This Ecuadorian Colada Morada recipe includes all the traditional ingredients and substitutions for those that can’t find the traditional ones!
Aromatic, spiced, fruity, delicious and made with lots of berries, this Colada Morada tastes like Ecuador in a cup! Serve hot or cold with lots of Guaguas (sweet breads) to celebrate the “Day of The Deceased”!
Colada Morada Recipe
Omg you guys, for this Colada Morada I went all out and picked up all the best Guaguas (sweet breads) from my favorite spots and then made a big batch of Colada Morada to go with them!
For this recipe I used all the traditional ingredients minus the ishpingo (cinnamon flower) but it was delicious even without that hehe! I got all the herbs a bit last minute so I definitely want to get them earlier this year because strawberries were sold out too!
Why you’ll love Colada Morada:
- Tart, sweet, floral, earthy, and warm.
- Deeply aromatic and spiced with lots of herbs and fruit!
- Tastes just like the one you get here in Ecuador!
- Can be enjoyed hot or cold.
- Thick but velvety with chopped fruit!
- Filling and comforting, perfect as a drink or snack!
Colada Morada Ingredients
I’ll do a deep dive on the ingredients for those of you who are curious or have never made Colada Morada but feel free to skip to the recipe card below for the amounts used!
Cedron (Lemongrass): adds citrusy brightness and a hint of floral aroma.
Arrayan: adds a herbal freshness to this drink! I’m not sure you can get this easily because it’s grown in the Andes, so skip it if you want to, but it’s a plan from the myrtle family.
Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena): for light lemon notes.
Ataco (Purple Amaranth): my favorite! It’s the pretty purple one you see in the picture below and it adds lots of earthy flavor and color! It looks and feels spiky but will soften during cooking hehe!
Orange leaves: for a light citrusy flavor!
Pineapple, you’ll need all of the pineapple, from the peel to the core to the flesh so make sure you give it a good scrub and then keep the peel and core for the infusion and the rest of your pineapple for later! Get a ripe one, all the ripe ones were sold out at my local grocery store hehe!
Spices: cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and anise stars. I like using whole spices for best flavor but you can also use ground.
Ishpingo (cinnamon flower), adds warmth, skip it if you can’t find it, it’ll still taste delicious if you get all the other ingredients hehe!
Water, to infuse the herbs.
Panela or brown sugar, I like using ground panela but you can also use the big blocks that come whole and just add them to the pot and they’ll melt as the drink cooks. You can also use brown sugar but panela has a deeper caramel flavor!
Purple corn flour (Harina de Maiz Morado), this is what thickens the drink while adding its deep purple color so it’s a must! You can try cornstarch but it won’t add color and has a bit of a glossier texture.
Naranjilla or Lulo (different name but it’s the same fruit). I like using fresh naranjillas but you can also use store-bought pulp or some pineapple juice with a tablespoon of lime juice (or even skip it if you don’t have naranjillas). They’re tart and citrusy!
Passion fruit (Maracuya). We have the large yellow kind here in Ecuador and they’re tart and bright, you could try the purple ones or even use store-bought passion fruit pulp or juice but purple maracuyas are a bit sweeter.
Blackberries, a must! Blackberries are so popular in Ecuador so, of course, Colada Morada uses lots! I also recommend you try Ecuadorian Blackberry Juice next, if you’re into berry drinks!
Mortiños, these are tiny earthy tart berries, they’re different from blueberries which taste milder and not as tart but you can add those if you don’t have mortiños or skip them! They’re sold next to blackberries and strawberries during Colada Morada season!
Strawberries, chopped, these go into the drink like thee mortiños and blackberries and add texture!
Optional: if you’d like, you can add even more fruit to your Colada Morada like ciruelas (a type of “plum” that’s crisp and sweet-tart, it’s used ripe or unripe and they’re a very popular add-in), mango, babaco, peaches!
How to make Colada Morada
STEP ONE: Infuse the herbs and spices. In a large pot, add water, cedron (lemongrass), arrayan, Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena), Ataco (Amaranth), orange leaves, pineapple peel, pineapple core, panela, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise, ishpingo, and cook over medium-low heat until the herbs release all flavor and color.
The water should turn a dark tea color. Meanwhile, make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp).
STEP TWO: Make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp). Cut the naranjillas and passion fruit in half, use a spoon to remove the pulp from both and add to a blender. Blend on high for just 10-15 seconds (do not blend longer or the seeds will blend into the juice and make it bitter!).
STEP THREE: Prepare the base of the Colada Morada. Remove half of the herb infusion from the pot, set aside. To the remaining half of the infusion in the pot, add all the mortiños and blackberries (you can leave a few out for decoration).
