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This is so refreshing and the perfect summer drink! I tried the mint and ginger variation and it was delish. This will be made again many times.
christina
This is a summery cucumber agua fresca, and it is the only summer drink I ever want to drink in the summer from now until… the end of summer.
(Long live summer.)
I recently learned about agua fresca and I won’t ever be the same.
Some things I learned:
- An agua fresca is a light, non-alcoholic drink.
- The translation literally means “fresh water” or “cool water.”
- It’s popular in Mexico, Central America, and the US.
- It’s usually made with fruits, flowers, seeds, etc. that are blended with sugar and water.
- IT’S REALLY MY FAVORITE THING EVER RIGHT NOW.
Here’s my current favorite version: cucumber, lime, mint, lemongrass (had some left over from this salad, remember?), sugar and honey.
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What happens now is you blend it.
And it’s going to get a bit chunky – no worries. You’re just going to pour it through a strainer to remove your pulp, so all you’re left with is the extremely potent, lightly sweet, totally refreshing good stuff.
Which will then be watered down further (to your liking!) and poured over ice to make the best thing you’ve sipped on all summer.
The color is gorgeous and the flavor is like a sweet and cooling waterfall for your mouth with just a slight bite from the lime because, yes, we put the whole lime in there.
I could actually drink a full pitcher of this stuff. It’s AMAZING.
This particular version of agua fresca was inspired by A Spicy Perspective’s cucumber ginger mint agua fresca! Here’s a post with 4 ways to do cucumber agua frescas from Muy Delish. You can learn more about agua fresca here.
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Cucumber Agua Fresca
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Cucumber Agua Fresca! Cucumber, lime, mint, lemongrass, sugar, and honey. The perfect tart + fresh summery drink!
Ingredients
- 3 small cucumbers, cut into chunks
- 10 fresh basil leaves (or mint!)
- 2 whole limes, unpeeled and cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste or fresh lemongrass (can also use ginger)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 cups water + an additional 2 cups water later
- ice for serving
Instructions
- Blend the cucumbers, basil, limes, lemongrass, sugar, honey, and 2 cups water together until smooth-ish.
- Using a fine mesh strainer to catch all the pulp, pour the agua fresca into a pitcher. Discard pulp.
- Mix an additional 2 cups water into the pitcher. Store in the fridge and serve over ice! SO GOOD.
Equipment
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Buy Now → Notes
For two people, we usually drink half of our batches that evening, and then keep the rest in the fridge and finish it the next night! Use best judgment in terms of food safety with your extras, as unpasteurized juices (especially ones that are not served fresh) can be unsafe for certain people.
Potentially unpopular opinion? But I like to leave the WHOLE lime in the juice because the rind and pith of the lime gives a bitterness to the finished agua fresca that I think is so, so delicious. (Reminds me of this pie.) Also, since I don’t add alcohol to mine, this helps it feel slightly more like a cocktail. 🙂 If you’re not a fan of any bitter flavor, just use lime juice instead of whole limes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Spanish
Keywords: agua fresca, cucumber agua fresca, summer drink
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the unpeeled limes made it very bitter… 🙁
Had to throw it out…
I might try again with peeled limes
Picked up my CSA veggies today and received 3 cucumbers with a link to this recipe! Live in NJ. Now I will definitely have to try it! 😁
What about carbonated water instead of still?
That would be good too!
Soooo good and easy to make! Works really well with different sweetener options too!
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didn’t have lemongrass but still tasted great 🙂
Next time I would only add lime juice and not the whole lime. The lime skin made the drink extremely bitter and ruined it for me. I was going to take this to a friend’s cottage, but figured it wouldn’t be a crowd pleaser due to the bitterness. I tried doctoring it with additional sweetness, mint, cucumber. The bitterness really shines through. Next time will trust my intuition and only use the lime juice. I’ll still drink it as to not waste it.
It’s 97 in Buffalo today, I’m pregnant and craving anything BUT plain water. Enter this recipe…. This is life. It’s perfectly bitter, deliciously hydrating and “refreshin’” as my four year old says. I made the mint and ginger variation, left out the white sugar completely. My husband and I drank the whole pitcher in one sitting. 20/10
So hot here right now too! Glad this was refreshing for you!
Just made it and totally delicious. I didn’t have lemongrass so I just left it out and it was still great. Used mint. Great for a warm day.
I tried this and the cucumber & honey combination is something I need more in my life! We had a concrete driveway installation job and the homeowner brought out a recipe very similar to this and me and the team loved it. Quenched out thirst on a hot summers day!
Cheers!
Can’t wait to try this with a bit of jalapeño to spice it up!
One of the buddies brought a pitcher of this in to work last week and I haven’t stopped thinking about it lol! It’s gonna be our go-to drink for the summer for sure 😀 10/10
This recipe popped up right after a run, so I jumped right on it and made this. I’d already squeezed my limes, so just used juice. Absolutely delicious! And definitely an Insta-worthy looking drink.
This looks amazing! If one were to add alcohol, what & how much would you add? Thanks!
Made this for a pool party and it was a hit! Don’t be afraid to put the lime in unpealed. Straining it took some time, but it was worth it!
Someday I’ll remember northeastern citrus ≠ CA citrus! I’m assuming my lime was significantly larger since this was unpalatably bitter. I made a half-batch (thankfully) with ginger and basil. Added a pinch of salt, vanilla syrup, and some rum in an attempt to make it drinkable.
Making cookie & kate’s tzatziki today and used the leftover cucumber juice to riff on this:
juice from approx 10oz grated cucumber
juice of 1/2 lime
1-ish oz vanilla simple syrup
1 can ginger citrus sparkle water
Yum!
I made these with mint instead of basil and loved it. I also agree to cut the sugar a little bit OR add sparkling water when serving to help cut sweetness and stretch the batch.
I wish I would have thought an about the bitter element the lime rind would add to the drink. It overpowers the cucumber and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. Otherwise this is a solid recipe, but I would exclude the whole limes, and just use juice, next time.
So delicious with ginger.
Summertime bingo recipe number one. Check. And so glad I made it!
You are a crackerjack chemist! The lemongrass is the main event and, for a non alcoholic drink, it has many layers. Next time, I think I’m going to pair it with gin and maybe in lieu of the sugar make a mint simple syrup.
Very tasty! Thank you! I used half the amount of sugar and it was just right for me 😃.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this, Marjon!
This is yummy!! I love mocktail recipes and this drink is also a great way to use up CSA cucumbers. Definitely will make again. Thank you!!
This drink is to die for. I occasionally add gin or vodka to it …. Excellent!
Do you recommend mint or basil in this drink?
Basil was the herb we originally used, so we’d definitely recommend that!
Had an extra cucumber, so we made this drink this evening. So yummy! I have made it twice, and we have decided we like it better with the mint. Very simple and refreshing!