If you're tired of plain water but want to skip the sugary drinks, this infused water recipe is for you. Add your favorite fruit, herbs, and citrus to a pitcher, pour over water, and let it sit for 10 minutes - that's it. Mix and match your favorite combinations to make it completely your own!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Infused water (aka spa water) is a great way to entice you to drink a little more water throughout the day. Here's why you're going to love making it:
- Incredibly Easy: With just a few minutes of prep and a 10-minute steep, this infused water recipe comes together with almost zero effort - no cooking, no blending, no fuss.
- Endlessly Customizable: The combinations are truly limitless. Swap the fruit, switch up the herbs, add a splash of flavored vinegar - there's no wrong answer, and you can make it different every single time.
- A Gorgeous Hydration Upgrade: This is the drink that makes people ask "wait, what IS that?" Whether you're serving it at a brunch, a summer party, or just making it for yourself on a Tuesday, it looks and tastes like something special.
Ingredients you'll need
- Lemon or lime: A small lemon or lime, sliced, forms the citrus backbone of this recipe. The citrus helps brighten all the other flavors. Look for firm fruit with vibrant skin - those tend to be the juiciest.
- Fruit of your choice: You'll need about 1 cup of your favorite fruit - think berries, citrus slices, pineapple, mango, apple, or cucumber. Fresh fruit is best, but frozen fruit works great too.
- Fresh herbs of your choice: A quarter cup of herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, or thyme adds an unexpected layer of flavor that really elevates the whole drink. You'll find fresh herbs in the produce section, usually near the bagged salads.
- Fruit-flavored vinegar (optional): This is the secret ingredient! Four teaspoons of a fruit vinegar - like raspberry, pear, strawberry, or lychee - adds a subtle tang and complexity. Look for it at specialty grocery stores or online. You can skip it if you can't find it, but I love what it does to the flavor.
- Ice: A cup of ice keeps everything cold and refreshing from the first sip.
- Still or sparkling water: You'll need 24 ounces - about two cans - of your water of choice. I love using a lightly flavored sparkling water like La Croix to add an extra flavor boost. Totally optional, but so good.
Ask the Dietitian: Is infused water healthy?
Totally! Infused water is one of the most approachable ways to increase your daily fluid intake and stay well-hydrated. Plus, the fruit and herbs in this recipe aren't just for looks - they bring some real nutritional perks with no added sugar.
- Staying hydrated supports energy, digestion, and cognitive function. Research shows that even mild dehydration can impair mood and concentration, so making water more enjoyable is genuinely a health win.
- Fresh mint has been shown to have digestive and antioxidant benefits, making it a great herb to add to your water - especially after meals.
- Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that plays a key role in immune function and skin health. Even a few slices in your water contribute to your daily intake.
Customize it your way
Like all of my recipes, this Infused Water is completely customizable. Mix and match your fruit of choice, herbs of choice, and water of choice to make it your own.
- Fruit of your choice: Try berries (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, kiwi, watermelon), stone fruit (peach, nectarine), or even thin-sliced cucumber or apple. If you're wanting to make infused water for the holidays, try adding cranberries, a couple cinnamon sticks, and cloves.
- Herbs of your choice: Mint is the classic, but don't sleep on basil with strawberries, rosemary with citrus, or thyme with peach. Start with a small amount - a little goes a long way.
- Vinegar of your choice: This is optional but gives the water a little tart flavor. Be sure to use a fruit-flavored vinegar as opposed to regular white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Water of your choice: Still water is perfectly great, but sparkling water or a flavored sparkling water like La Croix adds a fun fizz and an extra layer of flavor.
- Feel free to add a touch of sweetness: If you prefer a slightly sweeter drink, you can stir in a teaspoon of honey, agave, or a few drops of liquid stevia. This is totally optional - the fruit alone often provides enough natural sweetness.
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Troubleshooting Tips
- My water tastes bitter: This usually happens when herbs like rosemary or citrus peel steep for too long. Aim for no more than 2-4 hours with stronger herbs, and keep your citrus slices thin. Remove the herbs from the pitcher after a few hours if you're storing it longer.
- The flavor is too mild: Let it steep a bit longer, or gently press the fruit and herbs again with a spoon. You can also add a bit more fruit or try lightly crushing the ingredients before adding the water for a stronger flavor right away.
- My sparkling water went flat: Sparkling water loses its bubbles fairly quickly. For the best fizz, add the sparkling water just before serving rather than letting it steep with the fruit.
Pairing
Infused water is delicious alongside practically any meal - it's especially refreshing with brunch spreads, summer barbecues, or as a mocktail alternative at gatherings. Serve it in a clear glass pitcher to show off all those gorgeous colors!
Here are a few of my other favorite Cheerful Choices recipes to serve alongside your infused water:
Scaling
This recipe makes one 32-ounce pitcher, but it's incredibly easy to scale up for a crowd. Simply double or triple all the ingredients and use a larger pitcher or drink dispenser - no other changes needed. It's one of my favorite things to set out at parties because it serves itself!
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
Infused water is best enjoyed within 24 hours for the freshest flavor and brightest color. Store it covered in the fridge, and plan to remove the herbs after about 4 hours to prevent any bitterness from developing - the fruit can stay in longer.
For meal prep, pre-slice your fruit and citrus and store them in separate containers in the fridge for up to 3 days, so all you have to do is drop them in a pitcher and pour over water when you're ready. This makes it so easy to have a beautiful pitcher ready throughout the week with almost no effort.
Infused Water
Ingredients
- 1 small citrus fruit of your choice (lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit) - cut into slices
- 1 cup fruit of your choice, (berries, citrus slices, pineapple, mango, apple, cucumber, etc.)
- ¼ cup fresh herbs of your choice, (basil, mint, rosemary, thyme)
- Optional: 4 teaspoons fruit-flavored vinegar of choice, (raspberry vinegar, pear vinegar, strawberry vinegar, lychee vinegar)
- 1 cup ice
- 24 ounces still or sparkling water, We love using a flavored water like La Croix, 2 cans
Instructions
- Add citrus, fruit, herbs, and optional vinegar to a large 32-ounce pitcher.
- Pour over water then let sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse, then serve over ice.
- Optional: Feel free to top off your fruit and herbs with fresh water up to 2 more times within a 24 hour period, then be sure to enjoy the fruit at the end!
Notes
Nutrition
Other Drink Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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