INSIDE: Learn How to Make The Most Authentic Horchata Recipe (Mexican) Using Ingredients That You Most Likely Already Have In Your Pantry. **Looking for Coconut Horchata? Get the recipe here**
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What Is Horchata?
Horchata is a delicious rice (or coconut) based drink that you can find at most Mexican restaurants in the United States and abroad.
The reason it is so popular is that it always adds a refreshing touch to any meal. I have yet to meet someone that has tried it without falling in love and being disappointed when it is gone.
If you go to any Mexican restaurant, you can probably find some version of this delicious Mexican beverage. However, many of those are made from powder and don’t have that authentic taste.
There are different varieties of Horchata throughout Latin America. If you have tried one version before and didn’t like it, you can always try another one and that might change.
Today, I want to show you how to make a truly authentic version of horchata that I learned growing up in Mexico. It will take some patience and a little bit of preparation, but I assure you that the results will be worth it.
Growing up in Mexico, Horchata was one of my favorite drinks to go along with my other favorite meals.
What Can You Serve With Horchata?
Horchata goes well with almost any Mexican recipe. Here are some of my favorites.
- Barbacoa Tacos
- Tacos al Pastor
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Tostadas
- Chorizo and Potato Tacos
- Charro Beans
One of the great things about a good horchata recipe is that you can add different ingredients to it to change the taste. For example, many people add shredded coconut or almonds. You can also use different varieties of milk such as almond milk.
Like I said above, there are many different versions depending on the country. The recipe that I am sharing today is my favorite way to make horchata, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t switch it up a bit.
What Does Horchata Taste Like?
You are going to find out for yourself pretty soon what this delicious drink tastes like. However, if you are curious, you will be happy to know that horchata is smooth and rich, and has just the right amount of sweetness.
If you want to get the smooth, rich flavor, then you want to make sure that you follow these instructions perfectly.
I have so many memories growing up of going to the local taquerias with my siblings and other family members. Part of those memories consists of ordering street tacos with a side of delicious authentic Horchata.
It was always a hit and something that I will always remember.
Although I don’t live in Mexico anymore, I still am able to keep these memories with me by making these recipes and sharing them with my family here.
Even though I prefer to make homemade horchata, I will still try just about any version that I can find when I go to Mexican restaurants. Some are better than others, but they all remind me of Mexico.
How Do You Make Horchata?
I mentioned above that making this recipe will take some preparation. The good news is that it is easy to make. In fact, you probably already have all of the ingredients that you will need in your kitchen. These are the ingredients that you will need.
- Rice
- Sugar
- Almonds
- Cinnamon Stick
- Vanilla Extract
- Evaporated Milk
- Milk
- Water
If you don’t already have them, don’t worry – they are easy to find and are very inexpensive.
It takes a while to soak the rice, cinnamon, and almonds in water for an extended period of time. That is so that you can ensure that all of the flavors are perfect.
The best way to do this is to start soaking the ingredients the night before. That way, you can sleep instead of just standing around waiting for this delicious drink to be ready!
Once you have soaked the ingredients long enough, the next steps are pretty easy. You will need to strain the water, and then blend the ingredients together with evaporated milk.
It is important to strain the resulting mix using a fine mesh strainer to avoid a gritty texture. It is still delicious, but I personally prefer a smooth taste.
I am so happy that you found this recipe. I really hope that you are willing to put the time and effort into making it. It may not be something that you make every day. That said, it is perfect for special occasions like Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and New Years.
No matter when you make this recipe, everyone will love it and will be asking for the recipe.
If you are feeling adventurous and are ready to try this authentic recipe, check it out below. I promise that you won’t regret it!
Products Used In This Horchata Recipe
- Fine Mesh Strainer: This is one of the most important things that you can get when making horchata. You have to strain the rice and almond pieces after you blend it. To avoid a grainy texture, you will want a fine mesh strainer. You can get one of my favorites here if you don’t already have one.
- Blender: You will need a good blender to make sure that you break everything down as much as possible. I use this one, but you can really use any high-quality blender.
- Large Drinking Glasses: Horchata is good no matter what, but it is even better drinking it from a large glass like these ones. I add a straw and lots of ice and it is delicious!
- Large Bowls: You have to soak the rice and other ingredients overnight for this recipe. That is why it is important to have large glass bowls. You can use any glass bowl that you have, but make sure that they are high quality like these.
Horchata (Authentic Mexican Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white rice
- 1 cup sugar adjust depending on how sweet you want - 2/3 cup of sugar if you want it less sweet.
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 Can 12 ounces Evaporated milk
- 1.5 cups of milk or almond milk
- 1 Liter of water
- Ice
Instructions
- Start by soaking the rice, cinnamon, and almonds in a bowl of water all night, or at least for 5 hours so that the rice softens slightly.
- Strain the water from the cinnamon, rice, and almond mixture that were soaking, disposing of water.
- Blend the cinnamon, rice, and almond mixture with evaporated milk until a smoother mix is formed and the grains of rice are completely ground.
- Strain the resulting liquid into a pitcher, and add the sugar, vanilla, and milk. Mix well until everything is well combined.Add a liter of water, and serve with ice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Can this be made ahead of time for a large crowd, or does it need to be served immediately? I would love to be able to make it a couple days in advance if possible. How long does it store in the fridge?
Can this be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a couple days?
Yes. No more that 5 days though unless you add alcohol to it.
Is the something else I can use to replace the rice?
There not the
Today I made some with rice and pumpkin seeds. My friend’s mother sometimes makes it with cantaloupe seeds. You would soak them and follow all the other instructions the same way.
Is there something I can use besides the evaporated milk and do we have to use blenders?
