It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! Yahoooooooooo!
Did you ever celebrate Cinco de Mayo growing up? Though I’m nearly full German and part Swedish, I did have the pleasure of celebrating this super fun holiday in many a Spanish class throughout my high school and college years. While I never fully understood some of the traditional cultural practices surrounding holidays like Dia de los Muertos, I totally got behind the celebration of Mexican heritage on May 5th. Plus, it was a great excuse to overindulge in horchata, pastries and grilled corn on a stick! Ay ay!
Origins of Horchata
Horchata, also known as orxata de zufa, is a creamy beverage that’s believed to have originated in Valencia, Spain. It’s popular throughout Europe, Central and South America, and the US. But the ingredients, name, and taste vary by region.
In Mexico and Guatemala, horchata is typically made from rice, cinnamon, and vanilla. But in other regions, it’s made from morro seeds, tigernuts, almonds, sesame seeds, barley, and more! Our version most closely resembles the Mexican and Guatemalan versions, but is plant-based and sweetened with dates instead of sugar.
The thing about horchata is, it’s incredibly sweet and usually loaded with sweetened condensed milk and refined sugar. But, health nuts should rejoice because you can still indulge in this refreshing summer beverage without going into a sugar coma thanks to one little healthy ingredient: dates.
This horchata is very simple to make and requires just 5 ingredients, in true minimalist style. Not including the time it takes the rice to soak, it comes together in less than 20 minutes tops. And the result makes it so worth the effort. Creamy, 100% vegan horchata with hints of cinnamon and vanilla, and perfectly refreshing on a hot day.
I enjoyed my first glass over ice but fully intend on making a horchata cocktail out of the remaining batch. Watch out – boozy horchata inspirations are on their way! In the meantime, Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Date-Sweetened Horchata
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup long grain white rice
- 6 cups water (divided)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk (or sub light coconut or rice milk)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup pitted medjool or deglet noor dates (depending on desired sweetness)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 whole cinnamon stick*
Instructions
- Soak rice in 2 cups very hot (not boiling water) for 2 hours (amount as original recipe is written // use 1/3 of the total water if altering batch size). The rice should be soft but still very raw – you should be able to snap a piece in half with your fingernail without much effort. Drain and add to a blender.
- Add 4 cups water (amount as original recipe is written // use 2/3 of the total water if altering batch size), dates, vanilla, and the cinnamon stick, top with lid and cover with a towel to ensure it doesn’t splash. Blend for about 1 minute until the date specks are very small and the mixture seems well combined. It doesn’t have to be 100% pulverized.
- Scoop out a small sample with a spoon to test sweetness. If it’s not sweet enough, add more dates (or honey if not vegan).
- In two batches, pour the mixture over a bowl or pitcher covered with cheesecloth, a nut milk bag, very thin towel, or a clean t-shirt or clean pair of panty hose (a tip I learned from My New Roots). I wrapped a rubberband around my bowl to ensure it didn’t come loose, but this isn’t necessary.
- Strain the mixture until only pulp remains in the cloth, squeezing to get every last drop out. It will take a little effort depending on how pulverized your pulp is. Rinse out cloth and set aside for washing.
- Next, stir in almond milk (optional), whisk and transfer to mason jars or a large beverage container with a lid. Chill and serve over ice. Will keep in the fridge for several days.
Notes
*Nutrition is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)
Loosely adapted from howtocookmexicanfood
jon says
how much cane sugar should I use if I don’t want to use dates
Hi Jon, we haven’t tried that, but based on the sugar content, we would estimate about 1/3-1/2 cup. Let us know how it goes!
Bill says
Could I use a coffee filter to strain the milk?
Hi Bill! That should work, but it might take a while to do!
Terry says
I use date sugar, what would the amount be, for your original recipe?
Also, is rice or oat milk better to use than almond? Do you use almond because it typically is thicker?
