An easy Horchata recipe so you can make this delicious, refreshing, and healthy drink at home – perfect for Cinco De Mayo!
With Cinco De Mayo coming up around the corner, I have a delicious horchata recipe for you to enjoy.
I have such a fondness for horchata. I just love the creamy, cool, soothing feeling I get when I drink a horchata. It’s like tasty rice milk, but with cinnamon and other goodness.
Oddly enough, I had never really thought about making it for the longest time. But, for some reason, it felt like it was was calling to me, after all these years.
Recipes like this make me realize just how many foods and drinks are out there that can be made easily and well at home. Once you break down that barrier and realize it’s something that can be made from scratch, everything opens up.
So, what is in a Mexican horchata? All the ingredients you really need are some rice, milk, cinnamon sticks and water. See? I told you it was crazy simple.
How to Make Horchata
In order to make horchata at home, you will either need some cheesecloth on hand or a very fine mesh sieve to remove the tiny pieces of rice that sneak through the fine mesh sieve. Otherwise, you probably have everything you need in your kitchen right now.
Oh, and be sure to let the rice soak in the water for at least 8-10 hours, preferably overnight, to get the tasty horchata flavor. It’ll still work if you only let it sit for a few hours, but the flavor won’t be nearly as rich.
Is Horchata Vegan?
Unfortunately, many horchata recipes usually call for condensed milk and refined sugar. In typical ASPC fashion, I’ve chosen to make my horchata with 100% whole foods, so you get all creamy, tasty, and refreshing flavors without the empty calories.
I use unsweetened almond milk, which makes this horchata recipe vegan, too. And that pure vanilla extract adds a nice caramel sweetness to the horchata. Oh yes.
Is Horchata good for you?
While it tastes like dessert, Mexican horchata is healthier than you think. Dairy-free and made with naturally-sweet ingredients, like cinnamon, vanilla, and rice, this beverage is actually a decent source of several minerals. While it’s still a sweetened drink so it is more of a treat than a normal thing, it’s perfectly good for you to drink and enjoy the festivities — assuming you make your own homemade horchata recipe.
Try it out for yourself and enjoy a refreshing Mexican horchata at home for Cinco De Mayo!
Or, you know, tonight…whatever works 🙂
An easy Horchata recipe so you can make this delicious, refreshing, and healthy drink at home – perfect for Cinco De Mayo!
- 1 cup white rice, uncooked and rinsed
- 4 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (can use any milk of your choice)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ice
- Wash and drain rice. Combine rice with cinnamon sticks in water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
- After the rice has soaked for at least 8-10 hours, preferably overnight, discard the cinnamon sticks and pour rice and water into a blender.
- Add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and blend on low for 3-5 minutes until well blended.
- Pour blended rice mixture through fine mesh sieve two times and then through cheesecloth one more time to remove all gritty bits of rice.
Pour strained mixture into a pitcher, add milk, pure maple syrup, and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add more syrup if needed, to taste.
- To serve, pour over ice and garnish with ground cinnamon, if desired.
Recipe Video
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Janet says
March 21, 2019 at 10:09 pmThank you for this wonderful recipe. I made a double batch, used oat milk (to add thickness) and almond milk, less maple syrup and added a couple of glugs of dark rum. My version isn’t authentic by any means but it sure tastes great!
Maggie Unzueta says
August 21, 2018 at 12:50 amMy mouth is watering. I want to drink that!
Kerry says
July 2, 2018 at 3:55 amHi I am diabetic. Can I use Stevie instead of maple syrup and use wholegrain rice?
Ellen Cox says
April 23, 2018 at 6:57 amI made this yesterday in a gallon. This is how I did it. 4 cups of water, 3 cups of rice, 7 cin. sticks. Soaked for 17 hrs. Put all of this in the blender and blended for a good 3 min. Strained through a siv twice and then tried a coffee filter (this was a mistake so I bought cheesecloth). I then added the remaining 8 cups of water, one can of sweetened condensed milk (I think it could have done two), 3 cups whole milk, 2/3 cup brown sugar and 3 3/4 tsp vanilla. I added an additional 1tsp of ground cinnamon. THIS WAS AMAZING. I made this for a party of 14 and there wasn’t any left. Some guests added 1 shot white rum to the glass and made Rumchata. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is a keeper.
Lacey Baier says
May 3, 2018 at 9:42 pmSo glad it turned out for you, Ellen!
Dustin says
May 14, 2017 at 1:24 pmSounds good for the summer
Lacey Baier says
May 3, 2018 at 9:42 pmIt sounds good any day of the week!
Kc says
September 12, 2015 at 7:13 pmi was wonder how many cups does this recipe make?
I would like to make a gallon at a time. Would I have to double or triple this recipe?
Lacey Baier says
September 12, 2015 at 8:17 pmI believe it makes about 4-6 cups, though I can’t say for certain as I’ve never measured the exact final recipe. I hope that helps! Since there are 16 cups in one gallon, it seems like you’d need to triple or quadruple the recipe…if my math is correct lol. 🙂
Kc says
September 12, 2015 at 8:48 pm? awesome thank you!!!
Amanda says
February 7, 2013 at 5:46 pmMy husband and I have tried this multiple times and we absolutely love it! The only thing we change about the recipe is we also put in sweetened and condensed milk. It just makes it more creamy and delicious!
