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4.4 from 21 votes

Mexican Horchata: Rice and Almond Drink

Horchata is one of Mexico's most common agua frescas: an easy-to-make rice flavored drink that offers up all sorts of great combos. Lately I've been adding coconut milk to it -- yum! 

Prep Time
6 hrs
Total Time
6 hrs
Servings: 6
Calories: 251 kcal
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican , Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry, uncooked white rice
  • 3/4 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
  • 8 cups water
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add 1 cup white rice to a blender or food processor and grind it as fine as you can.  
  2. Add 3/4 cup raw almonds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/4 cup sugar and only 4 cups of warm water.  Blend together. 
  3. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge.
  4. The next day, give it another blend and then add 4 cups of cold water and another 1/2 cup sugar.  Combine well and taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if needed.
  5. Strain the mixture and discard the leftover solids.  Using a fine mesh sieve works but you can also add a few layers of cheesecloth to it if you want. 
  6. Serve immediately over ice and optionally add a final dash of cinnamon.

Notes

  • Sometimes I keep the concentrated version on hand (with only 4 cups of water) and use it to make smoothies.  My latest smoothie:  add a few servings of Horchata to a blender along with coconut milk (approx. 1/3 cup), ice, and vanilla protein powder.  You could also use the concentrated version to make milkshakes.
  •  
  • I typically use raw almonds but I've used roasted, salted almonds before and still got a good result. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 251kcal (13%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 251

% Daily Value*

Calories 251kcal 13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.