Cold, Creamy Horchata With Cinnamon Simply Syrup
Sometimes made with nuts, sometimes with rice, sometimes with dairy, and with variations on spice and add-ins, Horchata is always cold, gloriously cinnamony, and delicious. Try this homemade, creamy Mexican Horchata made in traditional South American style, with soaked rice and almonds.
We’ve updated our classic recipe with a dreamy cinnamon simple syrup.
Mexican Horchata has 1001 faces in the U.S. (well, maybe 10) - sometimes made with nuts, sometimes with rice, sometimes with dairy, and with variations on spice and add-ins. No matter the type, you can count on this: Horchata is cold, gloriously cinnamony, and delicious.
By making a simple syrup with sugar and cinnamon which the rice and almonds soak, you get a richer cnnaon flavor that you can scale up or down depending on your tastes.
Our version is dairy free, so it’s totally vegan. It tastes best freshly made, but can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Gather the supplies
1 cup white rice
1 cup raw almonds, unsalted
2-4 cinnamon sticks
1-2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
8 cups water
Make the horchata
Soak the rice and almonds. Place rice and almonds in a large bowl with 7 cups of the water and cover. You’ll soak this for at least three hours and up to overnight.
Make the simple syrup. Melt the sugar and the final cup of water in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely. When the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat and add in the cinamon sticks—two for a light cinnamon flavor and four for a more powerful flavor. Stir in the vanilla and let the mixture seep while the almonds and rice soak.
Blend the rice and almonds. Working in batches if needed, blend the water, soaked rice and almonds until the solids are fully blended into fine particles.
Add the simple syrup to a pitcher. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the syrup and pour into an 8-cup pitcher or mason jar.
Strain the rice and almond blend. Using your NutMilk Filter or a cheesecloth, pour the blended mixture through the filter into the prepared syrup. Squeeze the mixture through getting as much liquid through as possible. You can compost any solids caught in the filter.
Serve immediately over ice or refrigerate.
Variations on a theme
Horchata needs nothing. It is seriously divine. Buuuuttttt.... you could always try these variations:
Add espresso or a shot of coldbrew. We have a local Austin taqueria that sells horchata with a shot of espresso and it's a yummy eye opener.
Experiment with lime and coconut milk to your taste. Basically a nonalcoholic pina colada.