Jwmom2eee says
September 23, 2013 at 5:32 amAmanda, please tell how much sweetened an condensed milk?
Lacey Baier says
April 4, 2015 at 8:47 pmHi Amanda! Yes, some recipes do add sweetened condensed milk and this definitely adds a sweet richness to the horchata.
Katie says
October 31, 2012 at 12:59 pmI am also wondering.. is the rice cooked?
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
October 31, 2012 at 1:04 pmNope! Use raw rice 🙂
Kristina says
September 8, 2012 at 10:05 amI tried this today and thought it was pretty close to my favorite horchata I’ve ever had. I will try to blend the cinnamon sticks next time because I didn’t feel like there was enough cinnamon flavor. It was good but I like more. Also, my vanilla was double strength so I would probably only use 1 Tbsp next time. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Denise says
August 15, 2012 at 4:56 amI make this all the time and to my opinion horchata tastes better with a can of condensed milk than with regular milk. It is a lot more creamier. I also blend the soaked rice with the cinnamon sticks so that it has that cinnamon taste in the water and all of the debris will be sifted out in the end.
Allison says
May 19, 2012 at 6:57 pmTried the recipe today. The overall flavor was good, but it was a bit watery.
Amanda says
May 17, 2012 at 1:48 pmHi!! My husband and I love this recipe!!! We also add some sweetened and condensed milk to make it a little my creamy and delicious. Thanks for posting!
Sandy says
May 1, 2012 at 9:29 pmI’m assuming you’re soaking “cooked” rice? You didn’t say and I’ve never done it..
april says
May 1, 2012 at 4:14 pmYou have have been late for last year, but you posted just in time for my Cinco de Mayo menu planning! (see the post below!):) Thanks for this – I adore Horchata!
Lacey says
April 30, 2012 at 1:27 pmHi Lacey, I’m Lacey 😉 but funny, i just saw this pinned and i’m stoked! we had it last night at a local mexican restaurant because was saw some ethnic folks drinking it glass after glass. Thank-goodness we had it! SO yum. it’ll be perfect for a little cinco-de-mayoing. Your recipe looks far better (for you) than what they described at the restaurant. Thank-you!
Mary says
April 2, 2012 at 6:45 pmYUMMM! I am so making this! 🙂
Leslie says
February 11, 2012 at 10:54 amMy daughter and I will be trying this for a school project and can’t wait! How long can this be left prepared in the fridge before serving? Thanks so much for the recipe!
Brooke says
January 11, 2012 at 11:13 amThanks, Lacey! My first attempt at horchata turned out very well!
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
January 13, 2012 at 2:47 pmHooray! Congrats 🙂
Iryna says
January 10, 2012 at 2:04 amis it ok if my rice was in the frige for about 24 hours?
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
January 13, 2012 at 2:42 pmDo you mean soaking in the fridge, Iryna?
Iryna says
January 13, 2012 at 3:08 pmYes, thats what i ment)
But I already did it and it tasted just awesome! Luv horchata 🙂
Thanks!
Gilbert says
January 7, 2012 at 3:28 pm@nik @Seize
Calm down people, THIS IS how Orchata is made in Mexico, good gawd.
Adara says
January 7, 2012 at 2:42 pmI laughed at the above exchange. Food/drink can really get people riled up…
Robert says
January 7, 2012 at 1:06 pm@ Seize: Horchata? OMG! This is definitely how horchata is made in Mexico. From Wikipedia: “In Mexico, horchata is made of rice, sometimes with vanilla and always with cinnamon.”
Seize says
January 7, 2012 at 11:52 amHorchata? OMG! This is definitely NOT horchata.
First: Horchata is Valencian product (Spanish, not Mexican).
Second: It’s made from tigernuts as Nik said.
This is a kind of weird fussion of “Leche Merengada” (also Spanish) and “Arroz con Leche” (Rice pudding)
Nik says
January 7, 2012 at 9:56 amThe original horchata is made from tigernuts.
This is some kind of rice milk with cinammon…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata
valburps says
November 27, 2011 at 4:41 amHi! We usually buy kilos of rice, but it’s not the longrain variety. Will that be okay? Also, how long does horchata keep for?
Dixie Caviar says
June 19, 2011 at 9:39 pmI love making horchata. It’s one of my favorite late night treats. And I have friends that make strawberry horchata…oh so good!
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
June 21, 2011 at 8:53 pmWow — strawberry horchata — how interesting! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Elena says
June 5, 2011 at 11:26 pmHow many servings of horchata does this yield? Can’t wait to make it!
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
June 6, 2011 at 11:03 amHi Elena! It made a large pitcher of horchata — about 4-6 servings, depending on the size of your glasses. Enjoy!
NanaBread says
May 30, 2011 at 8:54 amI love horchata! It’s the first thing I look for in a Mexican market. I get a glass of plain vanilla horchata, sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and enjoy it while I shop. It’s so lovely and refreshing. Now I can make my own. Thanks, Lacey!
Dustin says
May 30, 2011 at 7:53 amI am bummed I didn’t get to try this I was really looking forward to it.
lacey - a sweet pea chef says
June 3, 2011 at 12:34 pmYeah, I wanted you to try it also. Jordan had it and loved it. It was so easy to make, I can do it again soon.