Hi Terry, we haven’t tried this recipe with date sugar so we aren’t certain, but maybe start with 1/3 cup and adjust to taste. Yes, we do like almond milk for its thickness and neutral taste. We think oat milk would also work. Let us know how it goes!
M says
I can’t drink horchata from the taquerias anymore as it’s just too sweet for my taste now, but it brings back such lovely childhood memories. This is a perfect recipe to indulge and reminisce, without feeling like I can feel my teeth melting!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for sharing! xo
Adriana says
I liked this recipe. I used a Mexican brand of rice and 3/4 cup medjool dates and substituted the cinnamon stick for ground cinnamon and still got good results! I personally did not feel the need to add the cup of plant-based milk at the end.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Adriana. Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Nicole says
This was lovely although I found it lacked punch somehow. Maybe I need to up the cinnamon next time (I did the ground cinnamon option as I didn’t think my old blender would be happy with a whole cinnamon stick). I used jasmine rice.
Thanks for the review, Nicole!
A says
Is it necessary to strain it?
Straining is necessary in this recipe! Hope this helps. xo
Ida says
OMG this is SO delicious; I’m absolutely blown away!! I’ve never tried Horchata in the past so I really wasn’t sure if I’d like this recipe or not. I made this because I needed a vegan version of Rumchata and I’m so happy that I decided to make my own. Flavors are spot-on perfect and I’m excited about enjoying this with-and-without rum. Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe!!
Woohoo! Thanks for the great review, Ida. So glad you enjoyed!
Rosalie says
I had searched for a Horchata recipe not long ago and gave up because I wasn’t able to find a healthier version. Well, here it is! I found it while I was perusing all of your non-dairy milk recipes…you truly have the a-z encyclopedia of non-dairy milk. What a wonderful resource :)
I keep date paste (homemade) on hand to sweeten many things…I feel like I found the recipe site that “gets me”.
I will be trying this recipe out very soon!
Woohoo! Let us know what you think if you give it a try, Rosalie!
Sarah Johnston says
Hi there! I really can’t wait to try your recipe, but just wondering …. what length cinammon stick do you use for this please? I have bought sticks that were 2 inches long, and others that are 6 inches long?? Don’t want to ruin it!!! :-) Thanks so much!! Sarah
Hi Sarah! Our cinnamon sticks are about 2-3 inches long. Hope this helps!
Sarah Johnston says
Yes, that really helps – thanks so much for replying! My current cinammon sticks are def too long, so glad I asked!! 🤣
Making this today… thanks again!
Sarah
Girasol says
This is a great alternative to the regular horchata. It’s delicious and closely resembles the Mexican Horchata I’ve grown up with but without all that refined sugar! I used long grain brown rice as that is all I had on hand and soaking time was a bit more.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Girasol. Thank you for sharing! xo
Felix R. says
Thank you for this! I fell in love with Horchatas a few years back when I spent a month in the US one summer. I had it in LA at Trejo‘s Tacos, and it was such a great and memorable meal (and the horchata I got there was a HUGE part of that experience).
Anyway, just made my own for the very first time using your recipe, it‘s already chilling in the fridge😎
Just wanted to share this, I love thinking back to that day in LA with great food and horchatas! Have a good one everybody!
Love that story, Felix! Thanks so much for sharing!
Sarah says
When you say soak rice in very hot water for two hours, does that mean you keep changing the water to keep it hot? Do you have it on the stove on low? Does the water just start out hot and then naturally cool down, for two hours?
Sorry for the confusion! No need to change the water. Just start with hot water and it’s okay if it cools down naturally.
Angela says
Hi, would brown rice also work for this?
We haven’t tried that but I imagine it would? Let us know if you try!
Cristal Porter says
She’s a 10/10. Thanks for the recipe. It’s everything I dreamed it would be. Made enough for 20 guests for a birthday dinner this evening for my daughter. We used oat milk instead of rice and it’s SO good even my husband loves it. Perfectly rich and creamy. Will be serving tonight with some rum for those that want to try it spiked. Thank you for sharing!
