Name: Matcha Horchata Drink
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sliced almonds; 1/2 cup dry white jasmine rice; 3/4 sweetened condensed milk; 4 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder; 2 cups water

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A homemade Horchata Drink given a pale green glow from Matcha green tea powder. This sweet and creamy horchata recipe is a simple blend of rice, almonds, sweetened condensed milk, and Matcha powder. EASY to make with just a few ingredients!

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I’m not much for the gore and carnage of Halloween. I don’t need to watch horror movies or go to creepy haunted houses.

Strangely enough, that’s Louisa’s favorite thing. Full stop.

She’s always loved this season for it’s scarier aspects. She never dressed up as a princess for trick-or-treating but instead always chose basically anything covered in fake blood. There are things about your children you never understand.

A girl holding a pink tray that has several glasses of green Matcha Horchata on it. A dog is sniffing them from below.

The closest I’ll get to Halloween trickery this year is this Frankenstein-hued Mexican horchata. It’s ghoulish green color comes from Matcha green tea powder, which has a sweet, grassy herbaceous flavor that is simply irresistible. Let’s learn more!

What is Matcha?

A packet of Matcha green tea powder ripped open on one side with the powder sprinkling out. It is sitting on a marble table.

If you are unfamiliar with Matcha, it is green tea leaves that are ground into a powder. It has a grassy, slightly sweet flavor.

Matcha is rich in antioxidants and has been tied to reduction in heart disease. Traditionally it is served in East Asian countries where it is dissolved in hot water.

I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s Matcha powder but Camille has the run down on the 10 Best Matcha powders if you want more info there.

An indulgent Horchata Drink

Several glasses of Matcha Horchata sitting in a pink tray. The tray is on top of a blue and white runner on a wood table.

We’ve talked about Horchata de arroz here before and there are many versions. Did you know the Spanish recipe used to contain tiger nuts? I’ve never eaten them but apparently they are the latest health craze.

Anyway, the Mexican drink can be made with rice, milk, sugar, and ground cinnamon or a combination of rice and almonds.

It sometimes has milk or occasionally it is served more like an agua fresca: simply rice, water, and sugar. Typically classic horchata is flavored with cinnamon sticks.

You can make a quick version with rice milk or almond milk. I’ve even seen some recipes call for coconut milk.

If you’re looking for a dairy free version, I have a delicious Vegan Horchata Recipe, but this an indulgent version made with sweetened condensed milk.

It is sweet, creamy, and very similar to versions you might have had in Mexican restaurants, except instead of the rice and cinnamon stick combo, we are doing rice and Matcha.

What You’ll Need

All the ingredients to make Matcha Horchata spread out on a marble table including almonds, rice, sweetened condensed milk, and matcha.

White Rice. I use Jasmine rice but any white rice will work.
Sliced Almonds. These break down easier than whole almonds.
Sweetened condensed milk. Any leftover sweetened condensed milk can be swirled into coffee or used to make a second batch of horchata!
Matcha green tea powder. See above for different types.
Fresh water

How To Make This Matcha Horchata Drink

Almonds and rice in a fine mesh strainer in a sink with water running over them.

Before we get started, be aware that you need to soak the rice and almonds OVERNIGHT. This will soften them so they grind more easily.

Soak rice and almonds

Combine rice and almonds in a large bowl and fill with water. Let sit at room temperature overnight.

Drain and rinse

The next day, drain rice and almonds through a fine mesh strainer and rinse well.

Blend

Place rice and almonds in a blender. Add sweetened condensed milk and Matcha powder. Blend on high until the rice and almonds are finely ground.

If you have a high-powered blender—excellent! If not, add 1/2 cup of water if necessary to get the blender going.

Add 2 cups of water (or 1 1/2 if you already added the 1/2 cup) and blend again until well combined.

You can strain out the rice and almonds if you like, but I think they add a nice thickness and viscosity to the drink.

Chill and serve

Serve your Matcha Horchata over ice. Keep cold in the refrigerator for up to a week.

A glass of Matcha horchata sitting on a blue and white runner on a wood table in front on a pink tray holding more glasses of the same horchata.

More Mexican Food Recipes You’ll Love

An Horchata Drink for all the ghouls and goblins

This gargoyle green Matcha horchata is perfect on Halloween or any time you want a sweet milky drink. When you make it snap me a pic and tag me @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno on Instagram so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!