How to Make Horchata Cold Brew at Home: A Stumptown-Inspired Recipe

Horchata cold brew is the drink you didn't know you needed: a creamy, lightly spiced, and refreshing coffee that tastes like a dessert but drinks like your morning pick-me-up. It's a popular café creation that blends the nutty sweetness of traditional Mexican horchata with the smooth, chocolatey notes of cold brew coffee.

While you can find horchata cold brew on some café menus, making it at home is surprisingly simple and lets you control the sweetness and spice. In this guide, we'll walk you through a step-by-step recipe using Stumptown coffee beans, plus tips for customizing it to your taste.

What Is Horchata Cold Brew?

Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made from rice, cinnamon, and sometimes vanilla, sweetened and served cold. When you combine it with cold brew coffee, you get a creamy, spiced beverage that balances the bold coffee with a sweet, nutty flavor. The key is to use a coffee that can stand up to the milk and spices—something with chocolate or caramel notes works best.

Stumptown's cold brew is known for its smooth, low-acidity profile, making it an ideal base. For this recipe, we recommend using a medium or dark roast, such as the Homestead blend, which offers notes of chocolate and caramel that complement the cinnamon in horchata.

• Use a coffee with chocolate or caramel notes to complement the cinnamon.
• Prepare your cold brew concentrate ahead of time for the best flavor.

Ingredients You'll Need

To make horchata cold brew, you'll need a few simple ingredients: cold brew concentrate, rice milk (or your preferred milk), cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a sweetener like sugar or honey. For a more authentic horchata, you can make your own rice milk by blending soaked rice with water and cinnamon, then straining it.

If you're using store-bought rice milk, look for one that's unsweetened so you can control the sweetness. For a creamier texture, oat milk works beautifully—it's naturally sweet and has a rich mouthfeel. Stumptown's cold brew pairs well with oat milk, creating a smooth, velvety drink.

• Rice milk is traditional, but oat milk adds extra creaminess.
• Use ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick for steeping.

Step-by-Step Recipe

Start by brewing a batch of cold brew concentrate using your favorite Stumptown beans. A simple ratio is 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, steeped for 12-18 hours in the fridge. Once you have your concentrate, you're ready to mix your horchata cold brew.

In a pitcher, combine 1 cup of rice milk (or oat milk), 1/2 cup of cold brew concentrate, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar or honey. Add a pinch of ground cinnamon and stir well. For a spicier kick, let the mixture sit with a cinnamon stick for 30 minutes before serving. Serve over ice and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

• Adjust the coffee-to-milk ratio to your taste—more coffee for a stronger kick.
• Make a large batch and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tips for the Perfect Horchata Cold Brew

The key to a great horchata cold brew is balance. If your cold brew is too strong, it can overpower the delicate rice and cinnamon flavors. Start with a 1:2 ratio of coffee to milk and adjust from there. You can also add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness.

For a dairy-free version, use oat milk or almond milk. If you prefer a richer drink, try a splash of heavy cream or coconut milk. And don't forget the ice—cold brew is best served over plenty of ice to keep it refreshing.

• Use a fine mesh strainer if you make your own rice milk to avoid grit.
• For a caffeine-free version, use Trapper Creek Decaf as your cold brew base.

Making horchata cold brew at home is a fun and rewarding way to enjoy a café favorite. With Stumptown's quality beans and a few simple ingredients, you can create a refreshing, spiced coffee drink that's perfect for any time of day. Experiment with different milks and sweeteners to make it your own, and enjoy the delicious fusion of cultures in every sip.