Horchata Coffee is a combination of Mexican horchata and coffee. I tried it recently at a Guatemalan restaurant and I knew I had to try making it at home. It was a little bitter the first time I made it, so this time I'm using instant coffee instead of ground coffee.
I love the nutty and sweet taste of horchata. I never thought to add coffee to it before, but now that I've had it, I think I will always add some. I saw that many recipes add the coffee when they are blending the rice, but mine turned out really bitter this way.
I found that a better way to do it is to make the horchata normally then add instant coffee at the end. The horchata tastes much smoother. Another benefit is that you can add the instant coffee in small increments and adjust it to your own taste.
Key Ingredients
Jasmine rice: This is my favorite type of rice for horchata, but you can use any type of white rice you want. I have even used short-grain rice successfully, but it was not as fragrant as jasmine rice. No need to wash the rice beforehand. You want to keep the starches on the rice as they make the drink more creamy.
Instant Coffee: As implied in the name of the drink, coffee is used in this recipe. I decided to use caffeine-free coffee so I could drink the horchata at night.
Evaporated milk: This is extremely important for the overall flavor of the horchata. Every version I have ever had has had evaporated milk to some degree. It has a very distinct flavor that I now associate with good horchata.
Sweetened condensed milk: I personally love using sweetened condensed milk in horchata. I know some people use sugar but I don't think it tastes as good. Feel free to use more or less to your own taste.
Make sure to strain it thoroughly
I think the worst quality of any horchata is if it is not strained properly. I absolutely hate when my drink is grainy or still has sediment mixed in. To strain mine, I use a triple layer of cheesecloth on top of a fine-meshed sieve.
This method can take a while to strain, so I pull up the sides of the cheesecloth to make a pouch and use my hands to squeeze out the liquid. But be careful not to squeeze too hard, or else the cheesecloth can break.
Horchata Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (I usually use Jasmine rice, but I have even made with with sushi rice before)
- 4 cups hot water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz/300ml)
- 1 can evaporated milk (12oz/375ml)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder (dissolved in 1 cup of hot water)
- 2 cups cold water
Instructions
- To a blender, add the rice and 2 cups of hot water. Blend until the rice is pulverized, then add the remaining hot water and 2 cinnamon sticks.
- Transfer the rice mixture to the fridge and let it sit for 2-3 hours. Blend again until it is smooth.
- Pour the rice mixture through a triple layer of cheesecloth and a fine-meshed sieve. This step can take a long time so I like to pull up the sides of the cheesecloth into a pouch and gently squeeze out the liquid.
- Stir in the evaporated milk, condensed milk*, instant coffee (dissolved in 1 cup of hot water), and 2 cups of cold water. Chill until ready to serve then pour over lots of ice. Enjoy!
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