This easy Dairy Free Horchata Recipe is a healthy take on traditional Mexican horchata recipe. This drink is often incredibly sweet. In fact, many recipes call for more white sugar than rice. This less sweet, but significantly healthier, version skips the white sugar completely and uses Medjool dates and honey to add sweetness to this refreshing and creamy drink.
Dairy Free Horchata Recipe
What is Horchata?
Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made up of white rice soaked in water. It’s flavored with cinnamon and is sweetened with granulated sugar. To make it, the soaked rice is chopped in a high-speed blender. This creates a delicious rice milk with a creamy texture. After it has soaked the mixture is strained to remove the solid rice bits.
Horchata is then sweetened and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. This healthy version of dairy free horchata replaces the granulated sugar with dates and honey. It’s slightly less sweet than traditional horchata but just as delicious.
It’s a perfect drink to serve on a hot summer day or with just about any type of Mexican food. Rice horchata, with it’s hint of vanilla goes with so many dishes. Try serving it with your favorite meals.
Ingredients in this dairy free horchata drink:
- Long grain white rice – this is what gives the drink its unique flavor.
- Almonds – we used raw almonds but whole or slivered almonds will work great too. This adds a slightly nutty taste to the drink.
- Cinnamon sticks – this adds flavor to the drink. If you don’t have cinnamon sticks you can substitute ground cinnamon.
- Cold water – used to soak the rice and create the milk.
- Medjool dates – pitted dates are used to add sweetness in place of granulated sugar or cane sugar.
- Honey – also used to add sweetness to the drink.
- Vanilla – use real vanilla for the best flavor.
- Almond milk – used along with the rice to create this creamy drink.
You will also need a blender and something to strain the rice mixture such as a double layer of cheesecloth, nut bag or fine strainer.
To serve this drink you’ll want rice-based drink you will also want to add some ice cubes when serving it.
How to make this dairy free horchata drink:
Step 1: Add rice, organic cinnamon stick, and 4 cups of hot water to a medium-sized bowl. Let soak overnight at room temperature, or until the rice softens and the cinnamon stick is soft enough to break into several smaller pieces.
Step 2: Transfer the rice mixture to a high-powered blender and blend to combine.
Step 3: Add 2 cups cold fresh water, almond milk, dates, 2 tablespoons honey, vanilla extract, and almonds. Blend until thoroughly combined and no large solids remain. Taste and add additional honey, if desired.
Step 4: Strain the contents of blender with a fine mesh strainer and 1-2 layers of cheesecloth or use a nut milk bag. When finished, discard the remaining solids in the strainer and transfer the reserved liquid to a pitcher or other container.
Step 5: Refrigerate until chilled, or serve immediately over ice with whole cinnamon sticks or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, for garnish. Enjoy!
Tips to help make this dairy free horchata drink:
Strain the rice mixture more than once. Double straining helps to keep the drink from feeling gritty.
Let it soak 24 hours or at least overnight for the best flavor.
Adjust the sweetness level to suit your taste. Once the drink has been strained you can add a bit more honey to increase the sweetness. Don’t swap out the honey with maple syrup as this changes the flavor of the horchata. You can use a bit of agave syrup in place of the honey.
How to store leftover Horchata:
Place any leftover horchata into a airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
What to serve Horchata with?
The sweet creamy flavor of this refreshing drink goes well with all of your favorite Mexican dishes and other spicy foods including:
Pork carnitas and carnitas burrito bowls
Can I use other types of rice in my horchata?
Authentic horchata recipes are traditionally made with long-grain white rice. You can swap it out and use another type of rice such as basmati or brown rice. Just be aware that this will change the flavor a bit.
Can this be made without a blender?
There’s no real way to make this recipe without a blender. It’s needed to puree the rice, almonds, cinnamon sticks and dates. There’s really no way to make it without a blender unless you have a food processor that can be used to process the rice mixture.
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Healthy Mexican Horchata Drink
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed and thoroughly drained
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 6 cups water divided
- 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- ½ cup Raw Almonds
- 1/3 cup Medjool dates pitted
- 2-3 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add rice, organic cinnamon stick, and 4 cups of very warm water to a medium-sized bowl. Let soak overnight at room temperature, or until the rice softens and the cinnamon stick is soft enough
to break into several smaller pieces. - Transfer the rice mixture to a high-powered blender and blend to combine. Add 2 cups cold water, almond milk, dates, 2 tablespoons honey, vanilla extract, and almonds. Blend until thoroughly combined and no large solids remain. Taste and add additional honey, if desired.
- Strain contents of blender with a fine-weave mesh strainer and 1-2 layers of cheesecloth. When finished, discard remaining solids in the strainer and transfer the reserved liquid to a pitcher or other container.
- Refrigerate until chilled, or serve immediately over ice with whole cinnamon sticks or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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