What is watermelon agua fresca?
Agua fresca, literally “fresh water”, is a catchall term for an assortment of refreshing drinks found through Mexico and Central America. They can be made out of a number of different ingredients such as fruits, grains, or even flowers. But at their core, they are simply sweetened and flavored water.
And today we are going to share our simple recipe for one of the most popular flavors, watermelon agua fresca. It’s honestly one of the easiest drinks you could make, requiring three basic ingredients.
Watermelon, water, and sugar, that’s it!
And since it’s non-alcoholic it is the perfect drink to serve to children or designated drivers at the upcoming Cino de mayo celebrations.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- You can use any type of sweetener in this drink besides sugar. It doesn’t matter if it’s honey, agave nectar, or simple syrup. Just make sure to add a little at a time and taste the drink until it is as sweet as you prefer.
- One tip I have for picking out extra-ripe watermelons is to choose one with a big yellow spot. This is a sign that the melon has sat on the vine for an extended period of time which should mean that it is ripe and sweet.
- This recipe can easily be adapted with other types of fruit like strawberries, mangos, pineapples, and honeydew melons. Just make sure to use the same amount of fruit as you would watermelon and you’ll have yourself a delicious and refreshing drink.
- Check out our other great agua fresca recipe, Strawberry Horchata.
Watermelon Agua Fresca Recipe
Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: roughly 2 quarts
Ingredients
6 Cups of seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
4 Cups of cold water
Up to ½ Cup of sugar *See note
Juice from 1 lime, optional
*Some watermelons will be naturally sweeter than others and won’t require as much sugar. So to make sure that your agua fresca isn’t overly sweetened simply add a little sugar at a time, tasting along the way.
Instructions
- Blend the watermelon: Get out a large blender and add the cubed watermelon and half of the water to it.
Set it to high and blend the ingredients for a couple of minutes or until it is as smooth as possible.
- Strain the juice (optional): If you like a little bit of pulp in your agua fresca skip this step. If you want it to be without pulp simply strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large mixing bowl.
- Add sugar and lime to taste: Add the remaining 2 cups of water to the liquid, and stir to combine. Then taste the liquid and depending on the quality of your watermelon you might need to add some sugar for sweetness. slowly add and stir in sugar until it is sweet enough to your liking. Finally, add in the juice of 1 lime if you want to add a little bit of tartness to the drink.
- Serve the watermelon agua fresca in a tall glass with some ice cubes and enjoy!
Watermelon Agua Fresca Recipe
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 6 Cups of seedless watermelon cut into cubes
- 4 Cups of cold water
- Up to ½ Cup of sugar *See note
- Juice from 1 lime optional
Instructions
- Blend the watermelon: Get out a large blender and add the cubed watermelon and half of the water to it. Set it to high and blend the ingredients for a couple of minutes or until it is as smooth as possible.
- Strain the juice (optional): If you like a little bit of pulp in your agua fresca skip this step. If you want it to be without pulp simply strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large mixing bowl.
- Add sugar and lime to taste: Add the remaining 2 cups of water to the liquid, and stir to combine. Then taste the liquid and depending on the quality of your watermelon you might need to add some sugar for sweetness. slowly add and stir in sugar until it is sweet enough to your liking. Finally, add in the juice of 1 lime if you want to add a little bit of tartness to the drink.
- Serve the watermelon agua fresca in a tall glass with some ice cubes and enjoy!