I would say the blenders are pretty necessary, and you don’t need evaporated milk the classic way is to use just water!
I used a nutribullet to make mine. I just did it in batches.
Yummy it was not only delisioso it was also sweet
Can I make this without evaporated milk? I want to make this for my brother’s birthday that is coming up soon. He loves horchata but he nor my dad eat or drink dairy. Is it necessary to use evaporated milk or should I use a replacement?
Hi Emilia, you can replace the evaporated milk with almond, coconut or rice milk and it should still turn out well! Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
Do you cook the rice before soaking or do you soak them raw?
Hi Sable, you should soak the rice raw i.e. no cooking at all involved. Good luck!
I made this to give as a holiday gift and it came out delicious! it would be tasty with whipped cream! One odd thing that happened was when I microwaved a mug of it it became more thick like a pudding, still tasty but I was surprised! does anyone know why this may have happened? Maybe I should have washed my rice more before soaking. I still recommend it!
I think the drink would thicken when you heat it up because you’ve basically made and mixed rice starch with the liquids like when you mix cornstarch in milk and heat it to make pudding.
Oh my goodness this recipe was perfection!!! I always crave a good Horchata here in New Mexico. There’s only one place that I know of that makes it well and I have to travel to Artesia to get it. Now I can make it at home with my authentic New Mexican green chili stew. Thank you from my family to yours.
With kindness,
Lovey
I used the discarded water instead of new water and it turned out great. The steps leave out when to add the vanilla.
A good blender and a good fine mesh strainer is essential. Keeps in the fridge for a long time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Can the ingredients be soaked directly in the milk instead of water? Then the whole mixture blended and strained? I want to make a horchata custard pie, but I want to retain as much horchata flavor as possible and it seems like soaking directly in the milk might achieve that?
Perfect! I have made it weekly, during the last few Holiday months! I always chuckle at the comments… What can I substitute for rice or evaporated milk! Ummmmm NOTHING!
Well you probably shouldn’t be laughing at a comment that asks for a substitution because of a serious allergy. No reason to judge people for asking for substitutions, especially if there are substitutions available.
The recipe is great! I love horchata but haven’t found a good recipe yet. This one is it!
We are not from Mexico, but love Mexican food, and specially Horchata.
I have been looking for a while for a recipe like this. I tried many others, but this one is definitely “The One”
very guud
Should I use raw almonds or roasted? Thanks for the recipe, looking forward to trying this!
Sorry for my late response! You should use raw almonds.
Good luck!
Charbel
is there something elsw i can use instead of almonds since i am allergic to nuts?
i have had it without nuts years ago but the lady had made it especiallly for me but has since moved back to Chile.
Hi Nathalie,
You can actually just omit the almonds if you can’t have them. The almonds are optional so you can still get the great authentic horchata taste without the almonds.
Good luck!
Charbel
I made this the other day; it was delicious! I’ve had it in Mexico, where it was made with a thick bottled liquid diluted with water, and at a tiny Mexican restaurant i Carlisle PA, where it was blended with crushed ice, almost like an icee. Both delicious! I made a minor error with your recipe; because the sugar was listed in with the ingredients to soak, I put it in with the rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick. At the time I thought it seemed odd to soak the sugar, but the horchata turned out fine. I used some of the soaking liquid in the blending, and threw out the rest, so probably cut my sugar consumption in about half, which was a good thing.
I didn’t use the evaporated milk, but instead used most of a quart of unsweetened almond/coconut milk, and then, since it was a little thin, I didn’t pour in a liter of water maybe just a cup. I was thinking that an easy (though not authentic) Horchata milkshake could be made with rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, blended with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It would certainly be easy!
The link for your preferred strainer doesn’t go to a strainer; it links to blenders instead; can you please let me know what strainer you use? Despite several strainings my Horchata still wasn’t as smooth as I’d have liked. This is my strainer:
https://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-8-Inch-Strainer/dp/B00004OCLX/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=fine+mesh+strainer&qid=1582811649&sr=8-12
Perhaps cheesecloth would strain better? I could line the strainer with cheesecloth, but it would take forever to strain the liquid.
Thank you for posting the recipe, and I will go back up and look at some of your other recipes 🙂
OK, second time making this recipe. This time I was in a hurry – I was ordering take out from the best (and only) hole-in-the-wall real Mexican restaurant in the area (four tables and a counter), with the BEST Horchata I’ve ever had. They were OUT of it! Also OUT of salsa verde for my enchiladas verde; I don’t like the bottled ones, but i didn’t have the inclination or ingredients on hand to make my own.
So……It was 3:30 PM, I was picking up my take out at 6 and would be home by 6:30, so I thought perhaps I could speed up the process by simmering the rice and almonds and cinnamon stick in some water, to get them softened up. I did that for around a half hour, then turned off the heat, added some extra water, and covered the pot.
I was too hungry to bring my take-out home so I ate there, and when I got home I had a nice pot of soft rice/almonds/cinnamon. I strained it, though there wasn’t really much liquid as it was all absorbed. So I blended it, adding water as I went along, added the sugar and vanilla, and strained it through my wire-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Poured that into a few pitchers, added boxed unsweetened almond/coconut milk and crushed up some ice cubes while I was at it. It’s in the fridge now, and smells divine.
I seriously doubt that simmering it briefly to get it soft more quickly hurt it at all, and it did save time and may have made the blending easier on my blender’s motor.
In a little while when it’s nice and cold i’ll give it a try!
Hi! I want to double this recipe to make more. Is three sticks of cinnamon too much?
I would use 2! I used 1 stick and found it pleasantly cinnamon-y still.
Hello Charbel, is there a good substitute for evaporated milk?
I can’t find it in my area, can only find condensed milk
Amazingly delicious