A creamy, refreshing, cinnamon flavored Mexican drink that will knock your socks off with flavor! It’s festive and perfect for any occasion.
Everyone loves this cinnamon drink that is full of flavor. It’s practically a treat, so if you love cinnamon-filled goodness like this Horchata, you’ll also love our Arroz con Leche.
What is Horchata?
Have you ever tried Horchata?! It’s a drink made with milk and ground up rice. It’s mixed with cinnamon and a little vanilla. It’s sweet, delicious, and is found in most Mexican restaurants.
But did you know you can make it right in your own kitchen? This recipe is SUPER easy too. If you’ve never tried horchata, now is your chance!
What’s the difference between Mexican horchata and Spanish horchata? Mexican horchata is made with ground rice and Spanish horchata is made with tiger nuts (a tuber—like a sweet potato—but smaller and striped on the outside).
Today we are making a Mexican horchata that is made with ground rice. Follow the recipe and enjoy!!
How to Make Horchata
BLEND. Start by adding uncooked rice, 2 cups water, and cinnamon sticks to your blender. Blend everything until roughly ground. Add the rest of the water and blend for an additional minute. Pour this into a pitcher and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).
STRAIN. Strain the ground rice mixture through a sieve (or mesh strainer) and discard any chunks. Now add in the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water and chill before serving.
SERVE. You can serve horchata chilled over ice or you can heat it up and serve it warm. There is no wrong way because both are divine!
Tips, Tricks + Storing
SOAK RICE. You can soak the rice in a bowl of water all night to soften slightly. This will make it easier to blend and grind up. Strain the rice before beginning to make horchata.
CHILL. Make sure to chill the rice mixture for at least 4 hours. I usually do this step the day before so I can chill it overnight.
STORING. Store your horchata in a pitcher chilled in the fridge. It will last for about a week! You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.
If you love horchata, you’ll also love this Mexican hot chocolate recipe!
For more Mexican recipes, check out:
Horchata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup long-grain rice uncooked
- 5 cups water divided
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2/3 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add uncooked rice, and 2 cups water and cinnamon sticks to your blender and blend until roughly ground. Add the rest of the water and blend for an additional minute. Pour this into a pitcher and refrigerate overnight.
- Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer (or cheesecloth) and discard chunks.
- Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar into the rice water and chill before serving over ice.
It took some time for me to get used to horchata, but now I love it & this recipe is delicious! Easy & so comforting!
I have been looking for a good horchata recipe. It is my girls favorite and this recipe wins hands down. Thank you so much for sharing! You made moving away from TX a little bit easier this year.
What a unique recipe! I have never heard of this before, but it sounds delicious!
I never knew how simple and easy this is to make! Love it!
we are huge horchata fans! This was the perfect blend of cinnamon and vanilla!
We all love horchata and we love that we can make it at home even more!
My husbsnd served a mission in mexico and loves ehen i make RECIPES from there. He really loves this HORCHATA. He also likeD your arroz con leche.
OH yum! I can not wait to try this.
This is the best horchata recipe ever! Only homemade horchata from now on! Thanks for sharing
Glad to share & I am glad you liked it!
My Nephew was just talking about this the other night and how much he loved it. He lived in Mexico for a couple years!! YUMMY
You’ll be surprised how good this Is. its takes a little bit of effort but its SO yummy.
Hi! If i fiRst soak the rice overnight, do i use tHat same water To blend the rice? Or drain The SOAKING water and tHen use “clean” water?
That’s a good question. I haven’t tried soaking them ahead of time. I’d have to experiment myself.
Yes, celina. discard the water that the rice was soaked in and use fresh.
This stuff is great! 1st time making it & it couldn’t be easier. Plan on adding rum to it later this evening
Glad you like it! Thank you!
Very good!
So glad you like it! Thank you!
How many servings those this makes
Do you know if I can substitute a different type of rice for the long-grain in the recipe? I have lots of basmati on hand..
I have not tried a different rice, but I would use ones similar to the long-grain types.
My husband loves horchata and now he says this is the best he’s ever had
This sounds delicious! Do you need to chill this for 4 hours if you plan to warm it up, or can you warm it up right after straining it? Any suggestions for warming it up?
Thanks! I haven’t tried it, right after. I have always chilled it. You can warm on low on the stove or possibly the crock pot.
Is there way to use substitute so much sugar?
I love all of your Mexican recipes! This was so simple and easy and delicious!
Ive actually made this recipe more than once first time I did the minimum time still had flavor cuz I just couldnt wait. I totally love tons of ice when drinking this. So the next time I did the overnight super ..and then I tried the same rice for the second time batch I honestly wouldnt do that the flavors didnt hit the same..but then again but I am learning to become better ..thank Lil Luna
You’re welcome! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!!
I used a coffee grinder to pulverize the rice and cinnamon…Anxious and waiting…smell delicious…
But I will wait…
How did the Horchata turn out? Hopefully you enjoyed! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!