Cristal Porter says
Shoot, meant to say we used oat milk instead of r optional almond milk.
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks so much for sharing, Cristal! xo
Keekee Senkier says
This is the first Horchata I have tried to make, so keep in mind I have no other comparison! It was very delicious, and we nearly decimated it within the first tasting! Gets a little chalky at the bottom, but that’s to be expected. Excellent recipe, a little labor intensive squeezing, but WELL worth it. Perfect amount of sweetness, and glad to know it can be done more naturally. Would certainly make it again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Keekee! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Lydia Carrico says
Absolutely love the recipe! Tastes just like pudding but healthier! Can’t stop drinking it!
So great! I bet you’d love this egg nog, too.
LESLIE says
This must be a stretch but can u use the leftover pulp in this recipe for something else? Any ideas?
Hi Leslie, we haven’t tried it, but maybe! See here for inspiration.
Em says
Hello! New subscriber here. I’m excited to try some of the dairy-free milks, but first – I need a blender. I see you have “blender” linked to the Blend Tec, which is too much blender for me. Can you recommend any other? Thanks!
Hi Em, a high-speed blender works best (see our blender review here), but for a lower cost alternative, you could try something like a Nutribullet. Hope that helps!
Brianna says
So excited to try this! I use dates as sweetener a good bit, and I’ve found that soaking them in hot water for a few minutes helps to draw out the natural sugar so you can get more flavor by using less. I saw Frances’s comment about the recipe being too thick, so maybe I should try a batch first before I preach! Will give you an update. :)
Jennifer Burges says
If I don’t have dates and wouldn’t mind using sugar do you have a suggested amount?
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tried that, but based on the sugar content, we would estimate about 1/3-1/2 cup. Let us know how it goes!
laura says
This stuff is really good! I used 11 medjool dates. Squeezing all the liquid out of the bag was labor-intensive, but the result tastes like the milk left over after Cinnamon Toast Crunch. :)
Katie says
I don’t see how it was offensive. She just said there were cultural practices she didn’t understand, which is true for most of us and some other culture somewhere. As a person of Hispanic heritage that spent some time living in Minnesota (very German/Swedish) there are some cultural practices I didn’t understand either. But that doesn’t make things offensive. Thanks for the recipe!
Paula says
Made for the first time today after enjoying horchata at our fav Mexican restaurant. Rave reviews
from our brunch guests!!
Brenda says
When do I add the vanilla?
Stephanie says
Genius!
Stephanie says
And by genius, I mean I tried it and it was delicious!
dre says
I just made this and it is totally yum! I uses a milk bag to strain, and it takes a bit more time than making nut milk, but it worked out :) thank you!
Frances says
LOVED this – had horchata for the first time today at Wahaca and resolved immediately to find a recipe, bit taken aback by sugar content so thought of looking for one using dates and hurrah! Super easy to make though the straining (through pantyhose as the tshirt was way too thick) was quite a lot of effort, but I think I have to blame myself for this, changing up the recipe rather than making exactly as written:
– I blended it too long (over 6 minutes!) so the mix was too thick rather than chunky + liquid and didn’t separate easily.
– I used half arborio and half basmati as I didn’t have plain long grain on hand – perhaps the arborio was too starchy and made mix thicker/mushier?
– I soaked the dates in the water for the two hours the rice was soaking as I thought they’d blend better (having used dates a lot as sweetener in baking before) but I think this actually made them blend too much and thickened the mix past easy straining
– I used only half the water, first in response to complaint above that it was too thin (easier to add it in than take it out, right?) then because I realised my food processor was too small so couldn’t add any more! I topped up later but the mix would have been twice as thick as intended when I first tried to strain, had I followed the recipe.
SO! After all that detail – I’ll definitely make again, next time as written, and hopefully it will be a bit easier. It’s worth the effort :)
Love that it’s such a sweet hit without any cane sugar, thank you for an amazing and healthy recipe.
