The Easiest Homemade Pumpkin Horchata

Homemade pumpkin Horchata is a creamy, pumpkin agua fresca made with rice, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled, my pumpkin horchata is not only the easiest to make it also makes for a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.

PUMPKIN HORCHATA GUYS!!! 

‘Tis the season for sipping, spending time with family and everything pumpkin, yum!

Today I want to share with you how easy it is to make pumpkin horchata at home, just in time for Thanksgiving. 

Horchata is a Mexican agua fresca drink made by blending rice, cinnamon, and sugar. Horchata can also include nuts, seeds and fruit.  Rice with flavors are finely ground in a blender, mixed with water and allowed to soak.

Grinding the rice and cinnamon with water releases their flavors into the water while it soaks overnight.

Strained the following day it is sweetened and served chilled over ice. Traditional horchata does not contain milk, as the finely ground rice gives horchata its’ creaminess, but milk, coconut milk or almond milk can be added for an extra touch of creaminess.

For this recipe, I use canned pumpkin puree. You can make your own pumpkin puree, follow this link to see how easy homemade pumpkin puree is to make at home PLUS a recipe for amazing pumpkin margaritas made with homemade pumpkin puree.

TIPS FOR MAKING PUMPKIN HORCHATA

• I prefer to use long grain rice to make horchata, to me it creates the most authentic flavor similar to the horchata I have enjoyed in Mexico.
• Cheesecloth is used to strain the gritty rice solids leftover from blending, but you can also use a fine-mesh strainer.
• For this recipe, you can use whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, almond milk or coconut milk.  
• To sweeten the horchata you can use sugar, agave or sweetener of your choice.
• Allow rice to soak in water for at least 3 hours or overnight to produce maximum rice flavor.
• Serve this pumpkin horchata warm or chilled over ice.
• Feel free to spike this horchata with rum, coffee liqueur or my personal favorite tequila reposado.
• Store covered in the fridge for up to three days, covered to avoid absorbing unpleasant odors and flavors from the fridge.

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The Easiest Homemade Pumpkin Horchata

Homemade pumpkin Horchata is creamy, pumpkin agua fresca made with rice, cinnamon, pumpkin and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled, my pumpkin horchata is a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup milk almond milk or coconut milk
• 1 15 oz. can canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Combine the rice and cinnamon sticks with 4 cups water in a blender; pulse to coarsely grind. Transfer to a large bowl and add another 4 cups water; soak at room temperature for 3 hours or overnight.
2. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Carefully strain the rice water. Carefully grab ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze as much liquid from the cheesecloth as possible. Discard solids.
3. In a saucepan heat the milk of choice, pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt. Stir until all sugar dissolves and puree has blended into milk.
4. Add horchata, stir to combine.
5. Serve warm or refrigerate to chill and serve over ice.

Love Horchata? Here are more tasty Horchata recipes you can make at home. 

Coconut Horchata Iced Coffee

Coconut Horchata Muffins

Horchata de Coco