Gorditas de Nata

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Imagine a cross between an English muffin and a pancake, gorditas de nata are a Mexican treat worth waking up for. Lightly sweetened, fluffy, and tender, these gorditas are infused with vegan clotted cream.

They’ll definitely have you coming back for seconds!

📖 About

If you’re a fan of sweet breakfasts, bookmark this recipe! These perfectly tender gorditas are so easy to make and will leave your belly happy.

Make them for the morning, a quick snack, or even dessert. Gorditas de nata never disappoint.

What are gorditas de nata?

As with many Mexican dishes, “gordita” (which means chubby) is a word used to describe various different foods.

The most well-known use of the word describes a thick (or chubby) tortilla cooked on a comal. It’s then cut open and served with various fillings like meat, cheese, and salsa.

Gorditas de nata on the other hand are a sweet recipe made with different ingredients like wheat flour, eggs, and sugar. We like to think of them as thick pan-muffins made with clotted cream (nata).

In Mexico, gorditas de nata are usually served as a morning dish or snack. All that’s required is mixing the dough, letting it rest, and heating the biscuits low and slow on a griddle.

To make things slightly more confusing, there are also variations of gorditas de nata. Some look like English muffins, but others are more dense and creamy.

History

Although the exact origin of gorditas de nata was a little hard to track down, there are a few theories we thought were worth sharing.

Most sources reference Mexico City as the birthplace of these gorditas, and you’ll still find them there today being served hot off the comal.

Another theory traces gorditas de nata back to pre-Hispanic times, but wheat flour wasn’t available until after the colonization of Mexico. Perhaps the original version was made with masa, evolving once European ingredients arrived.

For others still, gorditas de nata are thought to have their roots in Pachuca, Hidalgo. The creators apparently started selling them to people stuck in traffic during road closures on the Mexico-Pachuca highway. The rest is history, right?

Regardless of how they came to be, gorditas are enjoyed all over Mexico and the rest of the world.

The best part of any recipe is trying it, making it your own, and sharing it with your loved ones.

Are gorditas de nata vegan?

The short answer is no since most gorditas de nata recipes include eggs and clotted cream (nata).

But, we were inspired to make a vegan version by the nice man running a food stall near our place. There were plain gorditas de nata and some stuffed with jam, cajeta, or chocolate.

After being intoxicated by the smell, we knew we needed to try making an egg and dairy-free recipe with some homemade cajeta!

Serving

Just like in Mexico, serve your gorditas de nata hot off the comal or skillet. You can eat them plain, or with sweet, juicy, and creamy fillings like:

• Cajeta
• Sweet cream
• Chocolate sauce
• Piloncillo syrup
• Strawberry compote

Whichever way you go, these gorditas are 100% plant-based and can be adapted to be gluten-free.

🍲 Key ingredients

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

Nata (clotted cream)

Taste: providing a rich, buttery flavor, we made dairy-free nata with a coconut cream base to emulate the texture found in traditional clotted cream. Of course, it’s not identical, but we think it’s pretty amazing to try foods without harming animals.

Health: as a tasty alternative to cow’s milk, coconut milk also packs some serious nutritional benefits. Filled with manganese, copper, iron, and magnesium, coconut milk helps your body make red blood cells, keeps your bones healthy, and strengthens your immune system.

Flour

Taste: with a slightly sweet, hearty flavor, all-purpose flour forms the base of these gorditas de nata. All-purpose flour creates a nice structure with an incredibly soft and tender texture.

Health: often considered an unhealthy ingredient, most all-purpose flours are actually enriched with the vitamins and minerals lost during processing. Surprisingly, this makes it a good source of B vitamins and iron.

Aquafaba

Taste: carrying a relatively neutral taste, aquafaba acts as an egg replacement in this recipe (yes, the water used to cook chickpeas). It helps the gorditas de nata become extra fluffy and light — just like eggs do.

Health: fortunately, some of the health properties of chickpeas transfer over to the cooking water (aquafaba). It contains notable amounts of iron, phosphorus, and B vitamins, so you’ll receive a boost of nutrients at breakfast time!

