Mexican horchata (vegan, rice-based)
Silky, cinnamon-scented Mexican horchata made from soaked rice and oat milk—chilled, lightly sweet and utterly refreshing.
Horchata is the easy-going, cinnamon-sweet refresher you want on standby for hot days or when you need a proper cool-down. This rice-based, vegan version uses oat milk for creaminess and stays light, drinkable and authentically Mexican in spirit.
It’s a brilliant make-ahead: soak the rice, blitz, strain, then chill. Serve over ice with a cinnamon dusting for instant joy — and yes, you can make it less sweet if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 200 g long-grain white rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1.4 l cold water — split: 600 ml for soaking, 800 ml for blending
- 600 ml oat milk
- 120 g caster sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 0 ml fine sea salt
- 5 ml ground cinnamon — for dusting
Equipment
- blender
- fine sieve
- muslin or nut milk bag
- large jug
Instructions
Place the long-grain white rice in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear (about 2 minutes). This removes excess starch and prevents a gummy final texture.
Put the rinsed rice into a large bowl with the cinnamon sticks and 600 ml of the cold water. Cover and leave to soak at room temperature for 4 hours (or up to overnight in the fridge).
Transfer the soaked rice, the cinnamon sticks and the soaking liquid to a blender. Add the remaining 800 ml cold water and blend on high until the mixture is very smooth (about 90–120 seconds).
Set a fine sieve over a large jug and line it with muslin or a nut milk bag. Pour the blended mixture through and gently press or squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
Stir the oat milk, caster sugar, vanilla extract and fine sea salt into the strained rice liquid until the sugar has fully dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
Cover and chill the horchata in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let the flavours marry and for the drink to be thoroughly cold.
Before serving, give the horchata a good stir, pour into glasses over ice if you like, and dust each serving with a little ground cinnamon.
Tips
- Use a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture is visibly smooth — this makes straining much easier and reduces grit.
- Press the solids in the muslin/nut milk bag thoroughly; a slow squeeze extracts more flavour without adding grit.
- Make up to 48 hours ahead and keep refrigerated in a sealed jug. Shake or stir before serving as the mixture naturally separates.
- If you want a silkier mouthfeel, substitute half the oat milk with full-fat dairy milk (see substitutions).
Substitutions
oat milk → whole milk, same quantity (600 ml) — creamier and stays-close to the texture of this recipe but not dairy-free
Stays closecaster sugar → agave syrup or maple syrup, 100 ml, add to taste (liquid sweetener will alter texture and sweetness)
Noticeably differentoat milk → replace oat milk with 600 g blanched almonds soaked, then blended with the water and strained (introduces nuts; not nut-free)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 185
- Calories
- 3 g
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 60 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make horchata ahead of time?
Yes — make and chill up to 48 hours in the fridge. Stir well before serving as it separates slightly.
How long does homemade horchata keep?
Stored chilled in a sealed container it keeps 48 hours. After that the flavour and texture begin to degrade.
Can I use ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks?
Yes. Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon to the blended mixture, but cinnamon sticks during soaking give a cleaner, fresher spice note.
Can I make this sweeter or richer?
Yes — increase caster sugar to taste or swap half the oat milk for full-fat dairy milk for extra richness.
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