Nanny J. says
Someone shared some socially distanced white rice with me recently (porch dropoff), but I only eat brown rice. I knew right away that I would use it to make horchata. It’s one of my favorite things! I looked around online at various recipes and settled on this one. I followed the instructions and didn’t change anything except that I added the dates, ground cinnamon (didn’t have sticks), and vanilla after straining the rice milk. I have really fresh dates right now (Joolies), and my Vitamix grinds them up so well that they are not noticeable in finished liquids even without straining. I whipped up a mini batch of almond milk just for this recipe so that it would all be super fresh. Delicious! I’ve never had “traditional” dairy horchata, so I don’t know how this compares. For vegan horchata, I think the recipe works great. I’ll make this again! Thank you!!
Dave says
I tried this recipe and I tried just using regular rice milk. Tastes exactly the same either way, and no nasty additives either.
Caitlin says
Oh man, this is so refreshing! I made it on a 95 degree day and it was glorious. Thanks for sharing!
sk says
It didn’t come out well.The dates were not enough for sweetness and it was really thin.I would recommend adding either cashews or almonds and adding cnnamon at the soaking stage.Adding jaggery/honey instead of sugar may help.
Linda Fujioka says
LOVE Horchata! – just an idea I would like to share. While I am making this recipe for the first time (the rice is soaking as I type), I thought I could use my potato ricer lined w/ cheese cloth to strain the blended rice mixture. I also use the ricer to press the hard boiled yokes thru when making a deviled egg filling for the yokes come out very smooth & creamy. Since the ricer has been a good multi use item in my kitchen, why not for making this recipe?!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Jennifer S says
I’ve been looking for a really great vegan, naturally sweetened horchata recipe! Can’t wait to try your recipe this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
narf7 says
Ok so we don’t tend to celebrate Cinco de Mayo much here in Tasmania but I am always up for a new celebration or two and this horchata looks like something most interesting. I am going to give it a go and might even attempt a Mexican hat dance on the deck in honour of the day. Tasmania, get ready for narf7 and Cinco de Mayo! “Ándele arriba!” (Cheers Google Translate ;) )
Kathryn says
Love that this uses dates – I could really do with one of those boozy horchatas right now!
Julia says
Yumm! The pictures look amazing! My father is obsessed with horchatas and I will have to make this one for him! :)
Nicole says
I never in a million years would have thought to make my own horchata. Now I think I will give it a go. Thanks for the inspiration!
Isabel says
Looks amazing. Would brown rice work?
McKenna Ryan says
This looks absolutely delicious! I really want to try this out. xx. McKenna Lou
Katie says
Horchata was my favorite drink EVER as a kiddo. We used to go to a mexican restaurant near our house JUST for the drink. I’m way excited about this recipe.
Sarah Crowder says
Perfect timing! I have horchata on my to-make list this weekend. Looking forward to the boozy options :) :) :)
dixya| Food, Pleasure, and Health says
I have never had horchata before nor celebrated Cinco de Mayo but I could totally drink it :) everything about it sounds so deliciousssss
Kay Schonberg says
Dana, which kind of date is the sweeter of the two that you mentioned? I would be curious about that for this and other recipes. I will try this recipe soon. Hmmm, maybe in 3 days! :-)
Masha @ TheMashaUltimatum says
I have always wanted to try Horchata but have always been scared to try it (ingredients sounded weird). These amazing pictures have convinced me to definitely make my own or at least order it from a restaurant next time. YUMMY! Super delicious!
Ashley says
This is like rice milk on steroids. Oh my word do I want this! I’ve never actually had horchata. Is that weird? Well done!
Tieghan says
I have never had hortchata, but it sounds really good. Your photos look awesome and make me really want to try it!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Gorgeous, Dana! I made horchata about a year ago on my blog and only a few times since…thanks for the reminder to make it again!