Best Ever Horchata

Best Ever Horchata is a smooth and creamy cold drink that blends rice soaked in water and sweetened with cinnamon making this authentic Mexican drink rich and milky. A delicious sweet cinnamon flavored Mexican drink!

Horchata is a smooth and creamy authentic Mexican drink that is blended together making this irresistible quench of thirst. The sweet cinnamon flavor stands out and adds the perfect taste to a milky rice blend. This horchata recipe is known to be served cold even with ice cubes. It is so delicious it can be doubled in the recipe to have over and over again.

Best ever horchata is a delicious drink that is so addicting and tasty. My kids all love it and beg for more when I make it for our family. The ingredients are simple and with just a few directions you will be making horchata over and over again. It is fun to have for celebrations as well as a summer time drink. Cinco de Mayo is always a popular event to enjoy horchata on or just a hot summer day.

What is Horchata?

Horchata is known as a popular Mexican drink that is described as a sweet rice milk beverage. Horchata is made up of simple ingredients. The blended combination of rice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon are commonly served in most Mexican recipes. Balancing out the creamy rice mix and cinnamon sweetness flavors makes this horchata tasty and delicious. Homemade horchata has the perfect combination and perfect balance.

Horchata Ingredients:

This homemade horchata drink is made with milk and ground up rice with cinnamon flavor and vanilla. It is a true authentic Mexican treat! This is super easy to make and will be the best drink to enjoy!

Rice: Long grained rice is best.
Water: It is best if this is cold. After soaking in the rice it becomes a creamy milk rice.
Cinnamon Sticks: Find these at your local grocery store in a bunch and use them as needed.
Whole Milk: Make your horchata rich and creamier with whole milk.
Vanilla: This is the best flavoring combination with vanilla.
Sugar: Add in more sugar to sweeten or less if it is too sweet.

How to Make Homemade Horchata:

Most Mexican restaurants serve horchata and is one of the most popular drinks they serve. It is so simple to make and is a fun drink to have on special occasions to just enjoying a cold drink on a warm day. This homemade horchata is one of our favorites and so delicious!

Blend Together: Add the rice, water and cinnamon sticks to the blender. Blend until the rice starts to break up or about 1 minute.
Let Sit: Allow the rice and water to stand at room temperature for at least 3 hours.
Strain: In a large pitcher, use a strainer and pour the mixture though and discard the rice.
Add in: Stir in the milk, vanilla and sugar. Chill before serving.

Tips for Making Horchata:

Soak the rice ahead of time: To prepare ahead of time, soak the rice in a bowl of water overnight to help soften the rice. When blending together it will be quicker and easier to blend.
Use a Blender: A blender will help blend it evenly and make it more creamy.
Cinnamon sticks: It is best to use the whole cinnamon stick compared to ground cinnamon. There is more flavor from a cinnamon stick and tastes amazingly better compared to ground cinnamon. They actually have two distinct flavors and tastes when compared to each other.
Soak the rice: Make sure there is enough time to let the rice soak in the flavors and absorb as much water as possible. This will enhance the creaminess too!
Straining: This is important to do. There will be a little bit of rice and cinnamon sticks left over that you will not want in your horchata drink when serving. If you choose not to strain beware there it may be gritty and not much flavor in the texture.
Ice it!: It is best served over ice and as cold as possible.
Storing: When storing your horchata, place in a closed or covered container and chill in the refrigerator for about 5 to 7 days long.

What to serve with Horchata:

Making this horchata drink the star of the dinner, try adding more Mexican style recipes to make this a complete meal. To compliment this homemade horchata recipe try this Mexican Shrimp Skillet, add Homemade Tortillas and some Mexican Rice to make this a delicious and satisfying meal all together.

Try more of some of my favorite Mexican dishes that blend well with the homemade horchata drink.

FAQ’s for Horchata:

How to make horchata without a blender: First, it is best with a blender, hands down. But if you don’t have one or prefer not to use it then replace it with a whisk. In a pitcher whisk 8 cups unsweetened rice milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp vanilla until sugar has dissolved. This will take a lot of work and vigorously stirring it together. Once it is smooth and creamy continue following the remainder of the horchata recipe.
What Alternative Sweeteners can be used: Some of my favorite sweeteners are maple syrup, honey or a specialty sugar. These can be substituted in place. When making horchata you can also add in or adjust the amount of sugars in the recipe.
Can I Make it Dairy Free? Yes! This will work by replacing the whole milk with non-dairy milk, canned coconut milk or using an almond milk to substitute.

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