[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":390},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:guatemalan-atol-de-elote":3,"recipe:country:guatemala":164},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":84,"ingredients":88,"instructions":116,"nutrition":138,"images":146,"keywords":156,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-atol-de-elote","Atol de Elote (Guatemalan Sweet Corn Drink)","Atol de elote","ah-TOHL deh eh-LOH-teh","guatemala","Nationwide, sold at markets and street corners","🌽","Fresh corn blended with milk, cinnamon and sugar and cooked until thick enough to coat a spoon — a hot Guatemalan market drink somewhere between horchata and corn pudding.","Atol de elote is a hot, sweet, pale-gold drink made from fresh corn kernels blended with milk and cooked down until it thickens into something you sip rather than gulp. It tastes purely of sweetcorn — grassy, milky and mildly sweet — with cinnamon warming the back of it, and the texture is the point: it should coat the inside of the cup and leave a film on your lip. Street vendors ladle it into styrofoam cups from a tall pot on cold mornings and at evening markets, often alongside a tamalito. It is made with what a Guatemalan kitchen always has, cooks in twenty minutes, and is one of the few drinks that genuinely counts as a small meal.","Atoles are Mesoamerican and ancient: thick corn-based drinks predate the Spanish by millennia and were made from masa cooked with water long before sugar and dairy arrived. Guatemala kept an unusually broad family of them. Atol blanco is plain and unsweetened, drunk with salt and chile. Atol de haba is made from broad beans, atol de plátano from ripe plantain, and atol shuco — the Quetzaltenango speciality whose name means dirty atol — is a fermented black-corn atol served with beans and pumpkin seeds that tastes sour and is fiercely defended by locals.\n\nAtol de elote sits at the sweet, approachable end of that spectrum, and it is the one most likely to convert a visitor. It uses fresh corn on the cob rather than masa, which makes it seasonal in the way most atoles are not, and the milk and sugar make it read as dessert to a foreign palate. Guatemalan corn is starchier and less sugary than the sweetcorn sold in most supermarkets abroad, which is worth knowing: with modern super-sweet corn you should cut the sugar noticeably or the drink becomes cloying.\n\nWhere you drink it matters as much as what is in it. Atol is a street and market thing, poured from a big aluminium pot into a cup held with both hands, drunk standing up in the cold air of a highland town in the early morning or at a fair in the evening. It is also what gets made at home when someone is ill or when there are more cobs than the family can eat. Nobody in Guatemala treats it as a special-occasion drink, which is precisely why it turns up everywhere.",[15,16,17,18],"Built on fresh corn cut from the cob rather than masa, which is what makes this atol taste of corn and not of dough.","Straining is optional and explained both ways, so you can choose between silky and rustic.","Adjusts the sugar honestly for supermarket sweetcorn, which is far sweeter than Guatemalan corn.","Twenty minutes from cob to cup, with nothing more specialised than a blender.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Use the cobs as well as the kernels. Simmering the stripped cobs in the milk for ten minutes pulls out a surprising amount of corn flavour and starch.","Blend the kernels with liquid, not dry, and give it a full minute. Undersized blending leaves gritty hulls that no amount of cooking will soften.","Strain through a sieve for the smooth market texture, or leave it unstrained for a thicker, more rustic drink with visible corn flecks — both are made in Guatemala.","Stir constantly once the pot goes on the heat. Corn starch catches on the bottom within seconds of being ignored and the whole batch tastes scorched.","It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through leaves a clean line. It thickens further as it cools, so stop slightly before you think it is right.","Taste for sweetness at the end, not the beginning. Supermarket sweetcorn can carry the drink almost on its own, and this recipe assumes you may need less sugar than listed.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Fresh corn on the cob","Frozen sweetcorn kernels","Works well and is available year-round, though you lose the cobs and therefore some depth. Add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to compensate for the missing body.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Whole milk","Oat milk, or half milk and half water","Oat milk keeps the creamy body and makes the drink vegan; the half-water version is closer to how many street vendors actually make it and is lighter to drink.