Traditional Mexican Horchata

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cinnamon sticks
12 ounce can evaporated milk
12 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8 cups of warm water - divided
Sugar to taste
Ground cinnamon to garnish - optional
½ teaspoon vanilla - optional

Directions

Place the rice in a colander and rinse under cold water. Place the rice, cinnamon sticks (see note #1 below) and 4 cups of water into a bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight (preferably) or a minimum of 4 hours.
Once you’re ready to blend the rice, remove most of the cinnamon sticks but it’s okay to leave small pieces with the rice.
Blend the rice in two separate batches by adding 1/2 of the rice & water with some of the cinnamon stick left behind. Puree until it’s very smooth and forms a watery paste like texture. About 4 minutes long.
Using a very fine strainer (or some cheese cloth) pour the blended mixture over a pitcher. Strain out as much liquid as possible, pushing on the solids with a spatula or spoon.
Repeat this process for the rest of the rice, water & cinnamon mixture.
Stir in the canned milks, vanilla, and the additional 4 cups of water. Stir well until everything is incorporated.
Taste and add sugar or water if needed according to taste.
Chill and stir well before serving over ice. It’s normal to have some rice paste sink to the bottom of the jar/glass. Just stir before you serve and enjoy!

Notes

Break the cinnamon sticks in large pieces before you place in the bowl to soak. This will give more flavor from the inside of the cinnamon.

If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, you can soak the rice with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder.

If you decided to use vanilla, don’t add too much of it as it will overpower the cinnamon & rice flavor.

Store in Fridge:

Place in a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2-3 days. But I guarantee that you’ll want to drink it all in a day!

Shake Before Serving:

Horchata tends to separate, so shake or stir it well before serving.

Avoid Room Temperature:

Do not leave it at room temperature for extended periods to prevent spoilage.

Nutrition