This Horchata Recipe is easy to make and the perfect refreshing drink to pair with your favorite Mexican meal. White rice is soaked overnight and blended with cinnamon, vanilla, almonds, condensed and evaporated milk. Your guests or family will love this delicious drink recipe! 

HORCHATA RECIPE

I love a Horchata on a hot day alongside Chicken Tinga or  Easy Cod Fish Tacos. 

There is something so refreshing and satisfying about the flavors in a Horchata. 

You might be wondering what a Horchata, also known as Orxata is? 

White rice is soaked overnight and then mixed with water, cinnamon, vanilla, condensed and evaporated milk and blended into the most delicious drink. 

It originated as far back as 13th-century Valencia, where it is known as orxata de xufa.

In Spain it is made with soaked, ground, and sweetened tiger nuts, but in Mexico and other parts of the Americas the base is white rice. Today’s recipe uses white rice like the Authentic Mexican recipe.

This has other names depending on what country you are in whether it is Spain, Latin American or African countries. 

In West African countries such as Nigeria and Mali, it is known as kunnu aya.

Different varieties can be served hot or cold, and may be used as a flavor in other beverages, such as frappé coffee.

Horchata, which comes from the Latin term hordeata, which in turn comes from hordeum (barley), is a term related to a Mediterranean tradition of grain-based beverages and also the linguistic root of orgeat syrup.

You will see Horchata in mexican restaurants but it is easy to make at home too! 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN A HOMEMADE HORCHATA?

• White Rice

• Water

• Almonds 

• Cinnamon stick

• Pure Vanilla Extract 

• Sweetened Condensed Milk

• Carnation Evaporated Milk

• Ice

• Optional: 1/2 cup of sugar {or sweetener of your choice}, if you would like it to be sweeter

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS HORCHATA RECIPE?

Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.

Place the rice in a bowl with water and cover. Make sure the amount of water is just enough to cover the rice.

Let it soak overnight. (You will notice the rice is lighter and has absorbed most of the water.)

Combine the rice, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk in a blender until it is completely smooth and you don’t have any more rice grains.

Strain the liquid into a large pitcher and add the additional sugar or natural sweetener if you would like it to be sweeter.

Add the rest of the water into the pitcher and mix well.

Serve with ice and enjoy!

You can garnish with extra cinnamon, anise or coconut.

HOW CAN I SWEETEN HORCHATA?

There are a variety of ways you can sweeten this drink.

I really like the following:

• HONEY

• MAPLE SYRUP

• STEVIA

HOW DO I STORE HORCHATA?

Horchata will stay in the fridge for us to 4 days. I like to serve it chilled so I would suggest you put in the fridge right after you make it. 

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MILK?

Yes, you can use any regular milk or dairy-alternative in this recipe. 

Some good options are:

• OAT MILK

• WHOLE MILK

• SOY MILK

• ALMOND MILK 

• COCONUT MILK 

TIPS TO MAKE THE PERFECT HORCHATA RECIPE

COLD: You can serve this at room temperature but I suggest serving this drink over ice or refrigerate it for 2 hours before you serve it. 

SOAKING: Soaking the rice is one of the most important steps of this recipe. You want the rice to become tender.

STRAINING: Make sure you use a fine mesh strainer to strain the mixture before adding it to the blender. If you skip this step the drink will have a chalky, gritty texture. 

CINNAMON: The cinnamon is one of the main flavors of this recipe so don’t skip it! If you can get your hands on cinnamon sticks I suggest using that over ground cinnamon to get more flavor infused in the drink. 

SWEETENER: This drink tastes nice without the added sugar or sweetener but some people like it to be sweeter. If you like a sweet drink feel free to add sugar or a natural sweetener to the drink.

RICE: Any white rice will work in this recipe like long grain, jasmine, basmati, short grain.

USES: We love this drink for snacks, breakfast or with any meal. It works great when you are having guests over or serve it for Cinco de Mayo. 

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE HORCHATA WITH?

I love to pair this drink with any of my Mexican recipes. It really is the best horchata and works well with so many meals.

Here are some favorites:

MEXICAN STREET CORN SALAD

MEXICAN ZUCCHINI 

INSTANT POT TURKEY CHILI 

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

INSTANT POT TURKEY TACO PASTA

SOUTHWESTERN SALMON NACHOS