We love healthy drinks around here, like infused waters and herbal teas. Here’s a new-to-us beverage that quickly rose to favorite status: Strawberry Water! This delicious flavored water has the essence of that red berry and my, is it refreshing! Make a big pitcher and you can sip off of it for days: or it’s perfect for summer entertaining. If you like, add a splash of sparkling water and drink it as a low calorie alternative to soda. Our 4 year old couldn’t get enough of it (neither could we).
Ingredients in strawberry water
Ready to get started? You’ll need just 3 ingredients for strawberry water, besides good old H20. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
1 pound fresh strawberries (you could also use frozen thawed berries)LimeSugar
The best method: aqua fresca, not infused!
Here’s the thing: strawberry water does not work as an infused water. The concept for this strawberry water is more like an aqua fresca. Here’s why:
An infused water lets fruit sit in water for 1 or more hours. But Let sliced strawberries sit in water for over 1 hour, and they start to disintegrate. This looks unappealing and doesn’t add much flavor. (Trust us, we tried it!)An aqua fresca blends water with fruit. This works much better with berries: it comes out with a bright color and more of the berry flavor. The typical aqua fresca is sweetened quite a bit, so for this strawberry water we cut back the sugar so it’s barely sweet.
How to make strawberry water: basic steps
How to make strawberry water? Blend berries first before adding cold water. The results in a beautifully bright pink water that’s just barely sweetened. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe below):
Blend the strawberries with 1 cup water, lime juice and sugar. You can adjust the lime and sugar to taste. The sweetener is very minimal, but it’s nice to have otherwise it turns out very tart. Add the remaining cold water. You can drink immediately, or store for up to 3 days!
Alternative sweeteners
This strawberry water is best with a little sweetness, otherwise it tastes very tart and flat. Sugar is to fruit as salt is to vegetables: it brings out the essence of the flavors! If you prefer not to use sugar, use an equal amount of one of the following:
Maple syrupHoneyAgave nectarCoconut sugar
Add a splash of sparkling water if you like
This strawberry water is fantastic on its own! You’ll notice that the flavor mellows over time, if you store it over a few days. We made a big pitcher and then used it as a fun drink replacement for soda. It’s fantastic topped off with a little sparkling water – it almost tastes like a mocktail! This homemade strawberry soda is the sweetened version of this, but we like the water version better.
More strawberry drinks
Strawberry drinks are king in the summer! Here are a few more tasty beverages made with strawberries:
Try a glass of Strawberry LemonadeGo for a Strawberry Vodka Cocktail or Strawberry Basil G&TGrab bubbly Strawberry SodaTry a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
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