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Panela or brown sugar","White sugar, or condensed milk to taste","Panela adds a faint molasses depth. Condensed milk is a common home shortcut that sweetens and enriches at the same time — start with two tablespoons.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Atol de elote con canela y vainilla","A split vanilla pod added with the cinnamon stick, which rounds the corn out and makes it taste closer to a custard.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Atol blanco","The unsweetened version made from plain masa and water, drunk with salt and chile powder rather than sugar. Completely different in character.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Atol de elote frío","Chilled and served cold over ice in the lowlands, where a steaming cup is unwelcome. Thin it slightly, since it sets much firmer when cold.",[50],"A steamed corn tamalito or a piece of sweet bread, the standard market pairing.","Atol keeps 3 days refrigerated but sets into a soft pudding as it cools, which is normal. Reheat gently over low heat with a good splash of milk, whisking until it flows again — do not boil, since reheated corn starch can go stringy. It does not freeze well, because the starch breaks on thawing and the drink turns grainy and separated no matter how hard you whisk it.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"What is atol de elote?","It is a hot, thick, sweet Guatemalan drink made from fresh corn blended with milk, cinnamon and sugar, then cooked until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. It sits somewhere between a drink and a thin pudding, is sold from large pots at markets and street corners, and is drunk from a cup rather than eaten with a spoon.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Is atol de elote a drink or a dessert?","Guatemalans treat it as a drink, usually at breakfast, in the late afternoon or at evening markets, often with a tamalito alongside. Foreigners often read it as a dessert because of the sweetness and thickness, and serving it in small cups after a meal works perfectly well.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Why is my atol lumpy?","The cornstarch was added to hot liquid without being slaked first, or the pot was not stirred constantly. Always mix cornstarch with a little cold milk into a smooth slurry before it goes in, and keep a whisk moving through the pot the whole time it cooks. Existing lumps can be rescued by passing the atol through a sieve.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Can I make atol de elote without dairy?","Yes. Oat milk gives the closest body and sweetness, almond milk works if you accept a thinner result, and many Guatemalan vendors already stretch the milk with water. The corn itself supplies most of the thickening, so removing dairy costs you richness rather than texture.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"How sweet should it be?","Mildly. Traditional atol de elote is made with starchy Guatemalan field corn and tastes gently sweet rather than sugary, so if you are using modern super-sweet supermarket corn you should cut the sugar by a third or more. Add it near the end and taste, since the corn variety makes far more difference than the recipe.",[69,70,71,72],"Blender","Fine sieve","Heavy saucepan","Whisk",4,10,25,"easy",[78,79],"drink","dessert",[81,82,83],"vegetarian","gluten-free","nut-free",[85,86,87],"corn","milk","cinnamon",[89,93,97,99,105,109,112],{"ref":85,"qty":73,"unit":90,"name":91,"group":92},"piece","fresh corn cobs, kernels cut off and cobs reserved","For the atol",{"ref":86,"qty":94,"unit":95,"name":96,"group":92},1,"l","whole milk",{"ref":87,"qty":94,"unit":90,"name":98,"group":92},"cinnamon stick",{"ref":100,"qty":101,"unit":102,"name":103,"note":104,"group":92},"brown-sugar",80,"g","grated panela or brown sugar","start with less if your corn is very sweet",{"ref":106,"qty":107,"unit":108,"name":106,"group":92},"cornstarch",2,"tbsp",{"qty":94,"unit":110,"name":111,"group":92},"pinch","fine salt",{"ref":87,"qty":94,"unit":113,"name":114,"group":115},"tsp","ground cinnamon, for dusting","To serve",[117,122,125,128,132,135],{"title":118,"text":119,"timerSeconds":120,"tip":121},"Infuse the milk with the cobs","Cut the kernels from the cobs and set them aside. Put the stripped cobs, snapped in half, into a saucepan with the milk and the cinnamon stick, and heat gently for 10 minutes without letting it boil, until the milk smells clearly of corn.",600,"The cobs hold a lot of flavour and starch. Throwing them away is the most common thing people get wrong here.",{"title":123,"text":124},"Blend the kernels","Fish out the cobs and the cinnamon stick. Blend the reserved kernels with about 400 ml of the warm milk for a full minute, until the mixture is pale yellow and as smooth as the blender will make it.",{"title":126,"text":127},"Strain or not","For the smooth market texture, pour the blend through a fine