Agua de Horchata, also known as rice milk, is a creamy, sweet, plant-based drink made with rice. We’ll show you how to make Horchata – it’s easy, and such a delicious treat on a hot day!
For the best kid-friendly, dairy-free Mexican drinks for Cinco de Mayo or any day, Horchata drinks are the answer!
What is Horchata?
Agua de Horchata (Spanish for “rice water”) is just one in a class of Mexican drinks known as Horchata (pronounced or-CHAH-tah).
These milky-looking drinks start with a base of rice and sometimes ground nuts or seeds. The ingredients are mixed with water, spices (usually cinnamon) and a sweetener, then steeped and served over ice. Because of this, cold, refreshing Horchata drinks are very popular in warm-weather Latin American countries and throughout Spain.
Is rice milk better than almond milk?
From a nutritional standpoint, rice milk and almond milk are pretty similar. Both are low in cholesterol and almost equal in calories and fat per serving. Also, both are lactose-free, just as other non-dairy milks such as cashew, coconut, and soy milk.
Is Agua de Horchata good for you?
The answer to this question is possibly; it depends on the sweetener you use. My rice milk recipe calls for maple syrup as the sweetener which is a healthier option than cane sugar. You can use any type of sweetener you like, though. If you don’t need the drink to be vegan, honey is a great option.
How long does it take to make the recipe?
It only takes a few minutes of processing the ingredients in a blender to make rice milk. After that, the rice needs to release its starch into the water, which can take several hours. A benefit to this is, the more time you allow for it to steep, the creamier the Horchata will become!
How should I store rice milk?
Some recipes for rice milk, including this one, call for a bit of milk. As a result, this version of Agua de Horchata needs to be refrigerated. If you omit the milk from the recipe, you can safely leave rice milk at room temperature. That being said, I think it tastes best when it’s chilled.
It will keep well in the fridge for about a week. If you notice any separation, you can simply stir or blend the ingredients again to recombine them.
Other Mexican Drinks
Another healthy and easy Mexican drink to make is Agua de Jamaica. If the Spanish name doesn’t sound familiar, perhaps the English translation will; it’s hibiscus tea!
Agua de Horchata
Equipment
- high-speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white basmati or jasmine rice
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup milk of choice (cow's, almond, even coconut but coconut will change the flavor much more)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Add rice and water to a blender (preferably high-speed blender) and blend for several minutes until no more whole grain of rice can be spotted.
- Let sit for 1-4 hours.
- Add second milk, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup and give it a quick blend to mix well.
- Strain the milk through a nut-milk bag or sieve lined with cheesecloth and press out the pulp.
- Discard the rice pulp and serve the milk with ice.
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Digna says
In my home in Puerto Rico our afternoon refreshments at my grandmother’s included Orchatas. They were made with various grains but my favorite was oatmeal. Recipe about the same as the one posted here except oats were soaked in water overnight, then more water added, stirred vigorously with a wooden spoon, strained, sweetened, poured over ice. Later my modernized the kitchen, adding blenders and mixers and all the modern appliances. There’s another seed we used that I loved “ajonjolí”= sesame. My mother also added fresh crushed mint to many orchatas.
Lorena says
What a wonderful story Digna. I can imagine the sesame seeds giving it a divine taste :)
Charlotte Lopez says
At the least this is more instructive than one of these reality
Television stars, kim this? Joey what?
mara says
hello,
is it ok for digestive reasons to drink uncooked rice?
Lorena says
Hi Mara, you are not ingesting the uncooked rice per se because you filter it all out with a cheese cloth that is finely woven. I don’t know if there are any scientific studies suggesting agua de horchata could be anyway harmful or had on the stomach. I can only tell you from my own and millions of Mexican’s experience that it doesn’t cause any issues at all even after years of drinking it on a regular basis :)
Teresa says
Horchata is wonderful, isn’t it? And a Vitamix is at the top of my wishlist!
Lorena says
Yes, I absolutely love it and a Vitamix SHOULD be on the very top of the wishlist because it’s seriously awesome :D
Juventa says
Love horchata! Thanks for sharing:)
Lorena says
You are very welcome Juventa :)
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
I”ve only had horchata a couple times and never tried making it so I am intrigued!! And that’s awesome that your kids got to help! Not a mom yet but also imagine when I am I won’t want my kids to move out until they’re 58! Thanks again for organizing this fabulous giveaway! You’re the best! Pinning, tweeting, yumming : ))
Lorena says
Thank you Vicky!!! You should be enjoying Pisco Sours right now!! No kids & Peru screeeeem for Pisco Sour ;) Then when you have kids, there will be enough time (58 years) to make non-alcoholic beverages like Agua de Horchata :P
Beth says
You’re kids are so cute!
Lorena says
Thank you Beth :D
Amy says
Love everything about this!! Your beautiful new Vitamix, your beautiful children, and this delicious rice drink!! My kids would love to try it and can’t wait for them help me in the kitchen (and fight over pushing buttons, hahaha!!)
Lorena says
Thank you Amy :D
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
This sounds amazing Lorena! I’m so excited for you about the Vitamix – I absolutely love mine. I think my favorite way to use it is to chop onions. Seriously, it takes under 5 seconds!
Lorena says
Ahhh, I haven’t even thought about that!! I’ll have try it right now!! Thanks for the tip Erin!
Jasmine says
My Vitamix was a game changer, I’m so glad you got one! What beautiful children you have, total dolls!
Lorena says
Thank you Jasmine, I’m a proud mama :D
Regina says
This is such a wonderful post, Lorena! A loving tribute to motherhood and your kids (they are gorgeous!) I am so happy do be doing this giveaway with you :)
Lorena says
Thank you Regina, I’m so happy to be doing this with YOU!
Raquel @ My California Roots says
Congrats on getting a Vitamix, Lorena!!! That’s so awesome! You totally deserve it!
Lorena says
Thank you Raquel!! :D
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
PS – Wow! Your kids are simply adorable!!
Lorena says
Thank you, thank you, they’ve inherited that from their mother :P hahahaha
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
Love your Vitamix blender, Lorena! And your recipe rocks, too! These blenders are really fantastic and sought after. When I told friends and family I was doing a Vitamix Giveaway, they all wanted one, lol.
Thanks so much for coordinating this fun event :)
Lorena says
Isn’t it beautiful? One of the two kitchen gadgets that stay on my kitchen counter for display for they are so pretty to looks at :D