Watermelon Water (a.k.a. agua fresca)

A glass of watermelon water with lime and mint leaves.

Want a light, quenching summer drink? Watermelon water is the freshest, simplest, most honest summer beverage you can sip. Agua de Sandia (a.k.a. watermelon agua fresca) is an everyday refresher throughout Mexico and Central America, made with fresh fruit juice and sweetener.

A whole watermelon with a wedge of watermelon next to it.

As we approach August, there’s one thing that pretty much all of us can count on…  It’s gonna be hot.   Really hot. And as picturesque as it may look outdoors — with lots of puffy, white clouds and blue skies, the fact remains… you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.  

You might think your only option is to barricade yourself indoors under a blanket of air-conditioning, watching a marathon of Outlander, but here’s another way to cool off—watermelon water.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • It’s all natural with no food dyes or artificial ingredients.
  • Watermelon agua fresca is healthier than sodas or other uber-sugary drinks.
  • It’s very refreshing and quenching.
  • Kids and adults love this summer sipper.
  • It’s easily modified to suit your tastes.

What’s in ?

  • Watermelon – Use a ripe, in-season* watermelon. I use the small seedless variety, but you can also use the last remnants of a large seeded watermelon.
  • Simple Syrup – made with equal parts sugar and water; this sweetener has no sugar granules to sink to the bottom of your watermelon water, because they’ve already been dissolved.
  • Lime Juice – Balances the natural sweetness of watermelon; otherwise, the drink would be one-note.

Remember the 4 “s” features when picking a watermelon:

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  • Shape – Look for a round melon.
  • Size – it should feel heavy for its size, this indicates a lot of juice inside the melon and since you’re making watermelon water… that’s important.
  • Spot – Watermelons have a field spot that indicates where the fruit lay in the fields. The spot should be a creamy yellow color, indicating it has ripened on the vine, and consequently concentrated the sugars, making the fruit sweeter. If the field spot is whitish, it’s probably not that sweet.
  • Sound – tap the fruit with your knuckles. It should make a deep, hollow sound when thumped. If the sound is flat or dull, it’s probably not ripe.

Note: Watermelons don’t continue to ripen after they’ve come off the vine, so letting them sit on the counter won’t help.

Dicing the melon into cubes.

Instructions:

  1. Chop the melon into chunks, discarding the rind.
  2. Add the fruit to a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Strain the watermelon juice through a fine mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup or bowl with a spout (easier for pouring).
  4. Add simple syrup and lime juice. Refrigerate.
  5. Serve watermelon fresca over ice (with or without garnish).

Note: you can also puree the fruit in a food processor, but many models will leak liquids if they get too full. I recommend only filling halfway with watermelon chunks and processing the fruit in batches.

I am blending watermelon in a blender.

Pro-Tips:

Many recipes leave out straining the watermelon juice, which is fine if you’re a person who likes pulp. Personally, I always get my orange juice without the pulp, so IMO, why would my watermelon water be any different. And you’d be surprised how much pulp there is in pureed melon.

It only takes a few minutes to strain, and the key is to use a spoon to stir and scrape the bottom of the strainer, which keeps the liquid in constant motion to pass silt-free into your measuring cup.

You can treat watermelon water as its own ingredient and use it for riffs in other drinks like watermelon margaritas. Here are a few more ideas.

Variations and Swaps:

  • You can swap simple syrup for other sweeteners like agave, maple syrup or use your favorite sugar substitute (like stevia) for a lower-calorie watermelon fresca.
  • To cut the sweetness and/or stretch the watermelon fresca, add ⅓ cup of spring water to each glass.
  • Add ⅓ – ½ cup of club soda or unsweetened sparkling water to each glass for bubbly watermelon water. You’ll love the effervescence; the extra water cuts the sweetness if that’s your jam.
  • Watermelon and mint is a classic combination, make a mint simple syrup by steeping a handful of mint leaves with the simple syrup and substitute it for plain simple syrup for watermelon mint agua frescas.
  • Make watermelon cocktails by adding a jigger or two of your favorite spirits like rum, tequila, vodka or gin.
  • Swap lime juice for lemon juice, or use one teaspoon of citric acid mixed with ¼ cup water.
A bottle of simple syrup to sweeten the watermelon water.

FAQ’s

Can you drink watermelon water?

Watermelon water is simply the juice of fresh blended watermelon combined with a bit of acid and sweetener, like sugar.

Why is watermelon so hydrating?

