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Horchata is a popular and refreshing drink that takes on different forms across many cultures, but it always starts with a soaked nut, seed, or grain. This classic Mexican version, Horchata de Arroz, is made by soaking rice and almonds with cinnamon and blending everything together with milk and sweetener. You can easily make it vegan by sticking with water or a nut milk, and if you want to make it a more decadent treat, add more sugar!
Avoid Grittiness
This makes a pretty large batch of horchata, which means that after a while, there would usually be a bit of gritty sediment that settles to the bottom of the drink. While a small amount of sediment is unavoidable, you definitely don’t have to get a mouthful in every glass. To lower your chances of having a mouthful of grit, strain the blended rice and cinnamon stick mixture through a fine mesh strainer and a single layer of cheesecloth.
Break Down The Rice...Twice
For creamier horchata, breaking down the rice before and after soaking yields the best results. If your blender is on the weaker side, be sure not to skip this step.
Make It Vegan!
For a lactose-intolerant friendly, vegan version, swap the whole and evaporated milks for vegan milk and condensed milk for ½ cup of vegan milk and 1 cup of sugar.
Having a few materials on hand will make this already easy process even more of a breeze. Before you get started be sure to have:
Quart containers: Classic 32-ounce lidded deli containers are ideal for both soaking rice and storing horchata in manageable portions, especially when you’re making a larger batch.
Cheesecloth: Not a traditional feature in horchata making, but extremely handy if you aren’t fond of the gritty sediment that horchata tends to leave behind.
Blender: A stronger blender means more pulverized rice and ultimately a creamier, thicker texture for your horchata. Even if your blender isn’t the strongest, it’s still the preferred tool over an immersion blender or food processor.
Fine mesh strainer: The more common way of straining the rice-cinnamon-almond pulp after blending is through a fine mesh strainer. This works perfectly fine but doesn’t get all of the pulverized rice out of the milk.
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- Yields:
- 2 qt.
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 8 hrs 15 mins
Ingredients
- 1 c.
long grain white rice
- 7 c.
filtered water, divided
- 1/2 c.
slivered almonds (optional)
- 2
whole cinnamon sticks
- 1
(12-oz.) can evaporated milk
- 2 c.
whole milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp.
ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp.
salt
Granulated sugar, agave, or your preferred sweetener (optional)
Directions
- Step 1In a fine mesh strainer, run cold water over rice for about 15 seconds. In a blender, combine rice, 3 cups of filtered water, almonds, and cinnamon sticks and blend until rice is broken down but not totally pulverized, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.
- Step 2Return soaked rice, cinnamon, and almonds to the blender and blend about 60 seconds or until rice and almonds are pulverized. In a large bowl with a spout, lay the cheesecloth in a single layer and set a fine mesh strainer on top. Do not double the cheesecloth or it will be too thick to strain the rice milk.
- Step 3Pour the rice milk through the mesh strainer into the cheesecloth, using a rubber spatula to press the pulp to release as much liquid as possible. Discard the rice and almond pulp. Gather the corners of the cloth and work the milk through the fibers, massaging to move around the ground rice. (If you don't mind a bit of sediment in your drink, this can be done without a cheesecloth by pouring the mixture directly into the fine mesh strainer. But if you prefer it without sediment, the cheesecloth is worth the effort.)
- Step 4Add the milk, ground cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and remaining 4 cups of water, and whisk until homogenous. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking, whisking after each addition. Chill and serve over ice with a cinnamon stick for garnish.
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