Horchata Recipe
A popular Mexican sweet rice milk beverage with cinnamon - house-made and served chilled
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Ingredients
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Base
Flavor & Sweetening
Finishing & Serving
Method
Soak & Blend Rice
- 1
Rinse
Rinse 1 cup long-grain white rice under cold running water until the rinse runs mostly clear to remove excess starch.
- 2
- 3
Blend
Transfer the soaked rice and soaking liquid (and cinnamon stick if used) to a blender. Add 1 cup additional water (for a total of 3 cups in blender). Blend on high until the rice is very smooth and liquid looks milky, about 1.5–2 minutes. If your blender is small, blend in two short pulses to avoid overheating.
Strain & Combine
- 4
Strain
Place a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or a thin dish towel over a large pitcher or bowl. Pour the blended rice mixture through the strainer, pressing or squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard or reserve the rice solids for baking or cooking.
- 5
Sweeten & Flavor
Add 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the strained rice liquid. Whisk or stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is uniform. Taste and adjust sweetness or cinnamon as desired.
Chill & Serve
- 6
Dilute & Chill
Stir in 2 cups cold water to reach desired consistency (adjust between 1–3 cups if you prefer richer or thinner). Cover and refrigerate the horchata until well chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours. If a stronger cinnamon flavor is desired, steep with a fresh cinnamon stick in the refrigerator while chilling, then remove before serving.
- 7
Serve
Before serving, stir the horchata. Fill glasses with ice, pour horchata over ice, and dust each glass with a light pinch of ground cinnamon. Serve chilled. Keeps refrigerated 3–4 days; stir before using as separation may occur.