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If you struggle to drink enough water throughout the day, try one of these easy recipes for Infused Water. Made with fresh fruit and herbs of choice, Fruit-Flavored Water is a simple way to make drinking water much more enjoyable!
My Favorite Way to Enjoy Water
While I always start my day with a homemade latte and I love sipping on mint lemonade on a hot summer afternoon, the main source of my hydration comes from water. But given that the average person should consume a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day, plain old water can get boring fast.
My number one way to combat this is to make fruit-infused water. The process of making infused water couldn't be easier, and flavored water goes down a lot easier! Not to mention, there is something about drinking infused waters that makes me feel all fancy.
Happy Drinking! xo Kristen
Recipe Highlights
What You Need to Make Fruit-Infused Water
- Water: If you have well water, hard water, or tap water that has an aftertaste, use filtered, or distilled water for the best results.
- Glass Jar: You do not need a special infusion water bottle to infuse water, but I do suggest using a glass jar, such as a mason jar, as some types of plastic can leach flavors into the water.
- Fruits: Melons, berries, kiwi, and citrus fruits are all good options. Apples, pears, and peaches do not seem to do well in terms of infusing water with flavor. And I love the flavor of cucumbers (yes, cucumbers are technically a fruit!)
- Herbs (optional): If you would like add herbs to your fruit-infused water for another layer of flavor. Lavender, cilantro, basil, mint, fresh ginger, and cinnamon sticks all add a beautiful flavor to infused waters.
How To Infuse Water
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Add fruit and/or herbs of your choice to a 32-ounce clean glass jar.
- Gently muddle the fruit and herbs a bit with the back of a spoon to help release natural flavors.
- Cover with filtered water.
- Refrigerate for 3 hours before enjoying.
Infused Water Flavor Combinations
While there are limitless variations when it comes to making fruit-infused water, use these flavor combinations to guide and inspire you. And then mix and match flavors to your heart's content!
- Blackberry Mint Infused Water: This blackberry mint flavored water is my favorite infused water flavor! It screams freshness and brightness from the mint and yet with a subtle blackberry flavor.
- Blueberry Orange Infused Water: The sweet blueberries and tart fresh oranges make this fruit-flavored water sing with flavor.
- Lemon Lime Infused Water: I recommend using both sliced lemons and sliced limes to create water that is incredibly refreshing and filled with the essence of fresh citrus.
- Strawberry Cucumber Infused Water: The combination of the crisp freshness of cucumbers with the sweetness of the strawberries is incredibly refreshing.
Helpful Tips
- Clean everything! Whatever jar or pitcher you use to make the infused water, be sure they are well-cleaned. That goes for the fruit, vegetables, and herbs as well.
- To peel or not to peel? Kiwi and melon must be peeled before using them to infuse with water. Citrus fruit that is often zested, doesn't need peeled. In fact, their peels impart HUGE flavor.
- Slice fruit for more flavor. Keep in mind that slicing fruit will impart more flavor to the water itself. Small berries can be left whole.
- Don't use frozen fruit. I don't recommend using frozen fruit when making infused water as it will not release as much flavor and can break down easily in the water.
- Make Multiple Infusions. Once you reach the halfway point of the infused water, you can opt to refill with water and chill again, repeating the process for up to 2 days. Fruits with strong flavors, such as lemon, pineapple, and orange, are best for multiple infusions. Fleshy fruits, berries, and melons are not well-suited to multiple infusions, as they break down quickly.
- Enjoy Within 48 Hours. Infused water should be stored in the refrigerator in a glass container and consumed within 48 hours of preparation. After that the water can become bitter and/or the fruit starts to break down and become mushy
More Delicious Beverages
- Pina Colada Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Tropical Kale Smoothie
- Blueberry Smoothie
- Mango Smoothie
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Fruit-Infused Water
Video
Ingredients
Blackberry Mint Infused Water
- ¼ cup fresh blackberries
- 2 small sprigs fresh mint , or about 10 mint leaves
- 4 cups filtered water
Lemon Lime Infused Water
- ½ large lime, sliced
- ½ large lemon, sliced
- 4 cups filtered water
Strawberry Cucumber Infused Water
- ½ cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- ½ cup cucumber, sliced
- 4 cups filtered water
Blueberry Orange Infused Water
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 1 large orange, sliced
- 4 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Place the fruit and/or herbs of your choice into a clean glass jar with a lid or a glass pitcher. Muddle (or break) up the fruit and herbs a bit with the back of a spoon to help release natural flavors.
- Cover with 4 cups of filtered water and place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Enjoy within 48 hours for best results. Keeping in mind that after 24 hours, you may want to remove the fruit and herbs to prevent the water from becoming bitter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my go-to refreshing drink after working in the garden all day! It's so refreshing and I always look forward to it.
Absolutely love hearing this, Faith! Thank you for sharing!
Loved the precise information and formulas. Worth the time in reading.
I like strawberry, lemon, and mint in my water or I do lime,orange, and lemon. So you have any ideas on
using kiwi? I love it but it has no flavor in the water
Hi Kim! Honestly, the best way to infuse kiwi into water is to blend peeled kiwi with water and then chill.
Cover with 4 cups of tap or filtered water and place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or 12 hours for really flavorful, tangy water.
After 24 hours, remove the fruit and herbs to prevent the water from becoming bitter.
So is i 3-12 hours, or 24hrs? I can't seem to find this anywhere. I'm making strawberry lemon infused water. Trying to figure out how to do it properly.
Hi CJ. You want to wait at least 3 hours but 12 hours is best.
Anyone have an opinion on the water filters that are built into refrigerators? My fridge dispenses water on the front.. as well as ice cubes. Do these filters count as good water filters?
I replace my refrigerator filter every couple of months as instructed per the manual. I do have a whole house filtration system on top of this, which I feel is superior.
What do you do with the fruit after drinking the water? That might seem like a strange question but it doesn't flavor the water as well after using it and I hate throwing it away.
Smoothies are one idea I have thought of but would love other ideas.
Honestly, I would discard or eat myself. The fruit has little flavor left after sitting in the water.