🇨🇴 Colombian Cuisine

Aguapanela

Panela Water Drink

Prep Time 5 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy

A warm or cold drink made by dissolving panela (unrefined cane sugar) in water, served with lime — Colombia's most humble and beloved beverage.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Chop or grate the panela block for faster dissolving.
  2. 2 For hot aguapanela: heat water and add panela, stir until fully dissolved. Serve warm.
  3. 3 For cold aguapanela: dissolve panela in warm water, then chill. Add lime juice and serve over ice.
  4. 4 Optional: drop cubes of fresh cheese into the hot version and let them soften.
  5. 5 Stir well before serving.

Did You Know?

Rural Colombian farmers drink aguapanela as an energy drink — it was the original sports beverage centuries before commercial ones existed.