Baking powder

Taste: although flavorless, baking powder is included in this recipe to help the gorditas rise and form an airy texture. You don’t want to skimp on the b. powda!

Fun fact: baking powder works by releasing carbon dioxide into the dough, which causes bubbles to expand in the mixture. This “leavens” the dough, hence why it’s called a leavening agent!

🔪 Instructions

If you have questions about this vegan gorditas de nata recipe, don’t forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: add the almond milk, icing sugar, corn starch, and vanilla to a small saucepan and whisk together. Transfer the saucepan to a burner over medium-low, then add in the coconut cream (from the top of a can).

Step 2: whisk for around 6-8 more minutes, or until you see the edges beginning to thicken up. Remove it from heat when the whole mixture has thickened (about 1 more minute), then set it aside to cool.

Step 3: sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the aquafaba, sugar, and vanilla until well incorporated and slightly fluffed.

Step 4: form a hole in the middle of the dry mixture and add the wet mixture along with the nata. Slowly incorporate until you start to form a dough. Remove it from the bowl and knead into a smooth, uniform ball.

Optional: with a few minutes left of kneading, rub some vegan butter, shortening, or coconut oil on your hands to help smooth the dough and prevent sticking.

Step 5: add the dough back to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a bag. Let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, but it’s best to leave it overnight in your fridge (the longer it rests, the more tender the gorditas will be).

Step 6: roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s ¼-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or circular dish to cut out the gorditas. Transfer them to a lightly floured baking sheet, and repeat this process until all the dough is gone.

Step 7: heat a skillet or comal over low, then add the gorditas a few at a time. Cook for 60 seconds on the first side, flip and cook on the second side for about 8 minutes. Then, flip back to the first side for another 6-8 minutes.

Step 8: enjoy your gorditas de nata while warm with jam, vegan butter, cajeta, etc. Happy eating!

🌡️ Storage

Although gorditas de nata are best served warm, we really enjoy making a double batch for leftovers. Follow these storage tips so they stay fresh!

Fridge

Vegan gorditas will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. We like using glass containers so there is less flavor leakage, but just make sure your container has a good seal.

Freezer

Gorditas are freezer-friendly. Just keep them in a freezer-safe container or bag and they will be good for at least 6 months. Thaw them in your fridge overnight and they’re ready to be warmed in the morning.

Reheat

Reheat the gorditas on your stovetop over low for 30-40 seconds per side, or until they’re warmed all the way through.

💭 Pro tips

We’d like to share some tips and tricks we learned while experimenting with a plant-based version of gorditas de nata:

• Rest the dough. Don’t skip the rest period because it softens the gluten strands and will make your gorditas soft and tender.
• Make the dough ahead of time. To save time on the recipe, we usually make the nata and the dough the night before. That way, it really has time to rest and our mornings are quicker!
• Make a double batch. For quick and easy breakfasts all week, make a double batch and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
• Use gluten-free flour. If you have a gluten intolerance or celiac disease, try using your favorite gluten-free flour (just check the ratios).
• Chill your coconut milk. We always keep a can of coconut milk in our fridge for recipes like this. That way, the cream portion will already be separated.

🍴 Tasting notes

These gorditas have a special place in our hearts (and our bellies). They’re:

• Sweet
• Light
• Fluffy
• Spongy
• Tender

If you try this vegan gorditas de nata recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!

♻️ Similar recipes

For more sweet breakfast and snack ideas, check out our:

• Gorditas de azucar: Sweet Mexican griddle cakes made plant-based.
• Gorditas de piloncillo: Crispy corn cakes infused with unrefined cane sugar and cinnamon.
• Mexican oatmeal: A sweet, creamy, and cinnamon-infused breakfast.
• Bionicos: Layers of fruit, cashew crema, granola, nuts, and coconut shreds.
• Fresas con crema: Dairy-free strawberries and cream dessert.

💬 FAQ