Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Champorado
A sweet Filipino chocolate rice porridge, traditionally eaten with salty dried fish on the side.
Filipino · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 30 min
~316 cal · 7g protein · 74g carbs · 3g fat · 6g fiber · 26g sugars · 1g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Champorado is a beloved Filipino chocolate rice porridge, glutinous rice cooked with 'tablea' (pure, rustic cacao tablets) into a warm, thick, sweet chocolate porridge, classically served with a splash of evaporated or condensed milk. The sweet-and-savory magic comes from eating it with salty dried fish ('tuyo') on the side.
The dish reflects the cacao brought to the Philippines via the galleon trade with the Americas, blended into the Filipino love of rice porridges ('lugaw'). The contrast of sweet chocolate porridge and salty fish is the beloved, unexpected pairing.
Eaten for breakfast or as a rainy-day 'merienda' snack across the Philippines, champorado is nostalgic food, especially loved by children.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 cup glutinous (sticky) rice
1/2 cup cacao tablea (or unsweetened cocoa)
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch a pinch of salt
5 cups water
Instructions
1
Simmer the sticky rice in the water, stirring often, until soft and thick.
2
Melt in the cacao and stir until dark and smooth.
3
Sweeten with sugar and add a pinch of salt.
4
Loosen with a little water if it gets too thick.
5
Serve hot, with coconut or plant milk poured over, and dried fish on the side if you dare.
✎ Chef’s note
The classic Filipino finish is a swirl of evaporated or condensed milk stirred in at the table; coconut milk gives the same richness and keeps the bowl dairy-free. The salty fried tuyo alongside is the real thing, not a dare.
Central Luzon tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Central Luzon. Adobo is not from here or from anywhere in particular. The vinegar-and-salt method is pre-Hispanic and archipelago-wide, recorded in a 1613 Tagalog dictionary as adobo de los naturales, the natives' adobo, and the Spanish simply gave the technique a Spanish name. Paksiw, kinilaw and the Visayan cured fish belong to the same family.
🗺️
Philippines. Adobo is a method, not a region and not a Spanish import. The vinegar-and-salt way of cooking meat is pre-Hispanic and found across the archipelago; Spanish friars simply wrote it down, and a Tagalog dictionary of 1613 records it as adobo de los naturales, the natives' adobo. The souring agent in sinigang shifts too, from tamarind to kamias, guava or calamansi.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Philippines
Chicken AdoboChicken braised glossy in vinegar, soy, garlic, and black pepper, the Philippines’ definitive dish.
Sinigang na BaboyThe Philippines’ beloved sour soup: pork simmered tender in a clear tamarind broth, unapologetically tart, loaded with vegetables added in stages.
Pancit BihonThin rice noodles stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables in a savory soy sauce, a Filipino celebration staple.
Browse all Philippines recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Thickens as it sits. Reheat with extra water or milk to loosen, and keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Champorado?
A sweet Filipino chocolate rice porridge, traditionally eaten with salty dried fish on the side.
Where does Champorado come from?
Champorado is a Filipino dish from Central Luzon, Philippines.
Can Champorado be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Champorado recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Champorado safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Champorado take to make?
About 35 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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