Natilla Tradicional Colombiana (Colombian Christmas Sweet Custard)

Colombian Natilla is a sweet custard that is traditionally served during Colombian Christmas gatherings with buñuelos and hojuelas.

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This traditional Colombian Natilla recipe is made with panela, a sweet brown sugar cane product, also known as piloncillo in Mexico. Panela is the key ingredient to prepare the traditional Colombian Natilla and gives this dessert a beautiful caramelized color and special flavor. If you can’t find panela for this traditional recipe, just replace it with brown sugar.

Some people in Colombia add Aguardiente (anise flavored liquor) to their Natilla, feel free to add a couple of spoons of this drink if you like. I also have friends who like to add cheese to their Colombian Natilla recipe.

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Ingredients you will need

Below is the printable recipe card with the exact quantities and cooking directions.

Milk: To prepare Natilla you need to use whole milk. Sugar: Granulated Gar

Pan: If you can’t find piloncillo or panela, simply replace them with brown sugar

Cinnamon: ground to decorate it and stick to cook it.

Corn starch: Helps add pudding texture to the recipe.

Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter.

There are many variations of Natilla in Colombia. If you’re looking for a twist on the traditional Colombian Natilla, you can find my grandmother’s recipe here, made with sweet condensed milk, coconut milk and shredded coconut. The difference between Mamita’s Natilla and traditional Natilla is that hers does not contain panela but uses sweet condensed milk and coconut. That’s why Mamita’s Natilla is so special and delicious!

Bon appetit and happy holidays!

How to prepare Colombian Natilla

• Pour 4 cups of milk into a large saucepan. Then add the sugar, panela and cinnamon sticks. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon and bring the milk to the boil over medium-low heat.
• When the milk comes to the boil, remove it from the heat and let it rest for about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with the remaining milk until dissolved.
• Return the pot to the stove over medium-low heat. Remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the cornstarch dissolved in the hot milk and butter. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan.
• Pour immediately into a serving dish and leave to cool for at least an hour. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

More holiday recipes

Flakes or puff pastry

Colombian Buñuelos (Colombian Buñuelos)

Colombian tamales

Colombian rice pudding

Colombian rice with chicken