Easy Horchata Recipe + Video

This easy Horchata recipe is sweet, creamy and refreshing. A popular authentic Mexican drink made with rice, cinnamon, and milk. Skip the drink mix and make homemade horchata with this step-by-step photo tutorial. Perfect for Cinco de Mayo.

What is Horchata?

Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made up of white rice soaked in water that is flavored with cinnamon and made creamy with both sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. A bit of vanilla extract may also be added for additional flavoring.

If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant, chances are you’ve seen or already tried horchata. It may be called “agua de horchata” or “horchata de arroz”. It’s extremely popular because it’s refreshing, creamy and sweet and pairs well with spicy/flavorful dishes.

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Of course they sell Mexican drink mixes at the store, but nothing compares to the real deal. Horchata isn’t complicated, but it does take time for the rice to flavor the water that it is soaked in.

My husband and I always share a large cup of Horchata at Mexican restaurants, even though I could easily have one all to myself.

This Horchata is just lovely. I don’t know what it is about cinnamon flavored rice milk, but I guzzle it up every time!

Ingredients for Mexican Horchata

To make this traditional horchata recipe you will need:

• White Rice, uncooked (Any raw white rice: long grain, jasmine, basmati, or short grain.)
• Cinnamon Sticks*
• Water
• Sweetened Condensed Milk*
• Evaporated Milk*
• Vanilla Extract

*Substitutions are listed further down and in the recipe card.

Steps to Make Horchata

1. Wash and drain the rice.
2. Place the rice, cinnamon sticks and 4 cups of water in a bowl. (TIP: Break the cinnamon sticks to infuse more flavor.)
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.
4. Remove cinnamon sticks (small pieces are ok).

Blend it up!

To get the most flavor out of the rice, you will want to blend it up. Blend the rice and water until it’s very smooth about 2-3 minutes.

TO MAKE HORCHATA WITHOUT A BLENDER: Skip the blending, and gently pour out the water (leaving the rice on the bottom) or strain the water from the rice without blending it. This will give you the the smoothest Horchata, but you will lose some flavor this way.

Strain the Rice

Straining the rice is optional, but preferred. I had some unstrained Horchata in Hawaii, of all places, and it was so thick and gritty, we ended up throwing it out. Smooth horchata is the way to go! (At least that’s my preference.)

To strain the rice, it’s best to use a fine mesh sieve, and cheesecloth, if you have it.

REPEAT straining the rice water as many times as you feel is necessary until you reach the desired consistency. (About 2-3 times is usually sufficient.)

The Final Steps

After the rice is strained from the liquid, add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, and some additional water to the desired taste.

Serve the horchata chilled or with some ice. Horchata can even be warmed up on the stove and enjoyed hot.

Substitutions

If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk on hand, it’s easy to sweeten this drink with regular granulated sugar and make it creamy with any milk you have in your fridge. Keep in mind it will effect the authentic taste of the drink.

Start with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 cups of milk. Taste and adjust as desired.

NOTE: The canned milks needed for this recipe can be found in the baking aisle of the grocery store.

Cinnamon sticks can be swapped with 2-3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, if desired, but may leave a chalky taste.

Storage

Horchata should be stored in the fridge and will keep up to 3-4 days, if you don’t drink it all before then.

It’s so refreshing and fairly simple to make at home, but I would double the recipe because it does not last very long.

More Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Today’s recipe for Horchata is in preparation for Cinco de Mayo, but it doesn’t have to be a holiday to enjoy your favorite Mexican food.

Serve this horchata with crockpot pork carnitas or beef chili verde chimichangas made with homemade flour tortillas. (You’ll never go back to store-bought.)

You’ll definitely want to have a side of elote with canned corn too. A SUPER POPULAR recipe.

How about a churro dessert? Or tres leches cake? Now we’re talking.

And if you want a second drink option try this strawberry agua fresca too.

4.53 from 19 ratings

Horchata

Created by Amber Brady

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Inactive Time 4 hours hrs

Total: 4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

A creamy cinnamon rice milk drink that is authentic to Mexico.

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YieldsYields8 Servings

Ingredients

Soaking Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 cup (180 g) long grain white rice, uncooked/raw
• ▢ 2 cinnamon sticks
• ▢ 4 cups (946 ml) water

Additional Ingredients:

• ▢ 14 oz (396 g) can sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 12 oz (354 ml) can evaporated milk
• ▢ ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2-4 cups (473-946 ml) cold water

Equipment

• 4-Quart Glass Mixing Bowl
• Fine Mesh Strainer/Sieve

Instructions

 

• Wash and drain rice. Combine the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 4 cups of water in a bowl. Soak in the refrigerator overnight or a minimum of 4 hours. (TIP: Break up cinnamon sticks to infuse more flavor.)
• Discard the cinnamon sticks (little pieces are ok) and pour the rice and water into a blender. Blend on low for 2-3 minutes until well-blended.
• Pour the blended rice mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Repeat straining the liquid two to three times to remove as much gritty bits of rice of rice that you can.
• Pour the strained mixture into a pitcher. Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, and 2-4 cups of additional cold water, to taste. Stir well to combine. Best served cold or with ice. Store horchata in the fridge up to 3-4 days.

Video

Notes

• Substitute 2 cinnamon sticks for 2-3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. (May leave chalky taste.)
• Substitute canned milks with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 2 cups (any) milk. Taste and adjust as desired.
• Any raw, uncooked, white rice will work for this recipe; long grain, jasmine, basmati, or short grain.
• The flavor is best if the rice soaks for 10-12 hours.
TO MAKE HORCHATA WITHOUT A BLENDER: Skip the blending, and gently pour out the water (leaving the rice on the bottom) or strain the water from the rice without blending it. This will give you the the smoothest Horchata, but you will lose some flavor this way.

Nutrition Info.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cup | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 142mg | Sugar: 41g

Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.

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*Originally published 4/30/13. Photos updated March 2022.