Make this delicious atole de guayaba and enjoy a fruity, hot drink any day of the week. Creamy, sweet, and with a delicious floral aroma, this guava atole recipe will become a favorite for you and your family!
Atole de guayaba is a Mexican drink made of guava fruit, milk, and masa. It is a warm and comforting drink that is often enjoyed for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
I love the fruity taste of this drink and I often make it at home when I can find fresh guavas, which is usually around December, that may be the reason this atole is so popular for the posadas!
Of course, to enjoy a sweet and warm atole the best pairing is tamales. I like serving this drink with chicken tamales, they’re just perfect together.
Ingredients
- Guavas: Known as guayabas in Spanish, look for them at farmers’ markets or Mexican grocery stores. In a pinch, you can use canned guavas.
- Masa harina: This is for thickening the drink, you can also use cornstarch but I just love the earthy flavor of masa harina and that’s always my first choice!
- Milk: To add creaminess to the atole.
- Sugar: I like to use brow sugar or piloncillo, but granulated sugar is also a good option.
- Cinnamon: It adds a wonderful aroma. Use a stick, or substitute with ground cinnamon in a pinch.
- Baking soda: This is an important ingredient because it prevents your atole de guayaba from curdling.
- Water: To cook the fruit.
How To Make Atole de Guayaba
Cut guayabas into quarters and place them in a medium saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon, and 1 1/2 cups of water, then mix to dissolve the sugar.
Bring the water to a simmer and cook until the fruit is tender and falling apart (about 15 minutes).
Allow to lightly cool down, and then transfer everything to a blender (including the cooking water).
Blend until smooth (about 2 minutes at high speed).
Place a five sieve over a medium pot and strain the guava puree discarding the seeds.
Pour all the milk into the pot and add the baking soda. Mix to combine, then set the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
Combine masa harina in a small bowl with 1 cup of water. Mix well until there are no lumps in the mixture.
Stir in the masa harina mixture into the hot milk while mixing vigorously with a spoon to prevent atole from forming lumps.
Cook for about 15 minutes or until the atole thickens to the point it coats the back of a spoon.
Adjust sweetness if needed, turn off the heat and serve your atole de guayaba. ¡Buen provecho!
Tips & Tricks
- Fresh guavas are a bit tricky to find in many countries. But no worries, you can still enjoy this drink using canned guavas which can be purchased online. Just make sure to use less sugar than the recipe calls, as canned guavas are usually packed in sweet syrup.
- You can substitute the masa harina with 4 tablespoons of corn starch (also known as Maizena) and mix with cold water before adding to the hot mixture.
- To make it vegan or dairy-free you can replace whole milk with your favorite plant-based milk. The drink will be less creamy but will taste amazing anyway!
How To Serve
You can serve atole de guayaba with pan dulce or better yet, with tamales because let me tell you that those two together are like a PB&J sandwich, you can’t go wrong with it.
So, here are my favorite tamales recipes to enjoy this drink:
Store & Reheat
Atole de guayaba will get thicker as it cools down, so once is completely cold, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing it as it will form ice crystals making it too watery once defrosted.
To reheat it, place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time until fully heated up.
FAQ
What exactly is atole?
Atole is a Mexican thick drink made with masa (nixtamalized corn dough), milk or water, fruits, nuts, and other ingredients. This drink dates from pre-Hispanic times when it was traditionally used by different indigenous tribes for healing or simply nutritional purposes.
What is guayaba?
Guayaba, known in English as guava, is a tropical fruit that grows worldwide, this delicious fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is used to make sweet drinks and desserts or savory recipes like sauces and stews.
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Video
Atole de Guayaba
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh guavas (cut into quarters)
- 4 cups milk
- 4 Tablespoons masa harina (or ¼ cup masa dough)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups water (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Combine masa harina and 1 cup of water in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place guavas in a medium saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon, and the remaining water.
- Bring the water to a simmer and cook until the fruit is tender and falling apart.
- Allow to lightly cool down, then transfer everything to a blender and blend until pureed.
- Strain the pureed guavas into a medium pot. Discard solids.
- Add the milk to the pot along with baking soda. Place the pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer and set the heat to medium-low.
- Stir in the masa harina mixture while mixing with a spoon to prevent atole from forming lumps.
- Set the heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes or until the atole thickens to the point it coats the back of a spoon.
- Adjust sweetness to taste, turn off the heat, and serve atole de guayaba in mugs.
Notes
- Baking soda prevents your guayaba atole from curdling, don’t skip this ingredient.
- If you can’t find fresh guavas, use canned. Those can be purchased online. Just make sure to use less sugar than the recipe calls for, as canned guavas are usually packed in sweet syrup.
- You can substitute the masa harina with 4 tablespoons of corn starch (also known as Maizena) and mix with cold water before adding to the hot mixture.
- To make it vegan or dairy-free you can replace whole milk with your favorite plant-based milk.
Nutrition Information
This recipe was originally published on January 2022, it was republished recently with new useful information, but the original recipe remains unchanged.
Maricruz Avalos Flores is a Mexican cook and photographer living in Italy where she shares authentic Mexican & Italian recipes that can be easily made at home using easy-to-find ingredients.
This atole de guayaba is a warm fruity hug! Creamy, sweet, and that floral aroma? Delightful. It’s a weekly must-have in my home. Simply delicious!
My grandma used to make atole de guayaba when I was a kid, and this just brought so many memories to me /cry
btw, I am from Calvillo :) I’m sure you know where it is!