Watermelon has a very high water content, so it’s a natural refresher.

Is watermelon water tasty?

Watermelon water is delicious. It’s faintly sweet with pure watermelon flavor and a bit of lime juice to balance the sweetness.

How healthy is agua fresca?

Some of the health benefits of watermelon agua fresca are that it’s a low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium drink made with fresh fruit and naturally contains Potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C and is a good source of lycopene. It’s filled with natural electrolytes and no artificial flavors or colors. Plus, you can control the amount of added sugar.

How many carbs are in watermelon agua fresca?

There are 17 carbs in a glass of watermelon water, but you can cut the sugars by substituting with no-calorie sweeteners or eliminating the sugar altogether.

Filling the pitcher with the juices and simple syrup.

Storage and Freezing:

Store leftover watermelon water in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Even after straining the solids, there will be settling in the pitcher (it looks like a layered drink with red on the bottom and clear liquid on top). If it’s been in the fridge, stir the fresca before pouring a glass to redistribute the colors and flavors.

If you want to keep leftovers for later, pour the watermelon agua fresca into ice cube trays to freeze, then transfer the watermelon cubes to a zip-top freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Pouring watermelon fresca over ice.

To serve this delicious watermelon drink, we poured the Agua de Sandia over ice cubes and garnished with extra lime wedges, fresh mint and a thin wedge of melon.

Note: our tasters tasted this watermelon water recipe on a sweltering day in our backyard which is the ideal time to make this summer drink.

What our tasters said:

“It’s amazing how much more refreshing and hydrating this is than plain water.” — Emily

“I love the slight sweetness. You can really taste the melon. I want to make a gin and tonic with this watermelon water.” — Scott

“This is such a refreshing drink for summertime!” – Lauren

A glass of watermelon water with ice.

More non-alcoholic summer drinks:

Garnishing the drink with fruit and mint.

More watermelon recipes you’ll love:

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A frosty glass of watermelon water.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Watermelon Water

Fresh watermelon water is a simple, quenching drink made from chunks of watermelon, a squeeze of lime juice and a bit of sweetener.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword agua fresca
Dietary Restrictions Dairy-Free, Egg Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

FOR WATERMELON WATER

  • 5 cups seedless watermelon cut into chunks
  • 3 tablespoons simple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons lime juice from 2 limes

DIRECTIONS:

FOR WATERMELON JUICE:

  • Add 5 cups seedless watermelon to blender and puree until very smooth. (You may need to work in batches.
  • Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl or pitcher and strain pulp from juice through the sieve, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to yield the most juice. Discard solids.
  • Combine the juice, 3 tablespoons simple syrup and 4 tablespoons lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate until very cold.

TO SERVE:

  • Pour watermelon water into a glass filled with ice and garnish with fresh lime wedges, mint leaves and a wedge of fresh watermelon for an eye-popping presentation.

NOTES:

Store in the refrigerator in a pitcher or jar with a tight fitting lid. Pulp can settle on the bottom, so it needs to be stirred or shaken before pouring a glass.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 67.4kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.72g | Protein: 0.81g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.07g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 7.27mg | Potassium: 159.87mg | Fiber: 0.55g | Sugar: 15.34g | Vitamin A: 725.73IU | Vitamin C: 13.26mg | Calcium: 11.57mg | Iron: 0.67mg

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18 Comments

  1. Refreshing and delicious drink. I love melon.

  2. I love this! I have some watermelon in the fridge so might give this a try tomorrow.

  3. This is summer perfection! So refreshing, light and delicious Im sure!

  4. 5 stars
    This sounds so refreshing and perfect for the warm months (which are sure to turn scorcher level soon!). I’d also sneak some of that rum in mine. 😉

  5. You are right about the color – it’s beautiful! I love watermelon juice, so I know I would love this refreshing drink! And that mint syrup is a gret idea!

  6. 5 stars
    nice and fresh, I would have your watermelon aqua fresca over any soda or coke drinks. I will add some tequila and drink in my pool. Thank you for the idea

  7. refreshing and delicious drink. Don’t mind having that jar right now.

  8. 5 stars
    Watermelon screams summer! This looks like it should be made by the gallon to keep everyone happy and refreshed.

    1. That sounds like a new business plan, thanks!

  9. Places to visit in Gurgaon says:

    very informative post for me as I am always looking for new content that can help me and my knowledge grow better.

  10. Yum, this does sound refreshing! I’ll have to try it for sure