Horchata

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Horchata – the Mexican crowd-pleaser! This sweet, creamy concoction of rice, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon is a fiesta in a glass. With its delightful dance of flavors, this homemade horchata recipe is a true winner – a sip of paradise!

 What is Horchata (or-CHAA-tah)?

It’s a wonderfully fresh and light-tasting drink that reminds me of all the comforting cinnamon-vanilla flavors of joy in rice pudding…except not thick, and not lumpy.

Horchata recipes vary widely from country to country and region to region. Some recipes call for nuts like almonds, and others call for seeds or barley. The best part about a good horchata recipe is that you can add different ingredients to it to change the taste and make it uniquely yours. I experiment with a few different ingredients and see what delicious flavors I can create!

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Difference between Mexican and Spanish horchata? 

Mexican horchata is a refreshing beverage that is a popular choice in Mexico and other parts of Central America. It is traditionally made with rice, cinnamon, milk, and sugar, which are blended together to create a deliciously sweet and nutty drink. On the other hand, Spanish horchata, also known as “horchata de chufa,” is a popular drink in Spain and other parts of Europe. It is made using tiger nuts (chufas), which are soaked in water, blended, and mixed with lemon, milk, and dates to create a creamy and slightly tangy drink. Both versions of horchata are delicious in their own way and are worth trying if you ever get the chance.

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Ingredients in Horchata 

Rice – In this recipe, horchata traditionally calls for long grain rice, but jasmine rice can be a suitable alternative.

Cinnamon – *Ceylon Cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon(topping) 

Milk – Whole milk and sweetened condensed milk ( almond milk for non-dairy + 1/4 cup honey or sugar) 

Vanilla – Vanilla extract 

Water – I recommend filtered water

*The cinnamon mostly used in Mexican cuisine is called Ceylon. It is light brown, fragile, and easy to break, unlike Cassia cinnamon, which is very hard and not very easily broken.

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Kitchen Tools Needed for this Recipe

Blender

Cheesecloth

Fine Mesh Strainer

How To Make This Rice Drink

• Place the rice on a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it until the water runs clear.
• In a mixing bowl, add the rice, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and cinnamon sticks. Pour hot water into the mixture and stir until the sweetened condensed milk dissolves.
• Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then refrigerate the mixture for 5 hours; overnight for the best flavor.
• Remove plastic wrap. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard.

• Strain the mixture to separate the rice. Reserve the liquid. 
•  Add the rice and 1.5 cups of strained liquid to your blender. Blend for 3 minutes until the rice is liquefied. 
•  Strain the blended rice back into the reserved liquid. Ensure that the rice is fully dissolved and there are no remaining particles of rice in the strainer. If any bits of rice are left behind, blend the mixture again.
• Serve over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Note: I place a coffee filter or cheesecloth in the mesh strainer to help catch any rice grit. To achieve a smooth texture for horchata, you may need to strain it 2-3 times until the grittiness is completely gone.

Storing Horchata

You can refrigerate the horchata for up to 4 days

More Drink Recipes

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  Classic Michelada Recipe
• 
  Classic Margarita Recipe
• 
  Easy Mangonada Recipe
• 
  Mango Michelada
• 
  Paloma Cocktail
• 
  Paloma Slushie (Mocktail)

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Horchata

Eunice Huerta

Mexican rice-based drink that is sweet, milky, and with a cinnamon flavor. Horchata can be served cold or hot. Both ways are delicious.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course beverage

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 cups long grain rice rinsed
• 1 can 14oz. sweetened condensed milk or *(sweetened condensed coconut milk)
• 1 cup whole milk or * almond milk
• 5 cups of hot water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp.ground cinnamon add to taste
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract optional

Instructions

 

• Place the rice on a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it until the water runs clear.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the rice, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and cinnamon sticks.
• Pour hot water into the mixture and stir until the sweetened condensed milk dissolves.
• Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then refrigerate the mixture for 5 hours; overnight for the best flavor.
• Remove plastic wrap. Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard sticks.
• Strain the mixture to separate the rice. Reserve the strained liquid.
• Add the rice and 1.5 cups of strained liquid to your blender. Blend for 3 minutes until the rice is liquefied.
• Strain the blended rice back into the reserved liquid.
• Make sure the rice has completely dissolved with no bits of rice left in the strainer. Blend again if bits are left behind.
• Serve over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Keyword horchata, mexican rice drink recipe, horchata recipe, cinnamon horchata

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