This creamy and cooling Spanish tiger nut horchata is the perfect iced drink to serve on a hot summer’s day.
The mercury is steadily on the rise and that means icy-cold drinks are in order. I like to keep a pitcher of something refreshing to sip on in the fridge during the summer like, lemonade, iced tea, sangria or switchel, but the pitcher that’s been in my fridge lately is filled with tiger nut horchata.
When you hear horchata, you probably think of the Mexican rice-based kind, the creamy yet refreshing drink is understandably popular during the summer months, but did you know you can make a dairy AND grain-free version?
The Spanish version of horchata is just that; made with tiger nuts instead of rice it’s grain-free, dairy-free and nut-free but still creamy and sweet.
If you’re wondering how a drink made with tiger nuts can be nut-free, that’s because tiger nuts aren’t nuts at all but little dried tubers that look like tiny wrinkly nuts (hence the name). They’re quickly becoming the darlings of the health food world thanks to their high resistant starch content which can help feed the friendly bacteria in our gut, but they also make a surprisingly cooling drink that’s perfect for summer sipping.
How to make Spanish horchata:
- The process is quite similar to making nutmilk; the tigernuts are blended with water, a hint of sweetener and a touch of lemon and cinnamon until creamy then strained through a nutmilk bag or simply pressed through a fine mesh strainer. I’ve strayed a bit from the original recipe and added a bit of toasted coconut to my tigernut horchata as well for a toasty finish.
- You’ll want to plan ahead when making the horchata because tigernuts do need a 24 hour soak for the creamiest results.
- Other than that bit of planning, the process itself takes all of about five minutes and you have yourself a pitcher to reach for when you want a cool and comforting sip this summer (for an extra-refreshing treat throw some in the freezer until it starts to get slushy).
Cheers!
More refreshing drink recipes:
Spanish Horchata
This cooling Spanish tiger nut horchata is the perfect iced drink to serve on a hot summer’s day.
Ingredients
- 4 oz/120g tiger nuts
- 2 Tablespoons/12g unsweetened shredded coconut
- 4 cups/960ml filtered water (plus more for soaking)
- Zest of ½ lemon
- ⅛th teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup/78ml light color maple syrup
Instructions
- Rinse tigernuts then place in a large jar, cover with water, seal and let soak 24 hours. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a small baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool.
- In a high speed blender, blend tigernuts with water lemon zest, cinnamon, sea salt and maple syrup.
- Strain the liquid through a nutmilk bag or a very fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate until very cold. Pour into ice-filled glasses and serve well chilled.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 52mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
ChihYu Smith says
This looks so milky and refreshing! I so want a sip right now! Have to make it this weekend for sure!