This homemade Horchata recipe, made from rice, almonds, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, is so delicious and perfectly sweet. You'll need at least twelve hours to make this wonderful creamy Mexican inspired drink because of how long it takes for the rice and almonds to soak, but it is so worth it!
What is horchata:
Horchata (or-CHAH-tah) is a sweet creamy drink made from soaked and strained rice and/or nuts in water.
The most common form found in the United States, and most often served at Hispanic eateries, is made primarily from rice and cinnamon and is made even more rich with almonds and vanilla.
The addition of whole milk at the end makes this Horchata especially rich and creamy, but that can be omitted or replaced with a different non-dairy milk to keep the recipe vegan.
Why this recipe is so great:
- The ingredients: This recipe not only uses real cinnamon sticks, which are absolutely superior in flavor when compared to ground cinnamon, but it also uses a real vanilla bean. This definitely sets this Horchata recipe apart from the rest.
- It's fun to make: Although it takes some planning and foresight due to the long soak time, it's fun to soak the ingredients and watch the liquid change with every swirl. The long process makes it taste even better!
- Make a big batch: This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. which makes it perfect for a party.
Horchata ingredients:
- Rice: Uncooked long grain rice is what I used
- Almonds: I find that raw almonds have the best flavor for any kind of nut milk, including horchata
- Cinnamon sticks: I always recommend substitutions, but I highly recommend using the cinnamon sticks and not substituting with ground cinnamon
- Vanilla bean: You cannot beat the flavor of a real vanilla bean, but you can substitute with vanilla extract, if needed
- Sugar: I use organic granulated sugar and the amount listed in the recipe adds the perfect amount of sweetness
- Milk: Whole milk is recommended but you can use any kind of milk or non-dairy beverage, as desired
How to make Horchata:
Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
The first step is to grind the rice, almonds, and cinnamon sticks in a high powered blender or food processor.
add rice, almonds, cinnamon sticks to blender Pulse until finely ground
- Add water: The water can be added to the blender and then blended together. Alternatively, the grounds can be added to a large mason jar with a lid and the water added. Be sure to soak with the vanilla bean!
- Soak: Allow the mixture to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Every time you walk by, give it a stir or a shake to mix the solution.
- Strain: After the long soak, strain out the solids. A fine mesh strainer does the trick, but you can use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain out all of the solids.
- Add milk: Stir in the milk to the strained liquid.
- Add sugar: Stir in the sugar.
Once the sugar has dissolved, chill the mixture until ready to serve and serve the Horchata over ice.
add water and vanilla bean shake often and soak solution will separate less the longer it soaks strain and discard solids add cold milk add sugar
Recommendations for best results:
- Super fine grind: The smaller the grind, the more surface area is exposed to the water. This will create the most rich and delicious Horchata you've ever enjoyed.
- Add the sugar last: I like to add the sugar at the very end. That way you can add less than what the recipe calls for, taste, and continue to increase the amount until you find the perfect sweetness. I found the amount called for in the recipe was best.
- Storage: Keep any leftover Horchata in the refrigerator and use within 3-5 days. Do not add ice until you're ready to serve.
Recipes to enjoy with Mexican Horchata:
This creamy sweet drink is fantastic on it's own but is also wonderful when served with other Mexican favorites. It especially goes great with spicy dishes because the milk can help tame the heat! Here are some of my favorites.
- Shredded Beef Enchiladas
- Elote Mexican Street Corn
- Chilaquiles
- Instant Pot Pork Tamales
- Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
- Carne Asada
- Shrimp Tacos
If you’ve made this or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out. I love hearing from my readers!
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Full Recipe Instructions
Horchata
Ingredients
For the long soak:
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice (uncooked)
- ½ cup almonds (raw, whole )
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise, can substitute with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
- 4 cups cold water
To be added later:
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Using a high powered blender, pulse uncooked rice, almonds, and cinnamon sticks until ground.
- Add ground rice to a 2-quart sized mason jar, cover with water, and stir or shake to combine. Alternatively, you can add water to the blender and blend for an additional minute before transferring to a large container or mason jar.
- Add vanilla bean (or vanilla extract if substituting), cover, and allow to soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours. Stir or shake as often as you can to keep mixture as a solution. You'll see that as it settles, the mixture will separate, but the longer you soak, the more water the rice and almonds absorb, and the more homogeneous the mixture will remain.
- Strain liquid through a fine mesh sieve or a nut milk bag, keeping the liquid and discarding the solids. Add the sugar and milk to the remaining liquid. Stir or shake well to combine. Chill until ready to serve and serve over ice with a dusting of freshly ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Notes
- Super fine grind: The smaller the grind, the more surface area is exposed to the water. This will create the most rich and delicious Horchata you've ever enjoyed.
- Add the sugar last: I like to add the sugar at the very end. That way you can add less than what the recipe calls for, taste, and continue to increase the amount until you find the perfect sweetness. I found the amount called for in the recipe was best.
- Storage: Keep any leftover Horchata in the refrigerator and use within 3-5 days. Do not add ice until you're ready to serve.
Angela
Horchata is a favorite of my kids. I never knew how easy it was to make. While its not quick to make it sure is worth the effort. Your step by step pictures were great too!
Wanda
I've always wondered how you make Horchata! Your instructions are so easy to follow, I'm definitely trying this recipe!
Marlynn
this horchata is definitely worth the wait! So refreshing and delicious.
Carrie Robinson
I just love horchata! I have never tried to make my own though. I will have to try this recipe soon. 🙂
Lubna Karim
Wow...this looks extremely yum...would love to try this soon.