Name: Strawberry Horchata (horchata de fresa)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 1 cup long grain white rice; 6 cups water; 10 oz strawberries (washed, hulled, and cut into chunks); 1-12 oz can evaporated milk (read notes); 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup sugar (or any sweetener you prefer); ice cubes (to serve)

go to recipe print recipe

This strawberry horchata is creamy, slightly sweet, and so refreshing. Mexican horchata de fresa is also super easy to make and the perfect treat for sunny days!

Two cups filled with strawberry horchata fresca and served with ice. Paper straws scattered around and a pitcher with more fresca behind. Luminous and white kitchen environment.

What Is Strawberry Horchata?

Strawberry horchata is a Mexican drink made of rice, cinnamon, and strawberries. It has a smooth, creamy, and cinnamony taste with a refreshing fruity hint.

In Mexico, this refreshing beverage is known by the name horchata de fresa or agua de horchata con fresa. It is one of the most popular flavors of agua fresca.

It is one of my favorite Mexican drinks too and here are a few reasons why:

Easy To Make. In order to make horchata with strawberries, all you need to do is soak rice and then blend everything, mix, and serve. Can’t get easier than that!
Delicious. It is really delicious and creamy, think of strawberries and cream with a hit of hearty cinnamon.
Refreshing. Served with ice or just chilled from the fridge, is the perfect drink for sunny days.
Customizable. You can make it dairy-free, or sugar-free. You can use fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries, this recipe can be adapted to your taste preferences or diet.

Strawberry horchata fresca on a pitcher and a box of fresh strawberries on the side. View from above.

About Strawberries

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, they are also rich in antioxidants which have benefits for heart health.

Those sweet and juicy berries have also a decent amount of potassium and vitamin B9, and besides being delicious, they are low-carb.

Strawberries are used in sweet and savory recipes, so we think you should know how to wash them properly to make this easy Mexican horchata or any other recipe you want.

Wash your strawberries only when you’re ready to make this recipe.
Fill a large bowl with 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar.
Add strawberries to the bowl and soak for 15 minutes.
Place in a colander and wash thoroughly under cold water.
After washing, pat them dry with kitchen paper towels and use them as the recipe calls.

Related: Why you should wash strawberries.

Fresh strawberries scattered on a white wooden surface.

Ingredients For Horchata de Fresa

RICE: For a Mexican authentic flavor, go with a long-grain type of rice. Mexican rice should be your first choice but other substitutions work fine too, such as Jasmine or Basmati rice.
STRAWBERRIES: You can use fresh strawberries or frozen when they are not in season. Save some for garnishing too.
EVAPORATED MILK: You will need a can of evaporated milk for creaminess. We also have a recipe for evaporated milk if you want to make it yourself.
SWEETENER: You can use any type of sweetener you prefer, or even go sugar-free.
AROMA: We used a stick of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in this recipe but you can also use other flavors like anise, almond, or orange extract. Just be easy on them, you don’t want to cover the wonderful strawberry taste.

Strawberry horchata ingredients labeled with names on a marble surface.

So, let’s see the detailed recipe and make this delicious and authentic Mexican agua de horchata con fresas!

How To Make Strawberry Horchata

Rinse it once or twice the rice under cold water. Place it in a large bowl and add a whole cinnamon stick.

Add 4 cups of water and let it soak for at least 4 hours or better yet, overnight.

Rice soaking in a bowl to make strawberry horchata.

Add the soaked rice and cinnamon along with 2 cups of the soaking water to a blender.

Soaked rice and cinnamon in a blender and adding soaking water into.

Blend it on high speed until it is completely smooth (about 3-4 minutes).

Soaked rice and cinnamon blended to make strawberry horchata.

Using a fine sieve or a cheesecloth, strain the mixture into a large pitcher and discard the leftover pulp from rice and cinnamon. Add the remaining soaking water.

Leftovers of rice and cinnamon on a strainer.

Add 2/3 of the washed strawberries to the blender with 2 cups of water and blend until smooth.

Blended strawberries and water on a blender.

Strain the mixture into the pitcher with the rice water discarding any leftovers.

Straining blended strawberries into the pitcher to make strawberry horchata.

Add the evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and sweetener to the pitcher and stir well until combined.

Mixing strawberry horchata in a pitcher. Seen from above.

Chop the rest of the strawberries and add to the horchata, adjusting also the other ingredients to your liking (sugar, extracts).

Place the pitcher in the refrigerator and let it chill for 1-2 hours. Or you can also fill some glasses with ice cubes and serve this strawberry horchata immediately.

Useful Notes

Don’t add ice to the pitcher with the pink horchata because it will dilute and become less flavored, instead, add the ice to glasses and serve as you go.
If strawberries are not in season, you can also use frozen strawberries to make this fresca. You don’t even need to thaw them, just blend them with the other ingredients.
If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, you can use ground cinnamon (canela). 1/2 tablespoon should be enough for this strawberry horchata recipe.
You can use any kind of milk you want, for example, coconut milk adds a very delicious and tropical hint. Or oat milk for a creamier consistency.
As for sweeteners, other types work too. Think of stevia, monk fruit, or even honey. My mother used to make it with condensed milk, we also have an easy recipe for homemade condensed milk here on our blog, if you want to give it a try!

What to serve with this pink horchata

This Pink Strawberry Horchata is a fun drink and perfect to serve on its own as a treat on sunny days. But it also goes well with so many Mexican dishes, here are our favorites:

How To Store

You can make this recipe up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge until needed. Place the drink in a pitcher with a lid or use mason jars to store it.

If your pitcher doesn’t have a lid, use kitchen film and wrap the mouth tightly to prevent other smells from getting into the drink.

Agua de horchata con fresas, aka, strawberry horchata. Served on a cup with handle.

More Mexican Drinks To Try