Is the Best Recipe
Cinnamon Rice Drink served ready to eat.

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Cinnamon Rice Drink

Yield
6 servings

Raw rice is blended with water and steeped in the refrigerator, then strained and sweetened with sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon for a cold, creamy drink.

Ingredients
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Ingredients

Servings
Units
Batches and reset

6 servings · US measures · 1 batch

Batching

Blend each batch separately so the blender is not overfilled; steeping time does not change with the number of batches.

Original recipe: 6 servings.

Extra sugar added at the tasting step is not included. Nutrition is incomplete because the share of the strained-out rice that ends up in the drink is not established.

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Before you start

  • Read through the recipe before you start; the rice needs at least 3 hours to steep in the refrigerator.

Directions

1

Read and gather

For the whole recipe

Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, and clear refrigerator space for the blender jar or a covered container. Everything is measured and there is room in the refrigerator.

2

Blend the rice and water

For each batch

Blend the rice with the water on high speed until the grains break into small bits and the water turns milky, about 1 minute.

3

Cover and steep cold

For each batch

Cover and refrigerate the blended rice until the liquid looks cloudy and tastes of rice, at least about 3 hours.

4

Strain into the pitcher

For each batch

Strain the liquid through the fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher, pressing gently, and discard the rice solids. The liquid is smooth, with no grains.

5

Stir in the sugar, milk and spices

For each batch

Stir about 2/3 cup granulated sugar, the milk, vanilla and cinnamon into the pitcher until the sugar dissolves and no grit remains at the bottom.

6

Taste the drink

For each batch

Taste the drink. Aim for sweet, creamy and warmly spiced, with a clean rice flavor. If it tastes thin or flat, stir in granulated sugar to taste. The drink tastes sweet and spiced.

7

Stir and serve cold

For the whole recipe

Stir the drink again, since the cinnamon settles, and pour it over ice as 6 servings. Keep any extra in the refrigerator. The drink is cold and evenly mixed.

About this recipe

Research preview: these details come from our sourced research and haven't been reviewed by our chef yet.

Why it works

Blending the raw rice with water and letting it steep in the refrigerator draws out its starch and flavor, which gives the drink body once the solids are strained away. Milk, cinnamon and vanilla go in at the end.

Associated with

Mexican (horchata de arroz, an agua fresca)

The name traces to a Latin barley drink. In Valencia, Spain, horchata came to be made from tiger nuts, and in the Americas it became a rice drink flavored with cinnamon.

Taste

  • Sweet
  • Sour
  • Salty
  • Bitter
  • Savory
  • Heat

Sweet, with cinnamon and vanilla. · thin, milky and slightly starchy · cold

Skill level

Easy

Blend, wait, strain and stir; the only thing to plan for is the steeping time.

You'll practice: Blend raw rice with water, Steep in the refrigerator, Strain through a fine strainer

Allergens

Contains: milk.

Diets

Vegetarian: Fits as listed Vegan: Doesn't fit as written Pescatarian: Fits as listed Dairy: See the allergen lines Egg: See the allergen lines Gluten: See the allergen lines

Occasions

  • Hot weather · Editorial fit

    Aguas frescas are street and restaurant drinks for hot weather; no dated holiday tie was found.

Course: beverage · Technique: soak, blend, chill · Time: 2-to-4-hours, long-unattended-wait, make-ahead

Serving and keeping

Best served: Well chilled Stirred, then poured over ice

Make ahead: Stir before pouring; the cinnamon settles.

Storage: Keep covered in the refrigerator at 40 °F (4 °C) or below; it contains milk and is not cooked. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Leftovers: Keep refrigerated and drink within 2 to 3 days.

Food safety

  • Steep the blended raw rice in the refrigerator, not on the counter; raw rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores.
  • Keep the finished drink refrigerated; do not leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F (32 °C).

We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients. Milk is in the drink itself.

Nutrition notes

A sweetened drink: most of its energy is added sugar. Cutting the sugar by about a third makes it less sweet.

We don't show nutrition claims (like “good source of”) until our legal review is done.

Swap notes

  • vanilla extract

    Works with changes

    Use: Alcohol-free vanilla flavoring, or none

    What changes: The cinnamon carries the flavor.

    Not a swap: Vanilla extract, which is at least 35 percent alcohol by its standard and is not cooked here.

  • granulated sugar

    Works with changes

    Use: About a third less sugar

    What changes: Less sweet; taste and adjust.

    Not a swap: —

  • long-grain white rice · keto

    Not recommended

    What changes: Rice is the defining ingredient; no substitute keeps this drink.

    Not a swap: —

These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.

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Recipe url
https://isthebestrecipe.com/drinks/cinnamon-rice-drink
Name
Cinnamon Rice Drink
Servings
6
Recipe yield
6 servings
Recipe ingredient
5 cups water, about 1 cup long-grain white rice uncooked, about 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
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Nutrition Values

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Cinnamon Rice Drink