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!
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
Makes about 6 cups. Nutritional info based on roughly a 1 cup serving size. Also note that nutritional info considers that you consume all of the rice and almonds which were actually discarded, so actual numbers should be far lower.
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.