sieve back into the pan, pressing hard on the solids and discarding the hulls left behind. For a thicker, rustic atol with visible corn, skip the sieve entirely.",{"title":129,"text":130,"timerSeconds":120,"tip":131},"Thicken","Slake the cornstarch in a few tablespoons of cold milk until smooth, then whisk it into the pan with the remaining milk, the sugar and the salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes.","Never stop stirring. Corn starch catches on the base of the pan almost instantly and scorched atol cannot be saved.",{"title":133,"text":134},"Check the consistency","Keep cooking until the atol thickly coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn across it leaves a line that holds. It should pour slowly, like single cream — pull it off the heat slightly loose, since it firms as it cools.",{"title":136,"text":137},"Taste and serve","Taste for sweetness and adjust with a little more sugar if needed. Pour steaming into mugs, dust each one with ground cinnamon, and drink it hot with a tamalito or a piece of sweet bread.",{"calories":139,"protein":140,"carbs":141,"fat":142,"fiber":107,"sugar":143,"sodium":144,"estimated":145},280,9,47,7,32,140,true,[147,150,152,154],{"src":148,"alt":149},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-atol-de-elote\u002Fhero.jpg","Mug of Guatemalan atol de elote — a thick pale yellow sweet corn drink dusted with cinnamon, with corn cobs beside it",{"src":151,"alt":149},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-atol-de-elote\u002Fhero-16x9.jpg",{"src":153,"alt":149},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-atol-de-elote\u002Fhero-4x3.jpg",{"src":155,"alt":149},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-atol-de-elote\u002Fhero-1x1.jpg",[157,158,159,160,161,87,81],"atol de elote","guatemalan drink","sweet corn drink","atole","street food drink","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":165,"total":74,"page":94,"limit":388,"hasMore":389},[166,173,202,230,252,274,300,322,343,364],{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":167,"diet":168,"mainIngredients":169,"images":170,"keywords":172,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},[78,79],[81,82,83],[85,86,87],[171],{"src":148,"alt":149},[157,158,159,160,161,87,81],{"slug":174,"title":175,"nativeName":176,"countrySlug":8,"region":177,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":178,"cookMinutes":179,"difficulty":180,"course":181,"diet":183,"mainIngredients":184,"images":190,"keywords":194,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-chiles-rellenos","Chiles Rellenos Guatemaltecos (Stuffed Peppers in Egg Batter)","Chiles rellenos guatemaltecos","Guatemala City and Antigua",45,40,"medium",[182],"main",[82],[185,186,187,188,189],"bell-pepper","ground-pork","ground-beef","eggs","carrot",[191],{"src":192,"alt":193},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-chiles-rellenos\u002Fhero.jpg","Guatemalan chiles rellenos — golden egg-battered stuffed peppers on a plate with tomato sauce and a bread roll",[195,196,197,198,199,200,201],"chiles rellenos","guatemalan food","stuffed peppers","picadillo","egg batter","fried peppers","central american",{"slug":203,"title":204,"nativeName":205,"countrySlug":8,"region":206,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":207,"restMinutes":208,"difficulty":76,"course":209,"diet":212,"mainIngredients":215,"images":220,"keywords":224,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-chirmol","Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato Salsa)","Chirmol","Nationwide, especially the highlands",12,20,[210,211],"sauce","side",[81,213,82,214,83],"vegan","dairy-free",[216,217,218,219],"tomato","onion","mint","lime",[221],{"src":222,"alt":223},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-chirmol\u002Fhero.jpg","Bowl of Guatemalan chirmol — chopped charred tomatoes flecked with black skin, raw onion and fresh mint in their own juice",[225,226,227,228,229,213,201],"chirmol","guatemalan salsa","charred tomato","carne asada","mint salsa",{"slug":231,"title":232,"nativeName":233,"countrySlug":8,"region":234,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":235,"diet":237,"mainIngredients":238,"images":241,"keywords":245,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-frijoles-volteados","Frijoles Volteados (Guatemalan Flipped Refried Black Beans)","Frijoles volteados","Nationwide breakfast staple",[211,236],"breakfast",[81,213,82,214,83],[239,217,240],"black-beans","garlic",[242],{"src":243,"alt":244},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-frijoles-volteados\u002Fhero.jpg","A glossy black log of Guatemalan frijoles volteados rolled onto a plate with crumbled white cheese and warm tortillas",[246,247,248,249,250,251],"frijoles volteados","refried black beans","guatemalan breakfast","desayuno chapin","vegan beans","black