Pumpkin Spice Horchata

I had Horchata for the first time at a Mexican restaurant not too long ago. The drink was sweet, delicious and oh so refreshing. For those who dont know - its made with rice milk and flavored with almonds and cinnamon. It a dairy free, vegan beverage and is delicious! It sort of reminds of a really famous drink from India called Thandai…which is a concoction of a bunch of spices like fennel, cardamom, rose water, black pepper etc. mixed in milk which is let to develop flavors over a couple of days. Its generally served around the festival of Holi but is a tedious process to make it. The flavor of this drink is so similar to Thandai that I feel it totally can be a substitute for people who crave the drink from India. And its also vegan so even more better!

I made the recipe more festive by adding pumpkin spice flavors to it. Its essential to use canned pumpkin puree to get a strong flavor. Use cinnamon or swap it with pumpkin spice to make the gorgeous drink. Traditionally you are supposed to make this drink with slightly roasting rice and blending it with water - I skipped that whole process and used rice milk instead and it worked just fine. There are some really good brands out there - pick your favorite rice milk and give this recipe a go. I know I will be making more of this!

More Pumpkin Recipes:

  1. Pumpkin Stew
  2. Orzo Salad with Roasted Pumpkin & Onion
  3. Pumpkin Biscotti
  4. Pumpkin Pie
  5. Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

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Serving 4 tall glasses

Ingredients

3 cup rice milk

1 cup water

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

3 to 4 tbsp agave or more (as per taste)

2 tbsp blanched almonds

1 tsp pumpkin spice or just cinnamon

  1. In a blender add all ingredients.
  2. Whiz to form a smooth blend.
  3. Transfer into a pitcher and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.
  4. Strain and pour into glasses filled with ice.
  5. Serve with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.
Category : Drinks, Holiday Recipes, Vegan
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