This Horchata Recipe Will Transport You Straight to Mexico! (2024)

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Horchata is my tried and true drink order when I go to a taqueria or a Mexican market. It’s creamy, lightly sweet, and just as refreshing as fruity aguas frescas like watermelon agua fresca or agua de jamaica.

Horchata is made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients that you likely already have stocked in your kitchen. With a little bit of prep, you can make horchata at home, too!

Here’s why I love this recipe:

• It’s easily customizable! As long as the base of the horchata recipe consists of rice, cinnamon, and water, you can adjust the type of milk and sweetener to suit your preferences. You can make it dairy-free, nut-free, or use a different sweetener.
• Easy and minimal prep. Horchata is very easy to make, requires little effort, and minimal prep!

What Is Horchata?

Horchata is a popular rice-based Mexican drink made from white rice soaked overnight with almonds, Mexican cinnamon, and water. It’s then blended and mixed with whole milk, evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla, and served over ice for a creamy treat.

It’s a type of agua fresca that’s found in most Mexican restaurants, markets, street vendors, or taquerias and is one of my personal favorites!

Horchata Ingredients

• Long grain white rice: Horchata is traditionally made with white rice. I used long grain white rice but you can also use other varieties like jasmine or basmati.
• Almonds: These add a nutty flavor to the horchata. I used blanched and slivered almonds but you can use whole or sliced. You can also omit them to make this nut-free.
• Ceylon cinnamon stick: This cinnamon is also known as Mexican cinnamon. It’s brittle, can be easily broken into small pieces, and is actually blended into the drink. It’s readily available in most Hispanic grocery stores. If you can’t find it near you, I recommend using a regular cinnamon stick and removing it before blending or using 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
• Water: Used to soak the rice, almonds, and cinnamon.
• Whole milk and evaporated milk: These milks make a creamy base for the horchata. I found that using only evaporated milk made the drink too thick. You can substitute half and half or other milks if you prefer
• Granulated sugar: This is the sweetener for the horchata. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking or use honey, agave, or sweetened condensed milk instead.
• Vanilla extract: A teaspoon adds a hint of sweetness and extra flavor.
• Ground cinnamon: Topping your horchata with a little extra ground cinnamon for flavor and presentation.

How to Make Horchata

Rinse the rice under cool water until the water runs clear.

Soak the rinsed rice, almonds, cinnamon stick, and 3 cups of water in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Blend the soaked rice mixture along with 3 additional cups of water for several minutes until it is completely smooth. Based on the size of your blender, you may have to work in batches.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag to get rid of the grittiness. You will need to strain the mixture 2-4 times to get a creamy and smooth consistency. It’s a bit of a tedious process but necessary to get it silky smooth.

Transfer the rice mixture into a large pitcher and add the whole milk, evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla. Stir together until the ingredients are fully combined.

Serve over ice and garnish with ground cinnamon.

How to Serve Horchata

Horchata is best served ice cold with your favorite Mexican dish! Here are a few ideas:

• With tacos like tacos al pastor, carnitas, or chicken tinga.
• Alongside appetizers and snacks like homemade tortilla chips and queso blanco, esquites, and taco dip.
• Served with traditional Mexican recipes like enmoladas, chile verde, tamales, and chile relleno.

Recipe Variations

There are different ways to make horchata but the recipe is very flexible. Here are some variations:

• Milk: You can make this horchata dairy-free by swapping the whole and evaporated milk for almond, soy, coconut, oat, or cashew milk. Just note the flavor may be different.
• Sweetener: You can use your preferred sweetener and adjust the sweetness if you don’t want to use granulated sugar. You can use 6-12 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, or brown sugar, agave, or honey to taste.
• Almonds: I don’t recommend using a different type of nut than almonds, but you can omit them to make this recipe nut-free. You can also toast the almonds for an extra nutty flavor.

Storage

Horchata can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Separation of the milk and rice mixture is normal. When serving, just stir until the ingredients are fully combined again.

One of my favorite ways to store leftover horchata is to pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze to make horchata ice cubes! I love adding these to my coffee in the afternoon for a special iced horchata coffee treat.

More Mexican Recipes

• Agua de Pepino (cucumber agua fresca)
• Agua de Melon
• Agua de Tamarindo (Tamarindo Drink)
• Paletas de Fresa (Strawberries and cream popsicles)

This post was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated with new photos, more helpful tips, and a better overall recipe and instructions.

Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.

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