Agua fresca is a light and refreshing fruit drink perfect to quench the thirst during summer. These are flavored naturally using fresh fruits. We love this watermelon-flavored one, but it can be made with any other juicy melon that you have. It is easy to make and a delicious treat savored by the young and the old. VEGAN DAIRY FREE
Sip a glass of Agua Fresca on a hot day and you will immediately feel refreshed. No wonder it is such a popular drink all over Central America. It is essentially a chilled drink made with fruit juice and optional flavorings. Abundant ripe watermelons of the season make Watermelon Agua Fresca – a refreshing start to this year’s #cookoutweek !
What is Agua Fresca
Agua Fresca is a refreshing summer drink made with fresh fruits and sometimes veggies and seeds. You can find these drinks of all kinds of flavors in street-side stalls in Central America and here in the US, many authentic Mexican eateries serve it as well. It is a non-alcoholic drink and can be made easily at home.
Why We Love It
This is one of the summer drinks that we love. Though we make it often with watermelon, other melons like honeydew, golden melon, and cantaloupe are good flavorings as well.
It is a nonalcoholic drink and is kid-friendly as well. So when there is a backyard bbq this is a great dring to have on hand. I have been told that a bit of Tequila or Rum or Triple Sec works wonders in this.
The most popular one among kids is Watermelon Agua Fresca – maybe because of the color. It is the easiest one to make. Melons, especially watermelon is easy to blend and is easily available in all the supermarkets.
Making Agua Fresca
The recipe for Agua Fresca is very simple! Blend the fruit with fresh water!
If you are using a blender, as I did here, the juices can get full of pulp. Depending on your preference you could choose to strain it or not. The recipe here asks for straining the juice, but that is not always the case. Even when I filter, I do not use a fine-mesh strainer. I use a medium to large mesh so that larger chunks of fibers, that you could feel as you drink are removed. Unfiltered juice will have some solids separate and float to the top when left standing for some time. When that happens just stir it back in.
If you are concerned about nutrition or blood sugar then do not filter. In which case do not add any extra sugar either. I find the natural sugars of the fruits combined with the citrus sweet and refreshing enough most of the time.
Variations
Here are a few other fruits that are great to make agua fresca
- Pineapple
- Guava
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Dragon Fruit
- Papaya
- Kiwi
Use a juicer or strain any fruit that has a lot of seeds like guava.
Go ahead make a few mugs of these for your next summer get together.
Watermelon Agua Fresca
Ingredients
- 5 C Ripe Watermelon Peeled and diced. Notes
- 2 C Chilled water
- 1 Tbsp Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 – 2 Tbsp Raw Sugar As needed
To Serve
- Crushed Ice
- 1 Lemon
- Few Mint leaves
Instructions
- Place the water melon slices in a blender jar and blend at high till smooth. You may have to do this in batches depending on your blender. Strain the juice into large pitcher or bowl.
- If the watermelon is not sweet enough add 1 – 2 tbsp of sugar to 1 C water and stir to mix. Add the water and fresh lemon juice to the pitcher and mix. Taste and add more sugar only if necessary . Stir and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or till needed .
- Slice the lemon into thin rounds. Fill a glass with crushed ice , place a slice of lemon on top and add 1 -2 bruised mint leaves. Top off with the chilled agua fresca and serve.
Notes
- Use any juicy melon. You may have to add more chilled water to thin it to your preference
- Usually I start with watermelon that is already chilled. In that case it is ready to serve right away.
- The summertime watermelons are sweet that you don’t have to add extra sugar.
- Do not skip the lemon juice.
Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.
Robotance
Tuesday 7th of August 2018
Watermelons are the best for summers. They are those delicious angels who help us to go through the harsh summers. I love the name Agua Fresca. Beautiful creativity! You have transformed a simple watermelon juice into something more brilliant. Thanks for sharing
Syama
Friday 10th of August 2018
Thank you for the kind words !
Christie
Sunday 1st of July 2018
I'm a total watermelon addict! This is totally going on the menu.
Farrah
Monday 25th of June 2018
I haven't made agua fresca for the longest time, but this looks awesome! <3 Perfect for summer!
Wendy
Monday 25th of June 2018
A perfect summer refresher to enjoy poolside.