Horchata is a refreshing Mexican rice milk drink with a hint of cinnamon served over ice. Looking for a non-alcoholic, dairy free drink to serve with your Mexican food? This is the best Mexican drink recipe for any occasion. Serve it with these Baked Chicken Chimichangas or these Chicken and Black Bean Flautas.

horchata rice milk in a glass with cinnamon

HORCHATA RECIPE

Growing up in Arizona, Mexican food and drinking Horchata was a regular thing. I know all my Arizona peeps can relate to late night Filbertos runs to get burritos or rolled tacos and of course a big glass of the cinnamon rice drink to wash it down.

First of all, it’s pronounced or-CHAH-tah. The ‘h’ is silent. I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my whole life…Hhhhoooorrrchata. I guess the naughty sister of or-CHAH-tah?

I had a spontaneous craving for Horchata and announced to my husband that I was going to make said Hhhoooorchata and he gave me a horrified look like “You’re making what?”

He served a church mission speaking only Spanish for 2 years and is our household expert on all things Hispanic.

He approved of this recipe. I think it’s spot on. It’s a watery cinnamon drink that tastes like rice. I know that doesn’t sound appealing but it is so refreshing.

WHAT IS HORCHATA?

  • WHAT DOES HORCHATA MEAN?

             Horchata is a Mexican milk drink made from rice, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Horchata de arroz is literally made from rice.

rice soaking in waterThis is my ground up rice and cinnamon stick mixture soaking.

HOW TO MAKE HORCHATA

  1. Pour the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 2 cups of water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice and cinnamon sticks begin to break up. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and let rice mixture stand at room temperature overnight.
  2. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top when serving if desired.

Horchata rice milk drink with cinnamon in a glass

I made this Horchata recipe for Bunko to accompany a Mexican feast. The Bunko girls approved.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEXICAN HORCHATA AND SPANISH HORCHATA?

Horchata in Mexico and Latin America is rice based. In Spain it’s traditionally made with water, sugar, and tiger nuts.

OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES:

Horchata - a refreshing rice milk drink with a hint of cinnamon served over ice. the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Horchata

4.50 from 6 votes
Horchata is a refreshing Mexican rice milk drink with a hint of cinnamon served over ice. Looking for a non-alcoholic drink to serve with your Mexican food? This Horchata is the best Mexican drink recipe for any occasion.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups uncooked white long-grain rice
  • 2 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup milk, (coconut milk is good here too)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup white sugar

Instructions
 

  • Pour the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 2 cups of water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice and cinnamon sticks begin to break up. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and let rice mixture stand at room temperature overnight.
  • Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice. Stir the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the rice water. Chill and stir before serving over ice. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top when serving if desired.

Notes

Traditional Horchata is thin and on the watery side but feel free to add more milk to taste for a creamier version. Also, this doesn't make very much so you may want to double it.
Source: adapted from Allrecipes. Increased the rice, used cinnamon sticks, increased the milk, reduced the sugar.
Cuisine: Mexican
Course: Drinks

 

Horchata - a refreshing rice milk drink with a hint of cinnamon served over ice. #mexican #horchata #recipe #drink #nonalcoholic #beverage