Agua de avena (oat water) is a refreshing and lightly sweet drink made with oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Perfect to accompany your favorite dishes or to serve as a cool drink during warm days.
What is Agua de Avena?
Also known as horchata de avena, or oat horchata, this traditional drink is prepared using soaked oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar to deliver a refreshing and nutritious agua fresca that is perfect to serve for lunch, dinners, or just to enjoy as a refreshing snack in the afternoon.
Agua de avena has a hearty and slightly sweet taste, you can also control how much sugar you add or what type of sweetener, making it also a healthier option for bottled beverages.
Oat (avena) benefits
Oats are a superfood packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals besides being naturally gluten-free, so perfect for people with specific dietary needs.
Fiber has been proved to be good against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some types of cancer; besides being very important for a well-functioning digestive system.
But something important to note is that you should always choose the type of oats to consume. For the most health benefits, you can opt for old-fashioned, rolled, or steel-cut oats instead of quick oats because the last is lower in fiber than the others.
Related: What are steel-cut oats?.
The Ingredients needed
- Oats: Old fashioned or rolled oats works perfect for this recipe, make sure to soak them at least for 30 minutes or even better, overnight.
- Cinnamon stick: If you don’t have cinnamon sticks at home, you can use 2 teaspoons of powdered cinnamon instead.
- Vanilla extract: This add a nice and fragrant touch to the drink.
- Brown sugar: Or any other type of sweetener you prefer.
- Water: About 10 cups, it includes the water used to soak the oats.
As you see, you don’t need too many ingredients to make this easy and delicious agua de avena, now, let’s check out how to prepare it!
How To Make It
Place old-fashioned oats in a bowl and pour 2 cups of water. Add the cinnamon stick and mix well. Leave it to soak for 30 minutes or even better, overnight.
Transfer oats, soaking water, and cinnamon stick to a blender and blend until smooth.
Using a fine sieve, strain the oats mixture into a large pitcher. Add vanilla extract and brown sugar, then mix well to dissolve the sugar.
Add the remaining 8 cups of water to the pitcher and mix. Taste, and if you want, add more sugar until is sweet to your liking.
Serve in glasses with crushed ice and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon powder on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature water so the sugar would be easier to dissolve.
- Adjust sweet to your taste by adding more or even less that the recipe suggest.
- Do not add ice to the pitcher unless you intend to serve all the drink at once, otherwise it will dilute and become flavorless.
- Use other types of sweeteners if you want to. Such as monk fruit, stevia, regular white sugar, or even honey.
- Replace 2 cups of water with 2 cups of your favorite plant-based milk to make a creamy version. I recommend almond or coconut milk.
Storage Suggestions
This oat horchata keeps nicely in the fridge for up to 3 days, just make sure to store it in a large container with a tight lid to prevent it from absorbing other smells.
You can also store the oat’s concentrate first. Blend soaked oats with cinnamon and a bit of water as indicated in the recipe. Place the mixture in a container and freeze for up to 3 months. When needed, thaw it and use it to make your agua de avena.
FAQ
What is the difference between agua de avena and horchata?
The main difference is that agua de avena is made with oats, while Mexican horchata is prepared with rice.
Is this recipe vegan?
Yes! Since it doesn’t contain any animal product to make it, we can say this is a 100% vegan drink.
Is this recipe healthy?
Yes! because of the oats, this drink is packed with fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Just keep an eye on the amount of sugar you use, or replace this ingredient with a healthier option such as honey or stevia.
Can I make it sugar-free?
Absolutely! And no worries, you’ll still get a flavorful Mexican drink thanks to the cinnamon and vanilla extract.
Agua de Avena
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 10 cups water (room temperature)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup brown sugar (or more, to taste)
For serving
- ice
- cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Place old fashioned oats in a bowl and pour 2 cups of water.
- Add the cinnamon stick and mix well.
- Leave it to soak for 30 minutes or even better, overnight.
- Transfer oats, soaking water, and cinnamon stick to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Strain the oats mixture into a large pitcher.
- Add vanilla extract and brown sugar, then mix well to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the remaining 8 cups of water to the pitcher and mix.
- Taste and adjust sweetness to your liking.
- Serve in glasses with crushed ice and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon powder on top.
Nutrition Information
Similar Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? Try also some of our favorite Mexican frescas recipes.
- Pineapple Water (agua de piña)
- Strawberry Fresca Water with Chia seeds (agua de fresa)
- Mazapan Agua Fresca (with Mexican peanut candy)
- Agua de plátano (banana water)
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The sugar pictured here isn’t traditional brown sugar (like you use in cookies). Is this cane sugar pictured? What type of “brown sugar” do you actually use?
That’s the brown sugar I can find where I live (Italy).
Loved, so refreshing and easy to make.