Strawberry horchata, or rice milk, is a delicious twist on the original Mexican drink. Horchata derives from the latin term “hordeata” referring to the grain-based beverages of the Mediterranean.
This recipe is inspired by the Mexican version of horchata which uses rice milk. Spain, on the other hand, makes horchata from water, sugar and tiger nuts.
As for the taste, it’s sweet and creamy with a nice hint of cinnamon. The sweetened condensed milk also adds to the creaminess. You can substitute this with white sugar, but I think the condensed milk gives so much flavor.
I love to add strawberries to so many of my recipes and this time was no different! The strawberry taste is not overpowering. It’s more like a hint of strawberry that adds to the flavor. You can add more strawberries or remove it if you’d like.
As a tip, try not to over-process the soaked rice and water. It’ll be more difficult to strain rice that’s too small and will make your drink grainy.
Watch my video tutorial below
Strawberry Horchata – Rice Milk
- Total Time: 15 minute
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
Soak 4+ hours or overnight:
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water
For blending:
- 8 strawberries
- 1 cup cold water
Additional:
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Cinnamon (fresh or powdered)
- 1 cup whole milk (can be substituted for non-dairy)
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Start by soaking the rice and water at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. This will soften the rice and allow it to be blended better. It’s ready when you’re easily able to crumble it into pieces with your fingers.
- Blend the rice and water after soaking. Make sure not to blend the rice too small, or else you won’t be able to strain it well and end up with a gritty texture.
- Strain the rice and water into a large bowl or pitcher.
- Then, blend 8 strawberries with a cup of cold water. Use more strawberries if you want a stronger strawberry taste. Strain and add this into your bowl/pitcher.
- Now add 3 cups of cold water, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and cinnamon for flavor. I used a combination of fresh and powdered cinnamon.
- Next, add 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk. Adjust this amount according to your taste buds!
- Mix well and serve chilled. The flavors develop even more the next day. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes + soaking overnight
- Cook Time: 10