Cook on medium-low until the fruit has released all the flavor and color then blend until smooth and strain with a fine-mesh strainer and return to the pot over low heat.
Add the naranjilla and passion fruit juice and the other half of the herb infusion into the pot and mix. Meanwhile, make the corn flour mixture.
STEP FOUR: Make the corn flour mixture. Add about 1/4 cup (30 g) water and purple corn flour to a cup or small bowl, mix until dissolved and then add to the pot and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
The corn flour mixture will slowly thicken your drink, you want to keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, like when you make custard. Cook until thickened over medium-low heat, the texture should be similar to thick eggnog or Rompope.
STEP FIVE: Add the fruit to the pot and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold with Guaguas (sweet bread) and enjoy! The next day it’ll taste even better as the flavors will bloom as it sits. Store refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. If you prefer warm Colada Morada, only reheat the amount you want to drink (not the whole batch).
How to enjoy Colada Morada
For those of you who have never had a cup of Colada Morada, you can enjoy this cold or warm, depending on the climate.
Here in the coast I’ve never had warm Colada Morada because it’s way too hot but if you live in a very cold climate you can turn it into a deliciously cozy fall drink!
It’s usually enjoyed with Guaguas of any kind: they’re a fluffy sweet bread that every family or spot makes differently but popular fillings are blackberry jam, hazelnut spread or chocolate or even custard (and in 2025 even pistachio hehe)!
HAPPY COOKING!! I hope you'll love this Ecuadorian Colada Morada Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More Ecuadorian Recipes you’ll love:
- Maracuya Juice
- Ecuadorian Blackberry Juice
- Rompope (Ecuadorian Eggnog)
- Pan De Yuca (Cheesy Cassava Bread)
- … or check out all my other Ecuadorian Recipes!
Ecuadorian Colada Morada Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups (2 liters) water
- A few leaves Cedron (lemon grass)
- A few leaves Arrayan
- A few leaves Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena)
- 1 sprig Ataco (purple Amaranth)
- 2 orange leaves
- 1 small pineapple (scrub then reserve the peel and core for the infusion in step 1, chop the flesh for step 5)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (240 g) grated panela (or whole panela or just brown sugar)
- 1-2 sticks cinnamon (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 10 whole allspice (or 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice)
- 7 whole cloves (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
- 1 star anise (or a dash ground star anise)
- 1 Ishpingo (cinnamon flower)
- 2 naranjillas (or lulos, it's the same fruit, or use store-bought pulp or pineapple juice with 1 tablespoon lime juice or skip)
- 3 yellow maracuyas (passion fruit) (or store-bought pulp or juice, if using purple maracuyas they're a bit sweeter)
- 1/2 cup (75 g) mortiños (or blueberries but they're milder in flavor)
- 2 cups (290 g) blackberries
- 1/2 cup (60 g) purple corn flour (harina de maiz morado, or cornstarch but it'll give you a slightly different texture with no purple color)
- 1 cup (150 g) strawberries
- Optional: ciruelas (plums), mango, babaco, peaches. (optional, about 1-2 cups each)
Instructions
- Make the infusion with herbs and spices. In a large pot, add water, cedron (lemongrass), arrayan, Hierba Luisa (Lemon Verbena), Ataco (Amaranth), orange leaves, pineapple peel, pineapple core, panela (or brown sugar), cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise, ishpingo, and cook over medium-low heat until the herbs release all flavor and color. The water should turn a dark tea color. Meanwhile, make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp).
- Make the naranjilla and passion fruit juice (skip if using store-bought pulp). Cut the naranjillas and passion fruit in half, use a spoon to remove the pulp from both and add to a blender. Blend on high for just 10-15 seconds (do not blend longer or the seeds will blend into the juice and make it bitter!).
- Prepare the base of the Colada Morada. Remove half of the herb infusion from the pot, set aside. To the remaining half of the infusion in the pot, add all the mortiños and blackberries (you can leave a few out for decoration). Cook on medium-low until the fruit has released all the flavor and color then blend until smooth and strain with a fine-mesh strainer and return to the pot over low heat. Add the naranjilla and passion fruit juice and the other half of the herb infusion into the pot and mix. Meanwhile, make the corn flour mixture.
- Make the corn flour mixture. Add about 1/4 cup (30 g) water and purple corn flour to a cup or small bowl, mix until dissolved and then add to the pot and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. The corn flour mixture will slowly thicken your drink, you want to keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot, like when you make custard. Cook until thickened over medium-low heat, the texture should be similar to thick eggnog or Rompope.
- Add the fruit to the pot and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold with Guaguas (sweet bread) and enjoy! The next day it'll taste even better as the flavors will bloom as it sits. Store refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. If you prefer warm Colada Morada, only reheat the amount you want to drink (not the whole batch).
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