Mexican Horchata: Rice and Almond Drink

Horchata is one of Mexico’s most common agua frescas and this easy-to-make recipe is perfect if you’re new to this rice-flavored drink.

Mexican Horchata: Rice and Almond Drink [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Ingredients

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

Preparation

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.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/mexican-horchata/