Horchata de Arroz is a popular & refreshing Mexican drink made with ground rice, milk and cinnamon. Learn how to make this delicious drink with these step by step instructions!
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Best Horchata Recipe
There is a reason why this drink is the most popular one on Muy Delish. It’s super delicious!
It’s sweet, creamy, and refreshing! Due to the milk in the recipe, it can have a cooling effect that comes in handy when eating spicy food.
My recipe is for traditional Mexican horchata but I’ve seen versions around the web to fit today’s different diet needs: Some use almond or coconut milk to make it lactose-free or they use no calorie-sweeteners for diabetic needs.
While they may taste good, nothing beats the taste of the traditional version! I hope you treat yourself to the real deal at least once in a while.
One of the reasons Horchata is very popular in Mexico, is that it’s the perfect pairing for spicy & flavorful meals. Every time I make Pozole, Entomatadas, or Bistec Ranchero, you’ll see Horchata on my table….It’s also my favorite drink and it’ll be yours soon too 🙂
🩷 xoxo, Ana
Ingredients
- Use any uncooked long grain white rice and 2 cinnamon sticks.
- The milk base comes from evaporated and condensed milk. This is what gives the horchata the wonderful flavor and a creamy consistency.
- If the condensed milk does not make it sweet enough for you, you can add more sugar to taste.
- Ground cinnamon to garnish (optional)
- Vanilla extract (optional) – Just don’t use too much vanilla as we don’t want to overpower the cinnamon & rice flavor.
*** Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
How to make horchata
Making horchata is very simple and the hardest part is waiting for it to soak. After that, making it is a breeze!
1) Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water then place it in a large bowl with a cinnamon stick and 4 cups of water. Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours (the longer the better!).
2) Add 1/2 of the rice mixture & 1/2 of the soaking water and some of the cinnamon stick in a blender.
3) Puree until it’s very smooth and forms a watery paste like texture. About 4 minutes long.
4) Using a very fine mesh strainer (or some cheese cloth) pour the mixture over a pitcher. Strain out as much liquid as possible, pushing on the solids with a spatula or spoon.
5) Repeat this process for the rest of the rice & cinnamon mixture.
6) Stir in the canned milks, vanilla, and the additional 4 cups of water. Stir well until everything is incorporated.
Once I tried the famous Horchata from La Santisima Mexican Restaurant in Glendale Arizona and loved it! They add chunks of fruits like cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes plus chopped pecans. It’s so good! I think I’ll do that to mine next time.
What readers are saying:
Readers who have made this recipe are raving about it! Here is what they had to say after enjoying it:
I made several other horchata recipes but I’m throwing those other ones away because I’ve found the one that I like! Your recipe is awesome and my kids love it. I soak the rice in the fridge for an entire day and then overnight. It comes out so creamy. Thanks!
I made this for a catering of 100 guests. It was a Mexican inspired menu. The Horchata was a huge hit! They loved it!
P.s. I never made it before so thank you!
Ana’s Recipe Notes
- I prefer long-grain white rice for a smoother texture.
- Make sure you give it enough time to soak the rice well. This will ensure that will blend the best and will retain all of the rice flavor.
- Texture: If you prefer a smoother horchata, strain it a second time or use a nut milk bag.
- Variations: Some people like to add a little almond extract or use almond milk for a different flavor profile.
How to Store
- Fridge: Place in a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2-3 days. But I guarantee that you’ll want to drink it all in a day!
- Shake Before Serving: Horchata tends to separate, so shake or stir it well before serving.
- Freezing: If you need to store it longer, you can freeze in an airtight container, leaving some space at the top for expansion. Thaw it in the refrigerator and shake well before serving.
- Avoid Room Temperature: Do not leave it at room temperature for extended periods to prevent spoilage.
You guys, if you go to a Mexican restaurant I guarantee you will see Horchata on the menu. You may have seen it as “Agua de Horchata”. The wonderful thing is it’s super easy to make and you can make it at home!
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help you with? Or if you made it, I would love it if you leave a comment or rating below.
Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Traditional Mexican Horchata
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Soaking The Rice
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into large pieces
- 4 cups room temperature water
Mixing the milks
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz / 354 ml each)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (12 to 14 oz / 354 to 397 g each)
- 4 cups cold water
- ¼ cup sugar, optional, to taste
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Ground cinnamon, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a colander under cold water. Add the rice, cinnamon sticks and 4 cups of water to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight (best) or at least 4 hours.1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into large pieces, 4 cups room temperature water
- Take out most of the cinnamon sticks, leaving a few small pieces with the rice for extra flavor.
- Add half of the rice and half of the soaking water to a blender, with some of the cinnamon pieces. Blend until very smooth, about 4 minutes. With a high-powered blender (Vitamix, Ninja), 1 to 2 minutes is plenty.
- Pour through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pitcher. Press on the solids with a spoon to get out as much liquid as possible.
- Repeat with the rest of the rice, soaking water and cinnamon.
- Stir in the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and 2 cups of the cold water. Taste, then add the remaining 2 cups for a lighter horchata, or leave it out for a thicker, creamier one.1 can evaporated milk (12 oz / 354 ml each), 1 can sweetened condensed milk (12 to 14 oz / 354 to 397 g each), 4 cups cold water
- Taste and add sugar if you'd like it sweeter.
- Chill and stir well before serving over ice. It's normal for some rice to settle at the bottom, so just give it a stir!
Video
Notes
- Break the cinnamon sticks in large pieces before you place in the bowl to soak. This will give more flavor from the inside of the cinnamon.
- If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, you can soak the rice with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder.
- If you decided to use vanilla, don’t add too much of it as it will overpower the cinnamon & rice flavor.
- Stora in Fridge: Place in a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2-3 days. But I guarantee that you’ll want to drink it all in a day!
- Shake Before Serving: Horchata tends to separate, so shake or stir it well before serving.
- Avoid Room Temperature: Do not leave it at room temperature for extended periods to prevent spoilage.
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in July 2014. It has been updated to revise the content and photographs. The original delicious recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
FAQs
Any white rice will work: long grain, jasmine, basmati, short grain. Just make sure it’s raw white rice!
Yes! Since we’ll be using the same soaking water to make the horchata, I recommend you wash it to have a clean drink.
Place the bowl in the fridge since we’ll be using that same water for our final Horchata drink. This water already contains a lot of the rice & cinnamon flavor and we don’t want to waste it!
Use almond milk or coconut milk. But you’ll need to sweeten it with sugar or your favorite sweetener. This may change the authenticity and it may not provide the same results as this recipe.
Hi Ana! Is there any way to make this drink hot for the fall/winter months? I love a good horchata and see sometimes coffee shops have hot horchata lattes, but not sure if that’s normal or just a creative twist.
Thank you in advance!
I just want to make sure of something would this be ok for it to be unrefridgerated for 50 ish mins?
Hi Rose, since it contains dairy I would be very hesitant to do that. Can you put the jar inside a bucket with ice? This way it’ll stay cold without spoiling the dairy.