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This Ube Horchata beverage is a fun fusion of Mexican and Filipino cuisine. The popular Filipino yam complements the sweetness of horchata and adds a pop of purple that everyone will love. Make this sweet and creamy, chilled drink for your next gathering!
Table of Contents
This vegan drink is a Filipino spin on the Classic Mexican Horchata recipe. It has that same creamy, sweet flavor, but with the addition of ube for its unique color and nutty, earthy flavor (similar to the flavor of vanilla extract).
If you’ve never enjoyed ube or Filipino cuisine, you’re in for a treat. You’ll want to add ube to just about everything! Next, use it to make Ube Pie, Ube Sugar Cookies, Ube Cinnamon Rolls, Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam), Sweet Yam Rolls, and more!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice: Classic horchata is typically made with long-grain white rice. Once soaked, it becomes smooth, creamy, and easy to blend into homemade rice milk. If you’re out of white rice, Arborio rice is another common choice, though we haven’t tried it ourselves.
- Cinnamon: We recommend using whole cinnamon sticks for the best flavor and hint of cinnamon, but ground cinnamon will work in a pinch.
- Vegan evaporated milk: We either use homemade evaporated milk or a store-bought can of vegan evaporated milk from Nature’s Charm.
- Vegan condensed milk: Adds a sweet richness and thickens the consistency of the horchata. We use homemade condensed milk or the brand Nature’s Charm Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk.
- Ube: To make this easy recipe the perfect vibrant purple and let the subtle earthy taste shine, you’ll need both ube extract and ube halaya. The former is easy to buy on Amazon, and we have a recipe for the latter on the blog.
- Salt: Optional, but helps to balance the sweetness and richness. A pinch goes a long way!
- Sugar: Store-bought vegan condensed milk is very sweet, but additional sugar may be needed depending on how sweet you like your horchata. We typically add up to 1/2 cup.
Equipment Needed
How to Make Ube Horchata
- Soak the rice overnight. Add the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 4 cups of hot water into a large heat-safe bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Blend the rice until smooth. After soaking, blend the rice mixture plus the ube halaya until smooth and creamy.
- Strain to remove the pulp. Pour the blended liquid through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag and strain the liquid from the pulp as best you can. If you are using a nut milk bag, constantly grip the top to prevent any liquid or pulp from being expelled upward. Discard the pulp.
- Add rice milk back to the blender. Place the strained milk mixture back into the blender along with the vegan evaporated milk, vegan condensed milk, ube extract, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Add water. Add up to 3 cups of water to the horchata to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Sweeten to taste. Taste the ube horchata and sweeten it with sugar, as desired.
- Chill, then serve. Transfer to an airtight container, such as a glass jug, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Alternatively, serve immediately over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This refreshing drink is the perfect pair for several dishes. If you’re craving Filipino food, try one of these favorite breakfast or dessert recipes:
- Fluffy Ube Pandesal
- Vegan Ensaymada (Sweet Filipino Brioche)
- Ube Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Biko with Latik
- Kamote Cue (Filipino Candied Sweet Potatoes)
- Turon (Banana Lumpia)
- Avocado with Condensed Milk
If you’re craving Mexican cuisine, you can’t go wrong serving it with classics such as Vegan Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread), Vegan Carne Asada Tacos, Vegan Tamales, Grilled Corn, or this Easy Avocado Corn Salad.
Storage Instructions
Leftover ube horchata will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This fusion recipe can also be frozen in an ice cube tray or glass freezer-safe jar for up to 3 months.
If frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator, then blend again until smooth and creamy.
More Ube Recipes You May Enjoy:
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos!
PrintUbe Horchata Recipe
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: About 9-10 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Ube Horchata beverage is a fun fusion between Mexican and Filipino cuisine. The popular filipino yam compliments the sweetness of horchata and adds a pop of purple everyone will love. Make this creamy, chilled drink for your next gathering!
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine white rice
- 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon)
- 4 cups hot water
- ½ cup ube halaya
- 12 ounces vegan evaporated milk
- 12 ounces vegan condensed milk
- ¼–1/2 teaspoon ube extract
- Optional: Pinch of salt
- 3 cups cold water
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the rice overnight. Add the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 4 cups of hot water into a large heat-safe bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
- Blend the rice until smooth. After soaking, blend the rice mixture plus the ube halaya until smooth and creamy.
- Strain to remove the pulp. Pour the blended liquid through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag and strain the liquid from the pulp as best you can. If you are using a nut milk bag, constantly grip the top to prevent any liquid or pulp from being expelled upward. Discard the pulp.
- Add rice milk back to the blender. Place the strained milk mixture back into the blender along with the vegan evaporated milk, vegan condensed milk, ube extract, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Add water. Add up to 3 cups of water to the horchata to thin it out to your desired consistency. We used 2 cups.
- Sweeten to taste. Taste the ube horchata and sweeten it with sugar, as desired.
- Chill, then serve. Transfer to an airtight container, such as a glass jug, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Alternatively, serve immediately over ice with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Leftover ube horchata will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: This recipe can also be frozen in an ice cube tray or glass freezer-safe jar for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: If frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator, then blend again until smooth and creamy.
- Prep Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Blender