a thick, rich drink with just enough grit to remind you it’s handmade. Look for brands like Luker or Corona at Latin American markets or online. If you can’t find it, use 70% dark chocolate and add a bit of panela or brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon to mimic the original.
• Whole Milk– The classic base. It gives the drink its signature body and richness, and helps the cheese melt gently without curdling. You can use a plant-based milk like oat or cashew for a dairy-free version, but expect a slightly thinner texture.
• Cinnamon Stick – In Bogotá, cinnamon is often simmered right into the chocolate. I’ve tried it with ground cinnamon in a pinch, but the stick gives a smoother, rounder flavor. I also use cinnamon sticks in preparing my aguapanela.
• Mozzarella Cheese (Fresh, Low-Moisture) – This might sound odd at first, but it’s non-negotiable in traditional Colombian hot chocolate. Use fresh, low-moisture mozzarella, the kind you’d slice onto a pizza, not the soft balls in brine. If you’re feeling playful, try Colombian queso campesino if you can find it. But mozzarella works beautifully.

See the recipe card for full list and exact quantities.

How to Make This Colombian Hot Chocolate with Cheese

This cozy, spiced hot chocolate comes together easily, with just a few ingredients and a little gentle stirring. If you’ve got a molinillo (a traditional wooden whisk) or olleta, now’s the time to use it, but a regular whisk will do just fine. Here’s how to make Colombian hot chocolate at home:

Break the Chocolate

Start by breaking the chocolate bar into small pieces. The smaller the bits, the easier they’ll melt into the milk. If you’re using a Colombian chocolate tablet like Luker or Corona, they’re usually pre-scored, which makes this part satisfying.

Warm the Milk

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and set it over medium heat. Let it warm slowly, no need to rush. You want it hot but not boiling, just gently steaming.

Add the Chocolate and Cinnamon

Drop the chocolate pieces and the cinnamon stick into the warm milk. Stir slowly, letting the chocolate melt and swirl into the milk as the cinnamon infuses its warmth.  

Stir Until Smooth

Continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted and the mixture is smooth and cohesive. This usually takes a few minutes. If you’re using a whisk or molinillo, now’s a good time to give it a little extra froth.

Remove the Cinnamon Stick

Once everything is melted and perfectly spiced, fish out the cinnamon stick.  

Froth the Chocolate

Use your whisk or molinillo to froth the hot chocolate right in the pot. 

Pour and Put Cheese

Pour the hot chocolate into mugs, leaving a little room at the top. Gently drop in a few cubes or slices of mozzarella. It should start to soften right away, slowly melting into the bottom of the cup.

Serve and Sip Slowly

Serve immediately. Sip the chocolate, then spoon up a piece of softened cheese. It’s that contrast of sweet, creamy, and savory that makes this drink so unforgettable. Some of our friends like to swirl the cheese a bit first, others go straight for the spoon.

Storage

If you somehow have a bit of chocolate santafereño left over, maybe you made a double batch for friends and then everyone got full from all the dunked rugelach and granola bars, you’re in luck. This delicious hot chocolate stores beautifully.

Let it cool to room temperature first, then pour it into a glass jar or airtight container and pop it in the fridge. It’ll keep for up to 3 days. It heats gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Just be sure to stir it well, and always add fresh mozzarella cubes right before serving.

And if you're wondering, yes, the cheese part should always be added fresh. It doesn’t reheat well once melted. Think of it as your excuse to slow down and enjoy a warm, melty moment all over again.

What to Serve With Chocolate Santafereño

This chocolate santafereño is a hug in a mug, sweet, spiced, and quietly surprising with its melty bits of mozzarella.

When pairing it with something to eat, I like to think about balance: Is your chocolate on the sweeter side? Try a saltier snack. More bittersweet? A tender pastry might be just the thing. And since the cheese is mild and creamy, it won’t compete, leaving plenty of room to play with flavor.

On rainy afternoons, it’s perfect with these Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese. The earthy sweetness of the pumpkin and the tang of the cream cheese strike just the right balance against the warmth of the chocolate, and they make your kitchen smell like fall.

For a slightly fancier twist, especially when friends drop by, I set out a plate of Homemade Labaneh Balls. Their salty tang and creamy texture are a surprising, sophisticated match with the sweet-spiced drink.  When I’m leaning into full dessert mode, I reach for these Walnut and Buckwheat Caramel Tarts. The deep nuttiness and rich caramel mirror the chocolate’s depth and give it a grown-up dessert vibe.

And for a playful treat, especially around holidays or when the kids are helping in the kitchen, an easy Hamantaschen are always a hit. We like to fill them with guava paste or dark chocolate for a Colombian twist, and the slightly crumbly cookie with a sweet center feels like a sweet little surprise alongside each sip.

Recipe