Horchata is a drink made primarily with rice and spices. Although it is white in color and creamy, it usually does not contain milk.
In Spain horchata is made with chufa (tiger nut) but in Mexico it’s made with rice. Most Latin families that make it have their own special twists.
My cousin Georgina shared her recipe with my mom, and she gave it a few tweaks (using simple syrup instead of granulated sugar and pulverizing the rice beforehand to eliminate chalky sediment and a gritty taste). Grinding the rice also helps thicken the drink.
Horchata
Horchata is that white milky-looking drink you see in large bee-hive glass jars at taquerías or sold by street vendors. It’s the perfect summertime refreshment.
Once you have the base for this thirst quenching (dairy-free) drink, you can experiment with the addition of more or less sugar. Since it does not contain milk, it will not spoil as easily as a dairy-containing beverage.
Photography by Jeanine Thurston
YOU WILL LOVE THESE, TOO:
Agua de Horchata (Rice and Cinnamon Drink)
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, ground
- 6 cups hot water
- 2 cloves, whole
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups simple syrup, see below
Thin Simple Syrup:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water. Over low heat allow the sugar to melt, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.
- In a food processor or coffee grinder, pulverize the rice so it is the consistency of ground coffee.
- In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat; add rice, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Cover and let soak for eight hours or overnight at room temperature.
- After soaking, break the cinnamon stick in half, and place the water, rice, broken cinnamon stick, and cloves in a blender. Puree for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the liquid through a fine strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, into a pitcher. Squeeze the excess liquid and discard the solids.
- Stir in the vanilla and 2 cups of the thin simple syrup.
- Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Stir before pouring and serve over ice.
Wow! I make horchata all the time, and love it. The way I make it is probably tthe way you were originally told. This way seems too long especially if you want to make it on short notice.
How do you make yours
Love to buy Horchata whenever possible. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe. Here’s my attempt: http://foodandhowtoeat.com/recipe-horchata-thats-gold-darling
I can’t wait to make this for Kait; horchata is her favorite!
Hola Michael!
Thanks for trying out our recipe! 3.5 Stars out of 5…that’s it? LOL! This recipe is worth the wait, but obviously if you have a taqueria close to home with some good homemade horchata, then I’d probably go that route too. Lucky you!
Love this recipe, thanks for sharing!
I wonder if changing the syrup for the blue Agave will taste as good. It is worth a try. I also know that using a Blendtec really pulverizes the rice doing a fantastic job.
Thanks for this recipe!
i am so excited about the cookbook! when i was small i remember my grandmother making sweet
tamales. i have searched for years for a recipe. does anyone know what i’m talking about? i was raised in warez mexico, if that helps. maybe the recipe came from mexico.
Hola Connie,
Ahhhh sweet tamales! YUM! We know exactly what you are talking about! My grandma use to make them with raisins. My kid’s favorites are made with pineapple and coconut. What is your favorite sweet filling?
i don’t really have a favorite, my grandmother used meat and maybe powdered sugar, i was hurt
real bad when i was 16, i was in a coma for a long time. my memory is kinda blury! will they be in the
cookbook? i live in maui hawaii. not to many mexican places, i’ve been talking to the owners of the
few we have about your cookbook!
thanks
connie
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Great recipe! In the time I’ve been making horchata, my own recipe is almost exactly the same, but I find that using powdered sugar is my favourite way to sweeten this drink.
You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The sector hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
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Hi there, just saw your post and it looks good. I agree, it may have been a little thick because it really needs to be strained through cheesecloth to get rid of the rice pulp. Thanks for giving our recipe a try.
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We agree, a lot of us have the same recipes with a different twist, that’s what makes them uniquely our family’s recipes. Thanks for stopping by.
I have never had horchata without milk in it…
Amazing recipe! I followed the recipe exactly, except for omitting 1 clove, and it came out so flavorful, sweet and creamy even after I strained it like 3 times. Definitely keeping this recipe! THANK YOU for sharing.
Great recipe! Been wanting to make Horchata for a long time. I am from Chicago where you can buy it at many corner restaurants. Only found 2 places in Cincinnati area, one just closed and the other is not very tasty.
I ground the rice in my coffee grinder and let it sit all night. Next day I used Ninja blender and it became a creamy liquid after 30 seconds. I did not strain it because it had no solids! Tastes great, a little creamy (since I didn’t strain it?) but poured over ice thinned out nicely!
Glad I finally tried this family favorite!
Muchas Gracias – Muy Bueno Cookbook
Do you have a sugar-free recipe
So I just did steps 1-3 and am in the process of soaking the mixture now – but it turned into a very, very thick rice porridge-like consistency. Should I be worried? Add more water? Or will it all loosen up when I puree later? Thanks!
Is this safe from Bacillus cereus? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus
The hot water soak could activate the spores and the rest time allow multiplication. Just because most of the time nobody gets sick does not mean this method is safe and to be commonly recommended.
It might be safer to do the soak in cold vs. hot water, then boil at later time less than a few hours before horchata is to be served.
I’m curious about this too.
I love horchata, next time ill have it as a margarita. Anything with tequila sounds good. Si Senor
This sounds so refreshing!