Easy Summer Peach Horchata: Creamy Rice Drink with Cinnamon and Peaches

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Summer Peach Horchata

Photos by Erica Gamboa

Sweet, creamy, and delicious rice drink with warm notes of cinnamon and a hint of sweetness from the summer peach. It’s a refreshing and delicious summer treat, drink, or dessert.

Servings: 10
PREP TIME: 20 minutes + STEEP TIME: 4 hours or overnight = TOTAL TIME: 4 hours 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I bet if someone said to you, “Do you want an horchata?” You immediately think, We’re going to a Mexican spot! Rightfully so, it is popularly consumed at almost every Mexican restaurant and taqueria on earth. With its endless variations of flavors, from traditional cinnamon to every fruit flavor combination under the sun, horchata is simply the tastiest and most refreshing summer drink, enjoyed by many and very popular in North America.

What is the Origin of Horchata?

But what if I told you that horchata did not originate in Mexico? But it is actually a North African drink. Yes! It’s a North African drink that is made from soaked, ground, and sweetened tiger nuts. It originated in the 11th century and began to spread throughout the Hispanias, Spain, and Portugal. Making its way to the new world, the Americas, and finally to Mexico. We Mexicans have adapted our way of making this drink, which is made with rice, nuts, cinnamon, and sugar as its base. It has taken on many forms through its history, many variations and influences, and it’s delightfully refreshing and delicious. It was believed that horchata could have some medicinal properties, like aiding in inflammation and digestion, and it’s been told that it was a very popular remedy for curing a hangover. Regardless of its mythical medicinal healing powers, horchata is just so darn delicious! Especially on a hot summer day, you crave a big, tall glass of horchata filled to the brim with lots of ice! It’s amazing that it has been made traditionally, but through its long history, there have been many variations and adaptations, using fresh fruits and flavorings to enhance an already delicious drink.

Use any Fruit or Fruit Combinations You Love

You know, I am big on using seasonal produce to take an already good recipe to amazing, and using fresh summer peaches in this horchata is the perfect way to achieve that. My Ashley and I are big peach lovers! She has been asking me for a dessert made with peaches, and to be honest, that sounds incredible! But it’s been really hot here, and when the temperature rises, something refreshing, creamy, and delicious in the form of a drink is the perfect summer treat and dessert.

The wonderful part of making this horchata is that you can use any fruit or fruit combinations you love. Strawberry horchata is probably the most popular by far, and although I enjoy strawberries, peaches are my favorite next to mangoes. But I need to stop eating mangoes.

I’ve been on a mango kick since I got back from vacation. It’s time to give the other delicious fruits a chance before they’re out of season. I hope you give this refreshing, sweet, and creamy drink a try this summer; whether it’s strawberries, mangoes, peaches, or traditional, you can beat the heat with a better drink in hand. Enjoy, and happy eating from my kitchen to yours!

Summer Peach Horchata

BY ERICA GAMBOA

Sweet, creamy, and delicious rice drink with warm notes of cinnamon and a hint of sweetness from the summer peach. It’s a refreshing and delicious summer treat, drink, or dessert.

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Servings: 10 | Difficulty: Easy

PREP TIME: 20 minutes + STEEP TIME: 4 hours or overnight = TOTAL TIME: 4 hours 20 minutes

Kitchen tools you will need:

Mason jars or large decorative serving glasses and straws.
High-speed blender
Fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth
1 large bowl
Large pitcher or beverage dispenser

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of white long grain rice, washed and drained
4 cups of boiling water
1 large cinnamon stick
1-14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup agave sweetener (or sweetener of choice)
1- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
4 cups of fresh milk or milk of your choice. I like to use 2% but whole milk is traditional.
2 additional cups of water; if you would like a richer consistency, use 6 cups total of fresh milk instead.
4 large fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced. *Reserve 1 1/2 cups of peaches for serving and garnish.

*Optional a light dusting of cinnamon powder for serving.

SHOP RECIPE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR HOME DELIVERY

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Directions:

Place clean rice in a large bowl.
Break the cinnamon stick in half and add it to the bowl of rice.
Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the rice.
Place a lid or plate over the bowl to cover it, and let it steep for about 4 hours or overnight.
Once the rice has soaked, place the rice along with the water and cinnamon stick in the blender.
Blend for about 3 minutes until very well blended and the rice and cinnamon stick have completely been broken down and pulverized.
Using a fine-mesh strainer, pour the rice water over the strainer and into a large pitcher or beverage dispenser. I like to use a one-gallon serving dispenser so that I have enough room for lots of ice.
Back to the blender, add diced peaches, reserving 1 1/2 cups for serving and garnishing.
Add sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, fresh milk, sweetener of choice, and vanilla.
Blend until very well combined.
Add to the pitcher with rice water, stir to combine.
Add 2 cups of water and stir to combine well.
Add 1 1/2 cups of diced peaches reserved for serving, and garnish, and stir well.
Taste for sweetness, adjust to your liking, and add more sweetener if desired.
Top off the pitcher or beverage dispenser with ice and stir.
Serve by pouring the peach horchata over a large glass filled with lots of ice and garnish with a slice of fresh peach.
Sprinkle a little cinnamon powder on top if desired, and enjoy!

Notes & Suggestions:

Tips

For the smoothest and creamiest consistency:

Horchata is known for its rich and creamy taste and consistency. To achieve this with little sediment (which is very normal), it is important to blend the rice and cinnamon very well early on. It is the first step to making a delicious and smooth horchata, and for good reason.

Normal: sediment or cinnamon and rice at the bottom of the pitcher

By nature, horchata will always have some sediment or cinnamon and rice at the bottom of the pitcher. If you notice, when you are being served an authentic glass of horchata, the person serving it will always give it a really good stir before ladling it into the glass. This is very normal, and it gives the ingredients a chance to marry into each other again. But you do want to minimize this, and that is why it is important to properly break it down at the beginning of the process.

Simply blend the “rice water” on a high speed setting for about 3 minutes or until the rice is completely pulverized and smooth. Another form of insurance, if you will, is by also pouring the mixture through a fine wire mesh strainer to catch any lingering remnants of rice and cinnamon. This will ensure you have the creamiest and smoothest base for your horchata, and it makes all the difference. Don’t skip this step!

Also very important is making sure you give the rice and cinnamon a good amount of time to soften and steep. Some horchata recipes also call for nuts of some kind, such as almonds or walnuts.

Nuts are a popular ingredient in horchata

Depending on what part of Mexico you are from, nuts are a popular ingredient in horchata. For this reason, it is super important that the rice, cinnamon, and nuts, if that is what you are using, have enough time to soften and soak. The rule of thumb is to always soak overnight, but if that is not possible, soaking for a minimum of 4 hours in hot, boiling water will do the trick.