Find out how to make creamy horchata at home with this easy blender recipe! This homemade horchata tastes just like the drink at your favorite Mexican restaurants, but has no refined sugar,  and is dairy-free, and vegan. 

A glass of Mexican horchata topped with a cinnamon stick is a delicious creamy beverage that's perfect for cinco de mayo or taco night.

Whenever we go out for Mexican food, my hubby orders a cold glass of horchata, also knows as agua de horchata. On a recent family date night to a favorite taco place, Corazon Cocina, I tried a sip of his drink to see what all the fuss was about. For research purposes, of course.

I had expected horchata to be heavy and overly sweet, but it wasn’t! I was surprised at first by the slightly gritty mouth feel, but it was actually very refreshing and perfect with spicy tacos. After that I decided I had to try making horchata at home. This non-alcoholic beverage is perfect for Cinco de Mayo, Fiesta, or any taco night.

The ingredients for homemade horchata include white rice, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, and almond milk.

What is Horchata?

This is a question I asked myself a few years ago when I noticed Yummy Hubby ordering it in Mexican restaurants. Horchata is a popular Mexican beverage that’s made with cinnamon, rice, and sugar. It’s milky, and a little gritty, and the flavor reminds me of a snickerdoodle cookie. A drinkable snickerdoodle? I’m in! Horchata is usually served cold in a tall glass, but some fun variations have evolved as well. Starbucks serves a blended frappuccino version, and some people make popsicles, or paletas, with it. I think it could make a killer cocktail with a splash of rum too.

Is Horchata Vegan?

Another question I’ve asked myself on these Mexican date nights. I had always assumed horchata was made with whole milk and loads of sugar. While the latter is probably true, this creamy drink really gets its milkiness from rice. Cows milk or almond milk may be added and both can make a traditional, authentic recipe.

Rice and cinnamon get soaked in water before being blended into homemade horchata.

An Easy Horchata Recipe

After pouring over recipes in Spanish, on Youtube, and playing around with making my own recipe a few times, I was surprised to find that this is one seriously fun and easy beverage to make! White rice, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and water soak for a few hours or overnight. Do you rinse the rice? Rice is typically always rinsed before cooking, and thought I couldn’t find a definitive answer for this particular recipe, it worked perfectly with rinsed rice. Some people blend the rice and cinnamon and then soak, but they should blend more easily after soaking. The second time I made this recipe I was in a hurry and only let the rice and cinnamon soak for about an hour and a half. And it was fine.

A Vitamix blender filled with homemade horchata.

It took a few minutes to grind the cinnamon sticks and create a milky liquid. At this point we need to strain the solids because no one wants to chew on cinnamon pieces. Set a fine mesh sieve or a piece of cheesecloth over a bowl or pitcher and pour through.

 A Weck carafe filled with homemade horchata in a white kitchen.

It’s that easy! Store  your fresh homemade horchata in the refrigerator. It does naturally separate a bit, with the heaver pieces sinking to the bottom. Just give a little shake or stir before pouring.

This easy authentic Mexican horchata recipe is made with real food ingredients like white rice, almond milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup. It's naturally vegan and gluten free.

Cheers and don’t miss the short video tutorial below!

Yield: about 6 cups

Horchata

Prep Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours

Milky Mexican agua de horchata is easy to mix up in the blender and tastes delicious any time of day. It's particularly great with spicy Mexican food. This version is made with more natural ingredients like maple syrup and almond milk but tastes just like authentic horchata.

Horchata

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (I used basmati)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain the rice. Place it in a blender and add the water and cinnamon sticks. Cover and let soak for at least three hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
  2. Blend the cinnamon, rice, and water until the cinnamon is ground up and the mixture is as smooth and milky as possible. This took a couple of minutes in my high powered blender. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a pitcher to strain the solid bits.
  3. Whisk in the almond milk, vanilla, and syrup. Taste and add more syrup if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 79Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
How to make horchata, a delicious Mexican drink made with rice, almond milk, and cinnamon. This easy horchata recipe is perfect for Cinco de Mayo or Taco Tuesday.