Homemade Rice Milk

Rice is the cheapest ingredient of any milk on this site, and the math shows it — this is the lowest-effort and lowest-cost DIY milk here by a comfortable margin, cheaper even than oat. It’s also the one with an unusual family connection: our Horchata Concentrate is essentially this exact rice milk, soaked instead of cooked, then simmered down with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. If you like this, horchata is the natural next thing to try. This recipe is the how-to companion to our guide on the best milk for coffee, which covers the flavor/foam/nutrition comparison across all six milks this site supports.

The Recipe

Ratio: 1/2 cup rice (cooked) to 3 cups fresh water for blending, about 1 cup water total if cooking from uncooked rice.

1. If starting from uncooked rice, cook 1/2 cup white rice in 1 cup water per package directions and let it cool a few minutes. Leftover cooked rice from another meal works just as well — use about 1 cup.
2. Blend the cooked rice with 3 cups fresh water, a pinch of salt, and optional vanilla, on high for 60-90 seconds until smooth.
3. Strain through a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth-lined strainer, squeezing gently.
4. Discard (or save) the rice pulp.
5. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Shake before use.

A batch this size makes about 4 cups (32 fl oz) of rice milk.

This batch, white rice + salt (4 cups)~$0.21 total

Per 8oz cup, homemade~$0.05

Store-bought unsweetened rice milk, per cup~$0.54

Savings: about $0.49 per cup, roughly 91% cheaper than store-bought rice milk — the biggest gap of any DIY milk on this site. Rice milk is also the priciest of the six milks to buy pre-made (see our guide on the best milk for coffee), which makes the DIY version’s savings the largest by both ends of the comparison. Assumptions: white rice at ~$0.90/lb (same sourcing as our Horchata Concentrate’s rice pricing), 1/2 cup dry rice (~3.5oz) per batch, yielding about 4 cups after straining. Store-bought figure is this site’s $0.54/cup unsweetened rice milk baseline (see src/lib/milk.ts, MILK_RICE_UNSWEETENED).

Getting It Right

• This is genuinely the easiest of the four DIY milks here. No overnight soak required (using the cooked-rice method), no simmering step, no strict blend-time window to avoid a texture problem — just cook, blend, strain.
• Squeeze gently, not hard, when straining — similar to oat milk, aggressive squeezing can push more starch through and make it thicker/gummier than you want.
• It will separate in the fridge. Rice starch settles to the bottom — shake before pouring, every time.

Storage & Shelf Life

Keeps about 4-5 days refrigerated in a sealed container — shorter than a shelf-stable carton, since this is fresh strained liquid with no preservatives.

Swaps & Notes

• Want the traditional, soaked-rice method instead of cooking it? Soak 1/2 cup uncooked rice in 2 cups water for 4+ hours (or overnight), then blend directly with the soaking water plus 1-2 extra cups fresh water — skip the cooking step entirely. This is the exact starting method our Horchata Concentrate uses, just without the cinnamon-sugar reduction that follows.
• Like this? Try Horchata. Our Horchata Concentrate (and the Horchata Latte built from it) is essentially this same rice milk, taken one step further — soaked rice, simmered with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar into a pourable concentrate you stir into espresso. If you enjoyed making this, that’s the natural next recipe to try.
• Don’t waste the rice pulp. It’s mild and slightly sweet — stir a spoonful into oatmeal or a smoothie rather than discarding it, though it’s fine to toss if you’d rather not bother.
• Curious how rice stacks up against the other five milks this site supports? See our guide on the best milk for coffee for the full comparison.

Recipe Card Summary

Homemade Rice Milk

• 1/2 cup rice (cooked), 3 cups fresh water, pinch of salt (optional: vanilla)
• Blend 60-90 seconds, strain gently
• Makes about 4 cups · Keeps 4-5 days refrigerated
• Cost: ~$0.05/cup vs. ~$0.54/cup store-bought (about 91% cheaper)

FAQ

Is rice milk really the easiest of the DIY milks on this site?

Yes — no overnight soak needed if you start from cooked rice, no simmering step, and no strict technique window to avoid a texture problem. It’s also the cheapest, at about $0.05/cup.

Why did my rice milk separate in the fridge?

Normal — rice starch settles out over time. Shake well before each use.

How is this different from your Horchata Concentrate?

They’re closely related. This recipe makes plain, unsweetened rice milk from cooked rice. Horchata Concentrate starts from raw rice soaked overnight (not cooked), then takes that same base and simmers it with cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar into a sweetened, spiced concentrate for espresso drinks. If you like this milk on its own, horchata is the flavored, coffee-shop version of the same idea.

Is homemade rice milk actually cheaper than buying it?

Yes, dramatically — about $0.05/cup homemade versus roughly $0.54/cup store-bought, a savings of about $0.49/cup (roughly 91%). Of the four DIY milks on this site, this is the cheapest one to make, in large part because rice is the cheapest ingredient of the four.