Agua de Horchata
A creamy Mexican-style rice drink flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, soaked and blended to perfection. Served thoroughly chilled over ice.
🍽 8 servings
⏱ Prep: 15 min
⏰ Total: 260 min
📊 Easy
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- 1 stick Mexican cinnamon stick (canela), broken into pieces
- 4 cups hot water
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ice, for serving
- ground cinnamon, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Rinse the rice briefly under cool water and drain.
- Place the rice and broken cinnamon stick in a large bowl or container.
- Pour 4 cups hot water over the rice and cinnamon. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Pour the soaked rice, cinnamon, and soaking water into a blender. Depending on blender size, work in batches if necessary.
- Blend on high until the rice and cinnamon are very finely ground and the liquid looks milky, about 1-2 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag into a large pitcher. Strain thoroughly so the finished horchata is creamy rather than gritty.
- Stir in 2 cups cold water, the whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla.
- Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Taste and adjust the sweetness if necessary. If you prefer a thinner horchata, add a little additional cold water.
- Refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour.
- Stir the horchata very well before each serving because natural settling is expected.
- Serve over plenty of ice with a light dusting of ground cinnamon if desired.
Chef's Notes
Mexican canela is softer and more delicate than common cassia cinnamon and is especially good here. Natural separation is normal. Always stir horchata before pouring. Contains milk.