Ube Horchata (Vegan)

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! 

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

• High-speed blender
• Fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag
• Airtight container for storage

How to Make Ube Horchata 

1. 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. 
2. Blend the rice until smooth. ​After soaking, blend the rice mixture plus the ube halaya until smooth and creamy. 
3. 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. 
4. 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. 
5. Add water. ​Add up to 3 cups of water to the horchata to thin it out to your desired consistency. 
6. Sweeten to taste. Taste the ube horchata and sweeten it with sugar, as desired. 
7. 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! 

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:

Filipino

Ube Pichi Pichi (Filipino Sticky Cassava Snack)

Breakfast

Ube Champorado (Tsampurado)

Dessert

Ube Halaya (Filipino Purple Yam Jam) 

Cookies

The Best Ube Sugar Cookies (Vegan)

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos! 

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