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Agua de Horchata is a sweet, creamy beverage served in many Latin American countries. This version is from Mexico, and it’s so refreshing with tacos, burritos, and fajitas.
Agua de Horchata is the perfect antidote the spicy salsas of Mexico. You can buy it at many Mexican restaurants, but those versions are always overly sweet (so much so that I find myself intentionally watering it down).
The real thing is easy to make. If you have 2 hours to soak rice with cinnamon, you can easily blend up a batch of Agua de Horchata – and you can make it is sweet, or not, as you want.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Water: To speed up the initial soak, use 3 cups boiling water and reduce the soaking time to 1 hour.
- Cinnamon: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon may be substituted for the cinnamon sticks (or add more to taste at the end).
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium bowl, add water, rice, and cinnamon sticks. Soak for 2 hours.
- Transfer to a blender and process until smooth (do not remove the cinnamon sticks).
- Pour through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Stir in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and the remaining 2 cups water.
- Serve over ice or chill until serving time.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The rice can be soaked up to 12 hours in advance in the refrigerator.
- Horchata with oats: 1 cup of rolled oats may be substituted for the rice. That’s just another way they make it in Mexico.
- Jamaica: Agua de Jamaica is another popular Mexican beverage made with dried hibiscus flowers (flores de Jamaica).
- More Mexican recipes: Plan a fiesta or a Cinco de Mayo menu with Carne Asada, Tacos al Pastor, Mexican Rice, and Guacamole.
- Mexican cocktails: For the 21+ crowd, try popular Palomas, Micheladas, Charros Negros, Cantaritos, or Strawberry Margaritas.
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Agua de Horchata (Rice Water)
Ingredients
- 5 cups water divided (see note 1)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks broken (see note 2)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add water, rice, and cinnamon sticks. Soak for 2 hours. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth (do not remove the cinnamon sticks).
- Pour through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and the remaining 2 cups water. Serve over ice or chill until serving time.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Water: To speed up the initial soak, use 3 cups boiling water and reduce the soaking time to 1 hour.
- Cinnamon: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon may be substituted for the cinnamon sticks (or add more to taste at the end).
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The rice can be soaked up to 12 hours in advance in the refrigerator.
- Horchata with oats: 1 cup of rolled oats may be substituted for the rice. That’s just another way they make it in Mexico.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
The horchata was delicious and refreshing!
Best ever.