Horchata Iced Cold Brew Recipe

Steep coffee

Combine 1 cup coarsely ground coffee with 4 cups cold filtered water in a large jar or pitcher. Stir to ensure all grounds are saturated.

Cover and steep in the refrigerator (or at room temperature) for 12–18 hours depending on desired strength (12 hours for medium, 18 for strong).

After steeping, strain the coffee through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a clean container. Discard grounds. Chill the brewed concentrate while preparing the horchata.

Soak rice and almonds

Rinse 1 cup long-grain white rice briefly. Place the rice and 1 oz almonds in a bowl and cover with 1 cup of the warm water. Let soak for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours (longer softens rice and increases flavor).

Blend

Transfer the soaked rice and almonds plus the soaking water into a blender. Add remaining 1 cup warm water, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 3 tbsp granulated sugar. Blend on high until very smooth, about 1–2 minutes.

Strain

Strain the blended mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a pitcher, pressing or squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Add 1 cup cold water to the strained horchata concentrate and stir to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness with up to 2 tbsp simple syrup if needed.

Combine cold brew and horchata

Fill two tall glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per glass). Pour 1/2 cup cold brew concentrate into each glass (for 2 glasses total). Add 1/2 cup horchata concentrate to each glass.

Top each glass with 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative. Stir gently to combine. Taste and add simple syrup to sweeten if desired (about 1 tbsp per glass).

Garnish

Sprinkle a small pinch (about 1/8–1/4 tsp total) of ground cinnamon on top of each drink. Serve immediately over ice.