Watermelon Water (Agua Fresca)

Watermelon water is super refreshing and easy to whip up on hot days. Just get out your blender and gather up the four ingredients you'll need - watermelon, cold water, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and a little bit of sugar.

Watermelon water (or watermelon agua fresca) is easily one of the most refreshing things ever - it's slightly sweet and super hydrating. It should come as no surprise that watermelon consists of 92% water, according to the Mayo Clinic Health System, making it perfect for transforming into a thirst-quenching beverage. 

Watermelon is a popular melon in the US and is perfect for staying refreshed and hydrated on a hot summer day. This Watermelon Water recipe keeps things simple and is easy to adjust to suit various tastes whether you need to make it more or less sweet or want to introduce other flavors (like ginger) to the drink.

Watermelon water is great with SO many dishes! I highly recommend pairing it with this Mexican Fruit Salad which calls for watermelon! Or serving it up with a Chorizo Quesadilla or Chipotle Chicken Salad or these Walking Tacos (or Taco in a Bag). It's also perfect for breakfast with a cinnamon-sugar dusted Dutch Baby. If you love watermelon, check out what I thought of Bubly's Watermelon sparkling water.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's delicious and refreshing. Not or. Since watermelon is 92% water, it makes sense to turn it into a tasty beverage!
• It's a great way to use up a watermelon that isn't sweet enough. Adding sugar and/or a cucumber is a great way to dress up disappointing watermelon - and the tradeoff is a refreshing drink made with fresh food.
• It's easy to make. Four ingredients and a blender yields delicious results. Watermelon juice so refreshing.

• Seedless watermelon - Opt for seedless here because you'll be blending the watermelon and not having to pick the seeds out will make the process of preparing this refreshing watermelon juice go a lot faster!
• Cold water - Use filtered or bottled for the best results. Just a little cold water is needed to help thin the watermelon juice out and make it drink more like water.
• Sugar - I opted for granulated white sugar because easy button. But it's also great with granulated cane sugar.
• Lime juice - Freshly squeezed is best! But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't cheated and used lime from concentrate instead. Or you could also toss in some crystallized lime.

This recipe makes approximately 5 cups (40 ounces) of watermelon juice but can be easily doubled or tripled.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!

Variations

This watermelon agua fresca recipe is easy to riff off of to make dozens of super tasty variations. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

• Herby - Watermelon pairs super well with basil, fennel, and mint! Consider buying fresh herbs, then muddle them in the bottom of your glass before serving for the freshest tasting results.
• Fruit-forward - Blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, pomegranate, and raspberries all pair super well with watermelon. Add one or multiple to make your watermelon water even more fruit-forward. Do not sleep on adding in a cucumber here, watermelon and cucumber are flavors that belong together!
• Ginger - Add in a little piece of fresh ginger during blending! It adds a little zestiness. Alternatively, you could also add in a couple dashes of ground powdered ginger.
• Spicy - Yes, watermelon water is great with a little heat! Recently inspired by El Burrito Mercado's Minnesota State Fair Watermelon drink Agua de Sandia, you could drizzle in a little chamoy sauce for a tart, zesty bite! You could also sprinkle in some Tajin seasoning (which is a chile lime seasoning) or a dash or two of cayenne pepper to bring a little or a lot of heat.

How to Make Watermelon Water - Directions

1. Step 1: Cut seedless watermelon into cubes. This is also a great way to use up funky shaped watermelon pieces; you know, the ones left behind from using a melon baller.
2. Step 2: Add cubed watermelon, water, sugar, and lime juice into a blender.
3. Step 3: Blend on high for 20-30 seconds. Taste and add more sugar or lime juice until it's just perfect for you.
4. Step 4: Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the watermelon water. Use the back of a spoon to help push the watermelon pulp through the sieve. Discard the pulp caught in the strainer or save for another use.
5. Step 5: Serve immediately over ice, or refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving for chilled results without using ice.

Equipment

For this recipe you will need a blender and a fine mesh sieve. I recently upgraded to a Vitamix blender (this specific one) and it has been a game changer. Worth the money!

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Recipe FAQs

If you like watermelon, you may also like

these fruit dishes and these fruity sparkling waters.

If you tried this Watermelon Agua Fresca recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!