I’m embarrassed to admit that I have never tried horchata. I don’t know….maybe I’m not alone but growing up in a Mexican family, you’d think there would have been a time (or 2!) that I would have taken a sip of this drink. It wasn’t until recently that my daughter got me hooked on the deliciousness of “cream” and cinnamon!
Let’s be clear. I don’t even know what is in a traditional horchata! I guess I could have done a little digging to find out what the ingredients are & do a comparison – therefore exposing why this is a paleo version but I just kind of went with my daughter described. She recently had a drink at a famous juicery and noted that it had chia seeds in it. So onward we go with dabbling around with ingredients and my blender!
While this drink doesn’t seem like a winter type of beverage, it definitely gives off a ‘comfort vibe’ with the cinnamon and creaminess that it exudes! I now know why my daughter has loved this drink for many years!
And cinnamon. We all know that it is a “feel good” spice – but why?? Well, it’s a great source of antioxidants, it has anti-inflammatory properties, helps fight diabetes, can possibly reduce the risk of cancer – just to name a few! Add these benefits to the healthy fats and nutrients of chia seeds …and you’ve got yourself a great little powerhouse beverage!
If you’re a horchata lover, please feel free to chime in and let me know how this compares to the traditional horchata. My daughter loves this drink and she’s a horchata fan so I’m hoping that it’s as close to the real deal as you can get. If keeping dairy out of your diet and amping up a few more nutrients into your daily routine is on your list of things to do, I’m pretty sure this drink will fit the bill! Give it a-go and let me know!
- 1 1/2 cups cashew milk
- 2 tbsp premade chia mix
- (1/4 cup chia seeds + 10oz almond or
- cashew milk :: blend in blender for
- 2-3 minutes to get gelatinous texture
- :: store remaining chia mixture in
- glass jar for another drink!)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Blend all ingredients in blender for 2-3 minutes.
- Drink right away ...or store in fridge for an hour to thicken up and/or chill.
- Add ice when ready to drink or toss back into blender with ice if you're itching for a smoothie type horchata.
- Adding cold brewed coffee is a fun twist! Just omit 1/2 cup cashew milk and add in 1/2 cup coffee.
I would love to try this… with coconut milk maybe since I’m allergic to all nut milks.
Maybe some fun giveaways would be actual products you use (food / food prep/ kitchen utensils/ gadgets) that compliments your paleo food lifestyle. Just a thought. I know some products that you may find in your area of the U.S, some of us are not able to find in our area of the U.S. Always enjoy reading your blog posts, and trying out your fabulous recipes:)
Yes, coconut milk would work! Thanks for the input. I will definitely send out some emails for kitchen gadget giveaways! Good idea! Thanks for hanging with me
i found this recipe at the perfect time. i am having an unfortunate tmj crisis…long story that i don’t need to bore you with…and i can’t chew so i can’t eat. liquid diet it is. i remembered i saved this the other day and i just made it. only had almond milk but it is sooo good. next time i’m making it a smoothie. thank you thank you thank you. i think you just saved my weekend.
Thanks so much Marci! Sorry to hear about tmj. That’s got to be so irritating! I’m glad you liked the drink! I hope you enjoyed the smoothie and had a great weekend!!!