Filipino champorado is one of my favorite breakfasts! It’s rich, warm, comforting, and perfect for other chocolate lovers. It’s very simple to make and stores well in the freezer, in case you want to prep a bunch in advance for a rainy day.
Looking for more chocolate recipes? Try my double chocolate chip cookies!
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What Is Champorado?
Champorado is a thick, rich, comforting Filipino chocolate rice porridge, often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. And as a kid, I LOVED eating champorado. Who wouldn’t love eating a bowl of warm chocolate rice in the morning?!
Sometimes I’d request it as breakfast before school. But if we were in a pinch, my dad and I had our own little shortcut: we’d make a cup of instant hot chocolate, then pour it over freshly cooked rice.
I’d happily dig into my bowl of chocolate, while my dad would pour coffee over his rice instead. I always thought he was such an adult for doing that. Simple, cozy, and completely ours—that’s what we’d enjoy.
Actual champorado is made by simmering glutinous rice (aka sticky rice) in water with chocolate and sugar until thick and velvety. Traditionally, tablea (Filipino chocolate tablets) is used, but this recipe also includes measurements for cocoa powder for wider accessibility.
Just before serving, evaporated milk is drizzled on for extra creaminess. And for a salty, sweet, umami combo, it’s sometimes served with dried fish (tuyo) on top! Some days I like tuyo, some days I prefer it without. If you haven’t had that pairing before, I always suggest trying it. 🙂
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s rich, chocolatey, and comforting! A bowl of warm, gooey chocolate rice always picks me up.
- You can meal prep it. Since one batch makes a lot, I actually portion out single-servings and freeze them. Whenever I want to eat it, I pop it into a bowl and microwave it until it’s warm!
Looking for more Filipino dishes? Try my mango float!
Ingredients
To make homemade champorado, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Champorado typically uses glutinous rice flour (sticky rice or sweet rice). I like to rinse mine really well before cooking. If you can’t find glutinous rice, you can always use regular rice—it will just not be as thick, gooey, and creamy!
- Traditionally, champorado uses tablea—Filipino chocolate discs. However, you can use cocoa powder if you can’t find tablea near you. I like to use Dutch cocoa powder over natural cocoa powder, because it is richer in flavor.
- For flavoring, you can use any kind of sweetener and a pinch of salt. I like to use light or dark brown sugar for a slight molasses flavor, but you can use white sugar.
- Before serving, evaporated milk is drizzled on top. You can use other milks, too—it just won’t be as creamy.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡Champorado Pairings
- Dried fish (tuyo): this is a common flavor combination in the Philippines! Dried fish is sprinkled on top for a sweet, salty, umami flavor.
- Fruit: I love adding chopped bananas and strawberries on top!
- Nuts: Sometimes I like to add toasted walnuts or almonds.
- Whipped cream or ice cream: this speaks for itself!
How to make Filipino Champorado
Step 1: In a pot, heat water on medium high heat. Once it’s hot, whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the rice and simmer, stirring the sides and bottom of the pot constantly until thickened, about 15-25 minutes. Mix in sugar and salt to taste.
Step 2: Transfer champorado to serving bowl. Add milk and toppings of choice. Enjoy!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
🇵🇭 More Filipino Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Champorado
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Equipment
- serving bowls
Ingredients
Champorado:
- 4 cups (946.35 g) water
- ⅔ cup (57.33 g) Dutch cocoa powder* or 4 pieces tablea
- 1 cup (185 g) glutinous rice** aka sticky rice or sweet rice; rinsed well
- 6-8 tablespoons (72 g) brown sugar light or dark
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
Toppings:
- milk for drizzling; can use any kind, but evaporated is the most popular!
- dried fish, nuts, fruit, etc.
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a gentle simmer. Whisk in ⅔ cup Dutch cocoa powder* until fully dissolved.
- Add 1 cup glutinous rice** and cook at a low simmer, stirring frequently to avoid and sticking or burning. Cook until the champorado reaches a thick porridge consistency, about 15-20 minutes. If you want it thicker, keep cooking.
- Stir in 6-8 tablespoons brown sugar and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt to taste.
- Transfer to serving bowls. Drizzle on milk and top with dried fish, nuts, fruit, etc., and enjoy!
Notes
- Store champorado in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I actually like to freeze portions of champorado, then microwave from frozen until it’s warm!
