Cinnamon-Almond Rice Horchata with Lime Zest
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Toasted almonds and cinnamon soak overnight with rice and lime zest, are blended and strained, then sweetened and finished with cold milk and vanilla.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Toast. Toast the almonds and cinnamon in the dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring, for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and just turning golden. Toasting gives a rounder, nuttier flavour.
- 2
Soak overnight. Tip them into the bowl with the rice, 1 litre water and the lime zest. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 8 hours, so the rice softens enough to blend smooth.
- 3
Blend. Blend everything, in 2 batches if needed, for 2-3 minutes until the rice and nuts are very finely ground.
- 4
Strain. Pour through the nut-milk bag or lined sieve into the pitcher, then squeeze firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
- 5
Sweeten and chill. Stir in the sugar, vanilla and salt until dissolved, then the cold milk. Chill until cold.
- 6
Serve. Stir well, as horchata settles, then pour over ice and dust with ground cinnamon.
Storage
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; stir before pouring. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.11 g salt per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 125 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
15.1 g per serving
30.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 60.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large frying pan
- large bowl or jug (at least 2 litres)
- blender
- nut-milk bag or sieve lined with a double layer of muslin
- pitcher
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 153 kcal |
| Protein | 3.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 26.1 g |
| of which sugars | 18.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 15.1 g |
| Fat | 3.8 g |
| of which saturates | 1.4 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g |
| Salt | 0.14 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.2 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
