Hortchata is a smooth rice and milk-based drink flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. This easy overnight horchata is an inexpensive and easy version to make and is great for a group.
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Why You'll Love It
- Quick and easy to make.
- Inexpensive ingredients.
- Can be made in advance.
Why Horchata is a Good Drink for a Group
It's very inexpensive and uncomplicated to make.
You can easily adjust the sweetness level of the drink based on dietary preferences. See the Variations section below.
What is horchata?
Horchata is a rice and milk-based drink that is sweetened and flavored with spices, typically cinnamon.
There are many different versions and variations of horchata around the world. Mexican horchata is typically made with rice. Whereas Spanish horchata is made with tiger nuts.
For an in-depth review of what horchata is, cultural variations, and some history, Food Network has a good article about it.
This Mexican version, sometimes known as Orxata, is a perfect drink when serving tacos, tamales, or enchiladas.
Ingredients
- Rice - white, long-grain, unrinced rice is ideal. Don't use brown rice or black rice.
- Cinnamon sticks - It's ideal to use cinnamon sticks (especially if you can find Mexican Cinnamon "Canela") because you'll get the cinnamon flavor without the grainy texture of ground cinnamon. However, don't let a lack of cinnamon sticks deter you from making this! See the recipe card for how you can use ground cinnamon instead.
- Milk - Milk helps give the drink a creamy, smooth texture. Regular whole milk is ideal, but almond and oat milk are fine substitutes.
- Sugar - Granulated white sugar, brown sugar, or turbano sugar are best. Sugar also adds to the texture of the drink, which you might miss if you use something like monk fruit sweetener.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In short, pulverize rice, cinnamon, and half the water in a high-power blender and let it soak overnight. Strain, add the remaining ingredients, and serve over ice.
So easy!
After about 10 seconds of blending in my blender, this is what the rice looks like.
Additions / Substitutions / Variations
Nutmeg is a delicious addition, especially when it's added as a garnish at the end.
I haven't experimented with a dairy-free option. However, almond milk or oat milk would probably be great substitutes.
Low sugar variation: If you know some of your guests prefer lower sugar or options, you can reduce the sugar by half when you initially make it, then serve a ginger or cardamom simple syrup alongside the pitcher of horchata when it's party time.
Sugar substitutes aren't ideal as they significantly change the consistency of the horchata.
Related: Simple Syrups for drinks
Advance Preparation / Storage
Advance Preparation - It's ideal to make this at least the night before.
However, you can make it up to a week in advance! Just keep in covered and cold until serving time. The back of the fridge is a good idea.
Storage - You can store horchata in any air-tight food-grade glass or plastic container.
Equipment
A high-power blender is crucial to making horchata... unless you want to grind all the rice by hand between some grindstones or with a mortar and pestle.
A fine-mesh strainer is also crucial. It strains out the rice particles, yielding a smooth, creamy drink that isn't grainy or chalky—two common problems if not using a good strainer.
If you don't have one, Serious Eat's tested 8 fine-mesh strainers and I recommend picking one in your price range.
Troubleshooting common horchata problems
Why is my horchata grainy?
Most likely, the strainer used was not fine enough and let the smaller granules of blended rice through.
Another reason could be if you used ground cinnamon, which can give horchata a grainy texture.
If you don't have a fine-mesh strainer, you can line a regular strainer or colander with cheesecloth and strain the rice out that way.
Why is my horchata chalky?
Overblending the rice or not passing it through a fine enough strainer might cause horchata to taste chalky.
However, I've found that recipes using sweetened condensed milk, which some recipes call for, are often the ones with a chalkier mouthfeel.
I've never found homemade horchata, especially overnight horchata, to be chalky. Typically, it's the store-bought versions that are very chalky.
If you're encountering any other type of problem with the recipe, leave a comment here, and I'll work on troubleshooting it.
Tips
After you blend the rice and water in the blender, leave the whole blender on the counter overnight.
There's no need to transfer the mixture into a separate container, which helps reduce dishes!
Hosting Tips
If you're preparing for a large party and fridge space is limited due to the sheer amount of prep, I recommend making just the rice and water portion of the drink and adding the milk in later.
Follow steps 1-3 in the recipe card and store just the strained rice and water in the fridge. When it's time to serve the drink, follow steps 4-5
Cheers!
Susan
FAQ
Unrinsed, long-grain white rice is best. I've found that the least expensive rice has worked just as well as expensive sushi rice.
NO!! The starch in horchata makes it rich and creamy. So rinsing the rice will remove much of the flavor.
In the United States, people often consider the rice- and milk-based drink as part of Mexican cuisine. However, it likely originated in Spain, where it was, and still is, made with tiger nuts rather than rice.
Sometimes Mexican horchata is referred to as agua de horchata.
An "agua fresca" (literal translation is "fresh water") is a type of Mexican or Latin drink that refers to a chilled, fruit-based, non-alcoholic drink. Think watermelon juice.
So, horchata is sometimes considered an agua fresca at restaurants or grocery stores.
📖 Recipe
Easy Overnight Horchata (Orxata)
Equipment
- High-powered electric blender
- Fine mesh strainer
- Large pitcher
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked white rice long-grain
- 5 whole cinnamon sticks
- 8 cups water divided
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Fresh ground cinnamon or nutmeg for garnishing
- Ice
Instructions
- Blend rice, cinnamon, and half the waterAdd half the water and all of the rice to a blender. Blend on high for about 1-20 seconds or until the rice and cinnamon sticks are broken up into about half the original size.
- Rest overnightLet rice, cinnamon, and water mixture stand at room overnight or for about 8 hours.
- Strain Strain rice water into a pitcher and discard rice and cinnamon solids.
- Add the remaining ingredientsAdd the remaining water, the sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Add or serve over ice. Garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
D. Greene
Very authentic! I love your recipes, Susan❣️
Ginny
This was so good! It was just the perfect amount of sweetness fo us once it was poured over ice.
Susan @ The James Street Home
Glad you liked it! I also love it icy cold.