I’ve been meaning to make this drink recipe for a little while now, but I kind of forgot that I was going to do so. Thankfully, a fan of the show reminded me of this delicious cinnamon rice drink and I thought that I’d share my recipe with all of you!
Horchata is actually the name of a variety of different grain-, seed-, or nut-based drinks that originated in ancient Egypt, where it used to be made using barley wheat, which is where it gets its name from the Latin word for barley, hordeum. Eventually, the main ingredient was changed to tiger nuts, when they were brought to the Iberian peninsula during 8th century Muslim rule. This drink continued to spread throughout the region and continued to persist until the age of exploration. Then from Spain, the concept of horchata was brought to the New World, where tiger nuts were replaced with white rice and cinnamon, which brings us to the recipe we have today!
Horchata is typically served iced, but you can also enjoy this drink hot, making it a delightfully creamy, spiced drink to warm you up during the winter. But, with the addition of milk, I recommend storing it chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to use it to keep it from spoiling.
Speaking of the milk, the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk are actually a more recent addition to the recipe, with it only being popularized in the last century or so. I think the milk adds a really nice creamy, smooth texture to the nutty toasted rice and spiced cinnamon. But, you are of course welcome to adjust your ingredients how you wish, swapping the rice and almonds for the more traditional ingredients or substituting the milk with plant-based alternatives or omit it entirely and substitute it with sugar and water.
But regardless of what particular ingredients you use, this creamy, nutty, cinnamony drink will be a great one to enjoy with other Spanish foods, such as paella or even just some chips and salsa, whether in the hot summer or in the cold winter.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (any type should do, I’ll be using jasmine)
- ½ cup of almonds
- 2 cinnamon sticks (any type should work, but I recommend using canela or ceylon cinnamon)
- Some salt
- 12 oz (1 can) evaporated milk
- 12-14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
- 6-8 cups room-temp water
- Some sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or 1/2 vanilla bean
- Some ground cinnamon (optional) to garnish
- Some ice (if desired)
Step 1: Toast Rice, Almond, & Cinnamon
First, we’ll toast the rice, almond, and cinnamon sticks, so break up your cinnamon sticks and almonds, if needed, and then place them, along with the rice, in a dry castiron skillet or frying pan.
Toast everything over medium heat until the rice and almonds are golden and the cinnamon is fragrant, about 5-10 minutes or so. During this time, make sure to keep stirring as the rice and almonds start to toast, to prevent them from burning and to brown the mixture evenly.
Step 2: Transfer Toasted Ingredients to Large Bowl, Add Pinch of Salt; Add Enough Water to Cover Ingredients; Let Soak Overnight (6-8 Hours)
Then, once your rice, almonds, and cinnamon are toasted, transfer them to a large bowl. Add in a pinch of salt, and then pour some of your water over, about 3-4 cups, or enough to cover the toasted ingredients.
Then let this soak overnight, or about 6-8 hours or so.
If you need to make this drink quicker, you can use boiling water instead, and let it soak for at least 30 minutes in a heatsafe bowl until the rice is softened.
Step 3: Blend/Mash Rice Mixture into Paste
Once your rice is soft, pour in your rice mixture into a blender and puree it until it’s very smooth and forms a watery paste like texture. If you need to, you may blend these in separate batches depending on the size of your blender.
Also, if you don’t have a blender, you can break up the rice mixture by using a masher to mash it up into a paste. Of course, it won’t be as mashed up as with a blender, but it should still work out pretty great.
Step 4: Pour Mixture Through Fine Mesh Sieve to Separate Liquid From Ground Up Rice
Then, once your mixture is mashed/blended up, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl, scraping the rice mixture on the bottom of the sieve, until all that is left is the ground up rice.
Step 5: Add Evaporated Milk, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Vanilla, & Water to Strained Mixture, Adding More Water/Sugar as Needed; Chill in Fridge for up to 2-3 Days
Then, once your mixture is strained, stir in the canned milks, vanilla, and the additional 3-4 cups of water and stir well until everything is incorporated. Give this a taste and add in some more water or sugar, if needed. Then, chill this in the fridge for up to 2-3 days until you’re ready to serve it.
Step 6: Before Serving, Give Horchata a Stir, Adding Some Ice, If Desired, Serve Over Ice, Garnish w/ Cinnamon, & Enjoy!
When you’re ready to serve your drink, give it a stir, adding some ice if desired, and pour it into a glass with more ice, if you wish. Garnish with a bit of ground cinnamon if desired, and with that, your Horchata is ready to drink.