Cozy Horchata Latte: A Creamy Cinnamon Drink for Slow September Mornings 🧋
Add Horchata to your Hygge routine.
September is that beautiful in-between month when an iced coffee still sounds good in the afternoon, but something warm and cinnamon-spiced starts calling your name in the morning.
Enter the Horchata Latte.
Creamy, lightly sweet, and filled with cinnamon and vanilla, this café-style drink starts with homemade horchata and finishes with a shot or twoof espresso.
Put on some chill beats, grab your favorite glass or mug, and let's make it. 🎧☕
First, Let's Make the Horchata
Mexican-style horchata is traditionally a rice-based drink flavored with cinnamon and sweetened to taste. There are many variations, so consider this our simple homemade version.
Homemade Horchata
Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ to ½ cup sugar, adjusted to taste
1 cup evaporated or condensed milk (or your preferred dairy-free milk)
Ground cinnamon for serving
How to Make It
Rinse the rice briefly and place it in a bowl with the cinnamon sticks and about 2 cups of water.
Allow the mixture to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. An overnight soak is perfect if you're planning your latte for the next morning.
Once soaked, transfer the rice, cinnamon, and soaking water to a blender. Blend until the rice is finely broken down and the liquid looks cloudy and creamy.
Add the remaining water and blend again briefly.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a pitcher. For a smoother horchata, strain it a second time.
Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar.
Taste and adjust the sweetness if necessary.
Chill your homemade horchata in the refrigerator until cold.
And yes, you can absolutely stop right here and pour yourself a glass over ice with a little cinnamon. 😂
But we're making coffee.
Now Make the Horchata Latte
For one latte, you'll need:
1 cup homemade horchata
1–2 shots espresso or about ½ cup strong brewed coffee
A pinch of cinnamon
Optional milk or horchata for frothing
For a Warm Horchata Latte
Prepare your espresso and pour it into your favorite mug.
Gently warm 1 cup of horchata on the stove or in the microwave. Avoid boiling it.
If you have a milk frother, froth a small portion of the warm horchata for that café-style finish.
Pour the warm horchata over your espresso.
Top with foam and a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
Now put on some chill beats and enjoy. 🤎
Make It Iced
And because September in New York can still very much behave like summer, we need an iced version. 😂
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Pour in 1–2 shots of espresso and add approximately 1 cup of chilled homemade horchata.
Give it a stir and finish with cinnamon.
For a prettier layered drink, pour the horchata over the ice first and slowly add the espresso on top.
Make It Your Own
Once you've made the basic recipe, there are plenty of ways to play with it.
Add a little extra vanilla for a vanilla horchata latte.
Add more cinnamon for a stronger spice flavor.
Use oat milk for extra creaminess.
Add a tiny pinch of nutmeg for a warmer early-fall flavor.
Or blend the iced version for a frozen horchata coffee treat.
Just don't change so many things that our horchata latte wakes up one morning and realizes it's a pumpkin spice latte. 😂
Make the Waiting Part of the Ritual
Because the rice needs time to soak, this isn't necessarily a drink you decide to make five minutes before leaving the house.
And maybe that's part of its charm.
Prepare the rice and cinnamon before bed.
In the morning, put on a mellow playlist while you blend and strain the horchata.
Make your espresso.
Pour your latte.
Then give yourself a few minutes to actually enjoy what you made.
That's the kind of slow morning we like around here.
There's something especially satisfying about making the entire drink yourself.
Rice, cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, and a little patience become a creamy homemade latte that feels perfect for September's transition from summer into fall.
Make it warm when the morning is cool.
Pour it over ice when summer decides to make a comeback.
Either way, don't forget the soundtrack.
