This gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free Horchata recipe is a delicious, healthy take on a traditional Horchata beverage.
Looking for a delicious Mexican dish to pair with this creamy Horchata? Try it with these amazing pork carnitas!
If you’ve gone out to a Mexican restaurant before (back in the day when eating out was a thing. Remember those days?), you may have tried Horchata. It’s a refreshing, creamy cup of goodness!
What is Horchata?
Mexican Horchata (or horchata de arroza) is a simple, but delicious drink. To make it, soak rice and cinnamon in water overnight, blend these three ingredients, strain them, and add milk (usually condensed and/or evaporated) and sugar. It is one of the more popular aguas frescas (light, non-alcoholic beverages).
Making this Horchata recipe
This Horchata recipe does differ from more traditional Horchata recipes. It is completely dairy-free and refined sugar-free. So you can enjoy it guilt-free! This recipe uses Medjool dates and honey for the sweetness. It also uses almond milk instead of a sweetened, dairy milk.
For kitchen appliances, you will need a High-powered blender, fine-weave mesh strainer, & cheesecloth for this recipe.
In addition, the ingredients you’ll need are long-grain white rice, organic cinnamon sticks, almond milk, pitted Medjool dates, honey, vanilla extract, raw almonds, and ground cinnamon. Some of these may already be in your pantry, but make sure you grab the less common ingredients!
The best time to start this recipe is in the evening. First, wash your rice. Then, soak it in 4 cups of warm water with a cinnamon stick. Leave these ingredients out overnight in room temperature.
In the morning, blend all these ingredients together in a blender. Add 2 cups of cold water and the rest of the ingredients and blend until there aren’t any big pieces. Then strain the liquid through the strainer and cheesecloth. Serve over ice or refrigerate till you’re ready to enjoy!
Healthy Homemade Horchata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed and thoroughly drained
- 1 small organic cinnamon stick
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 2-3 tablespoons honey, preferably local
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup raw almonds
Optional Garnish
- 4 long cinnamon sticks
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Refrigerate until chilled, or serve immediately over ice with whole cinnamon sticks or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, for
garnish. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 169Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 3gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g
Leave a Reply