beans",{"slug":253,"title":254,"nativeName":255,"countrySlug":8,"region":256,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":208,"cookMinutes":257,"difficulty":180,"course":258,"diet":259,"mainIngredients":260,"images":264,"keywords":268,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-hilachas","Hilachas (Guatemalan Shredded Beef in Tomato Sauce)","Hilachas","Guatemala City",120,[182],[82,214],[261,216,262,189,263],"beef-brisket","potato","guajillo-chiles",[265],{"src":266,"alt":267},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-hilachas\u002Fhero.jpg","Guatemalan hilachas — shredded beef threads with potato and carrot in a loose red tomato sauce served over white rice",[269,196,270,271,272,201,273],"hilachas","shredded beef","tomato stew","flank steak","comida corriente",{"slug":275,"title":276,"nativeName":277,"countrySlug":8,"region":278,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":279,"cookMinutes":280,"difficulty":180,"course":281,"diet":283,"mainIngredients":284,"images":289,"keywords":293,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-kak-ik","Kaq Ik (Q'eqchi' Maya Turkey and Chile Soup)","Kaq’ Ik","Cobán, Alta Verapaz",30,90,[282,182],"soup",[82,214],[285,216,286,287,288],"turkey","achiote","cilantro","masa-harina",[290],{"src":291,"alt":292},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-kak-ik\u002Fhero.jpg","Deep bowl of kaq ik — a scarlet Guatemalan turkey soup with herbs, a turkey leg standing in the broth and corn tamalitos beside it",[294,295,296,297,298,299,286],"kaq ik","kak ik","guatemalan soup","maya food","turkey soup","coban",{"slug":301,"title":302,"nativeName":303,"countrySlug":8,"region":304,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":279,"cookMinutes":305,"difficulty":306,"course":307,"diet":308,"mainIngredients":309,"images":312,"keywords":316,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-pepian","Pepián (Guatemalan Toasted Seed and Chile Stew)","Pepián de pollo","Guatemala City and the highlands",60,"hard",[182],[82,214],[310,311,216,263,262],"chicken","sesame-seeds",[313],{"src":314,"alt":315},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-pepian\u002Fhero.jpg","Bowl of Guatemalan pepián — chicken and potato in a thick dark brown seed sauce, with white rice and tortillas alongside",[317,196,318,319,320,321,201],"pepian","chicken stew","pepitoria","recado","national dish",{"slug":323,"title":324,"nativeName":325,"countrySlug":8,"region":326,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":279,"cookMinutes":179,"difficulty":180,"course":327,"diet":329,"mainIngredients":330,"images":332,"keywords":336,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-rellenitos","Rellenitos de Plátano (Plantain Croquettes with Sweet Beans)","Rellenitos de plátano","Nationwide",[79,328],"snack",[81,82,214,83],[331,239,87,100],"plantain",[333],{"src":334,"alt":335},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-rellenitos\u002Fhero.jpg","Guatemalan rellenitos de plátano — fried plantain croquettes dusted with sugar, one split to show the dark sweet bean filling",[337,338,339,340,341,342,81],"rellenitos","plantain dessert","guatemalan dessert","sweet black beans","panela","fried plantain",{"slug":344,"title":345,"nativeName":346,"countrySlug":8,"region":347,"baseServings":348,"prepMinutes":305,"cookMinutes":349,"restMinutes":208,"difficulty":306,"course":350,"diet":351,"mainIngredients":352,"images":354,"keywords":358,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-tamales-colorados","Tamales Colorados (Guatemalan Red Masa Parcels)","Tamales colorados","Nationwide, strongest in Guatemala City",8,180,[182],[82,214],[288,353,216,263,311],"pork-shoulder",[355],{"src":356,"alt":357},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-tamales-colorados\u002Fhero.jpg","Guatemalan tamal colorado opened in its banana leaf, soft corn masa with pork, red recado sauce and a green olive",[359,360,361,362,320,363,201],"tamales colorados","guatemalan tamales","banana leaf","masa","pork tamales",{"slug":365,"title":366,"nativeName":367,"countrySlug":8,"region":368,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":279,"difficulty":76,"course":369,"diet":372,"mainIngredients":373,"images":377,"keywords":381,"publishedAt":162,"updatedAt":162,"authorSlug":163},"guatemalan-tostadas","Tostadas Guatemaltecas (Crisp Tortillas with Three Toppings)","Tostadas guatemaltecas","Nationwide street food",[370,371,328],"street-food","appetizer",[81,82,83],[374,239,216,375,376],"corn-tortillas","avocado","queso-fresco",[378],{"src":379,"alt":380},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fguatemalan-tostadas\u002Fhero.jpg","Three Guatemalan tostadas on a plate topped with black bean paste, red tomato sauce and green guacamol, dusted with parsley and white cheese",[382,383,384,385,386,81,387],"tostadas","guatemalan street food","black bean paste","guacamol","queso seco","corn tortilla",24,false,1787360074254]