An authentic Mexican Ponche Navideno recipe perfect for Christmas! This mulled tropical fruit punch will warm you with flavors of guava, citrus, and hibiscus. Serve it without alcohol or add a touch of brandy or añejo tequila to each cup!
This recipe was last updated in 2021, and now includes helpful new success tips.
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Mexicans know a thing or two about the comforts of a warm drink on a cold winter’s day.
There’s champurrado, atole but come Christmas Eve there is only one warm drink you’ll find in Mexican households—Ponche.
This Christmas fruit punch fills the whole house with a wonderful aroma of sweet fruit, warm spice, and citrus. This is my family’s recipe and if you’ve never made this delicious punch I hope you give it a try this holiday season.
Ponche Navideno is a Mexican Christmas punch made with fresh and dried fruit, sugar cane, and cinnamon sticks.
The markets in Mexico are loaded up this time of year with piles of guavas, oranges, apples, and tejocotes, a traditional fruit grown in Mexico that tastes something like an apple mixed with a pear and is essential to authentic ponche.
This drink along with buñuelos, sweet tamales, and steaming bowls of pozole are all Mexican Christmas favorites that are commonly eaten during Las Posadas, a nine-day celebration building up to Christmas.
This Month’s Challenge Ingredient!
Tejocotes are the star of this month’s challenge, and they truly make Ponche Navideño something special. These small, golden Mexican fruits—sometimes called Mexican hawthorn—have a tart-sweet flavor and a unique, apple-like texture that holds up beautifully when simmered in the warm, spiced punch.
Tejocotes aren’t just traditional; they’re a symbol of holiday gatherings across Mexico, adding authenticity and a hint of nostalgia to every cup of Ponche Navideño. If you’ve never cooked with tejocotes before, this is the perfect recipe to discover their charm and bring a taste of Mexican holiday spirit to your kitchen.
Finding tejocotes can feel like a treasure hunt, but it’s totally worth it for authentic Ponche Navideño.
During the holiday season, you’ll often spot them in Latin markets or Mexican grocery stores, typically sold fresh by the pound. If you don’t have a local source, many stores carry them frozen or jarred in syrup—both work well for this recipe.
Some online retailers also offer tejocotes when they’re in season, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your search. If you absolutely can’t find them, substitute Bosc pears.
How To Enter The Challenge Ingredient Contest
To enter December’s Ponche Navideño Challenge, simply whip up this festive punch featuring tejocotes, email a photo of your punch to kate@holajalapeno.com and leave a comment in the recipe card below along with a star rating.
Each month, one participant wins a $150 Amazon gift card, so don’t miss your chance to join the fun, show off your creation, and maybe even discover a new holiday tradition. Check out the full contest rules and details here—can’t wait to see what you create!
How To Serve It
I love making huge batches of this drink for holiday parties because it is loved by children and, with a tipple of tequila in each mug, adults too.
Add some of the plump, cinnamon-infused fruit to each cup and garnish with a stick of canela.
Brandy or añejo tequila is pretty traditional, but we tend to finish off a bottle of Maker’s Mark pretty quickly when we have some ponche around. You can use dark rum too.
more warm drinks to try!
Yield:
12 cups
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
An authentic Mexican Ponche recipe perfect for Christmas! This mulled tropical fruit punch will warm you with flavors of guava, citrus, and hibiscus. Add a touch of brandy!
Ingredients
- 16 cups (1 gallon) water
- 7 (1 ounce) cones or 7 ounces piloncillo
- 10 tejocotes or 2 pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 6 guava, quartered
- 3 sticks canela or cassia cinnamon sticks
- 2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 2 clementines or 1 orange, sliced
- 2-3 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 (12 ounce) can sugarcane in syrup, drained or 12 ounces vacuum-sealed fresh, peeled sugarcane
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers, rinsed
- Brandy or Añejo Tequila, for serving
Instructions
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 232Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 21mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 7gSugar: 35gProtein: 3g