Horchata – Deluxe Cooking Blender

Thank you to community member Violet & Geo Kimmel for suggesting this Horchata adventure! Horchata (pronounced or-CHAH-tah) is a sweet rice milk drink most often served in Mexican restaurants.  And as I found out (rather quickly) it’s hard to find that unique balance of creamy rice, delicious cinnamon and vanilla, and the sweetness that is so often desired in this amazing velvety drink. But after some trial and error… and more error… and more error… THIS IS IT! And it’s time to share it with you. You will find that this recipe is the perfect balance of everything you’re looking for in a homemade Horchata! 🙂

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Print the recipe here

Horchata Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 5 cups water for soaking
• 3-4 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 tsps vanilla extract
• ½ – 1 cup sweetened condensed milk (coconut and goat milk works great)

Instructions:

1. Rinse your rice for two minutes in running water to remove excess starch.
   Place the rinsed rice into a container with 5 cups of water. Break your cinnamon sticks into the water and stir well.
2. Cover and place in your refrigerator overnight (for best flavor, wait 24 hours)
   After 24 hours, remove half the cinnamon sticks and reserve for later.
3. Add everything in your container (rice, soaking water, and other half of the cinnamon sticks) to your blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Strain blended mixture through fine mesh strainer, then pour through a fine nut straining bag (half at a time). Milk that bag until all you are left with is a goo inside the bag. Discard that and repeat until all the milk has been processed.
5. Add milked rice back to the blender and add in 1 tsp of vanilla and ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk. Blend on the lowest setting for just a couple seconds then taste and adjust.
6. Decide at this point if you’d like to add back in the rest of your cinnamon, more vanilla, and more condensed milk. If you are adding the remaining cinnamon you soaked, blend again at full speed until your cinnamon bark is fully processed.
7. Transfer to a clean container, and refrigerate.
8. Stir well before serving. Serve cold over ice!