Horchata is a sweet Mexican rice milk drink warmly spiced with cinnamon and it is my all time favorite refreshing summer beverage. It is cool, creamy and inviting with just the right amount of sweetness.
This authentic recipe will give you a big batch of the absolute best horchata that can be enjoyed for days and used in some really fabulous desserts.
Let’s get started…
Sometimes, people are intimidated when they see that horchata takes a day or two to make, but the actual “work” involved is just minutes and the only equipment you need is a blender. Easy, right?
Begin by breaking 3 cinnamon sticks into large pieces. You can do this with the bottom of a water glass, a rolling pin or a seafood mallet.
Once the cinnamon sticks are broken up, place them into a large glass jar along with 1 1/2 cups of white rice and 6 cups of hot water. My tap water gets really hot and tastes great, so I just used that, but if you prefer filtered water, simply heat it up in a saucepan until steaming.
Cover the jar and chill the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. I usually chill mine for a full 24 hours.
Transfer the rice, water and cinnamon sticks into your blender and blend until the rice is very fine in texture. I have a 72 ounce blender, so I could do everything together, but if you have a smaller blender, you may have to blend the mixture into two stages.
Note: Keeping the cinnamon sticks in the mixture will give you a bold cinnamon flavor. If you prefer something a little less bold, pull some of the cinnamon stick pieces out of the mixture before you start blending.
Once the rice and cinnamon sticks are very fine, place an extra fine mesh strainer or piece of cheesecloth over a large jar and strain the mixture into the jar. If you used a mesh strainer, press on the fines that are left behind a bit to ensure that all of the liquid is transferred into the jar. If you used cheesecloth, gather up the edges and give it a good squeeze to ensure all of that flavorful liquid is removed. You don’t want to leave any of that goodness behind.
Set the strained mixture to the side for now and place a saucepan over medium high heat. Add 4 cups of water, 12 ounces of evaporated milk, 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into the sauce pan and whisk until smooth and slightly warm.
Add the warm milk and water mixture into the strained rice milk and add 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk. Stir to combine, cover the jar and chill the mixture for several hours before serving.
Horchata gets even better with time, so enjoy some now, but save some for later. This is why I always make a big batch. If you are going to complete the process, you might as well get a big batch for your efforts, right?
Serve your horchata over ice and if you want to dress it up a bit, a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, some fresh mint and a cinnamon stick.
This horchata is smooth, creamy and incredibly refreshing. The flavors of the rice milk along with the warm cinnamon and almond comes together in a really nice way. Some horchata recipes add almonds to the rice milk mixture, but I prefer the flavor of adding unsweetened almond milk at the end of this recipe.
You may also be wondering why there is no sugar added to this drink. The sweetness of the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk is just right. Yes, horchata is technically a “sweet” beverage, but it is also supposed to be refreshing and I find that adding sugar to my horchata makes it feel just a bit too heavy and desserty for me.
Garnish your horchata with a pinch of ground cinnamon, a few mint leaves and a cinnamon stick if you are feeling fancy and enjoy this wonderfully cool and creamy drink that is just perfect for the warmer weather that is on its way…
Horchata
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of white rice, uncooked
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken
- 6 cups of water, hot
- 4 cups of water
- 12 ounces of evaporated milk
- 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups of uncooked white rice, 3 broken cinnamon sticks and 6 cups of hot water in a large glass jar
- Cover and chill the mixture overnight
- Remove a few of the large portions of cinnamon sticks and transfer the rice and liquid into a blender (blend in two batches, if needed)
- Blend until the rice and cinnamon sticks are very fine
- Place a fine mesh sifter or cheesecloth over a large jar and pour the rice mixture through the mesh
- In a small saucepan, warm 4 cups of water over medium high heat
- Add 12 ounces of evaporated milk, 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and whisk until smooth
- Combine the strained rice milk with the warm milk mixture and add 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
- Chill the horchata in a covered jar for several hours before serving
- Serve over ice
