This horchata recipe is a perfect drink to pair with all your Mexican-inspired dishes! It’s refreshing and easy with ground rice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.
More Mexican recipe favorites include my arroz con leche recipe, tres leches cake and easy homemade churros!
Easy Horchata Recipe
With Cinco De Mayo around the corner, the wheels are already in motion thinking about all the Mexican food dishes I’ll be preparing. This year I’m including this authentic Mexican Horchata drink on the menu!
There are many versions of Horchata depending on where you live, as every country and every household makes it a little differently. This horchata recipe is by far my favorite and rivals anything you’d find at a Mexican restaurant!
It’s delicious, smooth like my homemade eggnog recipe, slightly sweet, and uber refreshing which is perfect for warm sunny days on the patio.
What is Horchata?
Horchata is the Mexican name given to this sweet rice and milk beverage. It’s made from soaking rice and cinnamon sticks overnight and then used to make a refreshing creamy drink.
I say it’s Mexican because in Latin America they use rice, grains and seeds but numerous countries around the world have their version of traditional horchata recipes. There is no one right way, but there sure is the best way and this one is it!
Horchata Recipe Ingredients
- Rice – We’re using uncooked white rice for this horchata recipe. Not to worry, it gets soaked overnight and absorbs much of the water making it soft and no longer dry.
- Water – Used to help soak the ingredients absorbing the flavors and softening the rice.
- Cinnamon stick – This gets blended along with the rice and then discarded. It infuses the water with the flavor of cinnamon.
- Evaporated milk – A bit like condensed milk without the added sugar. Evaporated milk is concentrated milk with a reduced amount of water.
- Sugar – Used to sweeten up the Horchata. Since cinnamon, rice, and evaporated milk are quite savory, the sugar brings a nice balance.
- Vanilla extract & ground cinnamon – Flavor enhancers that get added to the drink before serving. So good!
How to Make Horchata
- Blend ingredients. To a highspeed blender, add the rice, cups of water, and cinnamon stick. Blend until the ice breaks up. Pour it into a pitcher or bowl and let it sit and soak overnight.
- Strain the rice. Grab a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and lay it across the opening of a clean pitcher. Pour everything through and allow the liquid to separate from the rice and cinnamon stick remnants. Discard the rice mixture.
- Add flavor. To the pitcher with the rice milk, stir in sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and evaporated milk. Give it a little taste test and adjust the sugar and cinnamon as needed.
- Chill. This drink is best served nice and cold. Place the entire pitcher in the fridge for 1 hour then serve immediately over ice cubes in individual glasses. Enjoy!
Horchata Recipe Tips
- Use a high-powered blender. Uncooked rice and cinnamon sticks are harder to blend but need to be ground enough to impart lots of flavors.
- Use cinnamon sticks. They’re stronger than ground cinnamon which will give the horchata added taste. Ground cinnamon is great for adding after. It’s easier to add ground cinnamon little by little.
- Serve chilled. Room temperature horchata is just not the same! Although, serving it warm like tea could be a great idea in the cooler months :)
- Double or triple the recipe for a larger crowd. This recipe makes enough to serve 6 people. If you’re throwing a Cinco De Mayo bash or a Mexican-themed dinner party, you may want to make more. Trust me, it’ll be gone quickly!
- Don’t skimp on the soaking time. This is how you get the most flavor infused into the water.
Variations
- To make this a dairy-free or vegan beverage use almond milk or coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
- Swap the sugar in this horchata recipe with honey or maple syrup to sweeten it.
- For a fruity twist, add fresh strawberries and make it a strawberry horchata!
- You can substitute evaporated milk for sweetened condensed milk. It comes with added sugar, so don’t add the sugar until you’ve tasted it first. You may not need any at all.
What to Serve with Horchata
Complete your menu with these Mexican-inspired recipes!
- Appetizers: Black bean and corn salsa, easy beef taquitos, queso blanco dip.
- Salads: Mexican salad with chipotle dressing, best mango salsa dip, and homemade tortilla chips.
- Main dishes: One pot Mexican chicken and rice, green enchilada chicken soup, green chili chicken enchiladas, Mexican lasagna.
FAQs
Any short grain or long-grain white rice will do. Basmati or jasmine rice are popular and are readily available in most grocery stores.
Keep it in the pitcher and cover it for easy access or pour it into any jar with a lid. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir again before serving!
If you’ve ever had flavored rice milk, this horchata recipe has similar notes to it. It’s smooth and creamy thanks to the evaporated milk and it’s flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, with just the right amount of sweetness.
Some might compare it to egg nog! It’s not as creamy, and there aren’t any eggs in horchata, but the cool, creamy, and refreshing spiced drink has slight similarities.
You bet! Any short grain brown rice will do. No changes to the instructions are needed to turn this into a brown rice horchata recipe.
More Mexican treats we love include Mexican wedding cookies, sopapillas and churro cupcakes.
More Mexican Recipes
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Horchata Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice , rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 4-8 Tablespoons granulated sugar , plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a blender, blend the rice, water, and cinnamon stick for about 1 minute. or until the rice breaks up. Pour into a pitcher and let sit overnight.
- Pour the rice mixture through a very fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth into a separate pitcher. Discard the rice.
- Stir in the milk, 4 Tablespoons sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Taste and add more sugar and cinnamon, as desired. Chill in the refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Add ice to cups and pour horchata over top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Beverages, Cinco De Mayo, Gluten-Free, Mexican, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Can you use 5 minute instant white rice or jasmine rice?
You can use Jasmine rice :)
It wasn’t a hard to make as I thought it would be. Came out pretty good. I’ll make Horchata again, my grandkids love it
This recipe could not have come at a better time. I just discovered horchata a couple of weeks ago at a food hall while visiting my daughter in Columbus, Ohio. It was DELICIOUS and I told myself I wanted to learn how to make it at home. The day after I got back, I saw your recipe posted on Facebook. I’ve made this twice already and it tastes just like the drink I paid $4 for at the food hall. Thanks for sharing it!
I am so happy to hear you loved the recipe, Deb! Thanks for your sweet comment and review :)
This is such an easy and delicious recipe, I cannot wait to make it again!
Made this with my kids and they loved it. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to hear it was a hit with your kids! :)
This horchata is just so delicous! Your recipe is fabulous!