Cucumber Agua Fresca Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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Cucumber Agua Fresca

33 reviews / 4.7 average

Cucumber Agua Fresca! Cucumber, lime, mint, lemongrass, sugar, and honey. The perfect tart + fresh summery drink!

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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The ingredients for cucumber water include mint, chunks of cucumber, lime wedges, some sugar, some ginger, and some honey.

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.

Cucumber agua fresca in a pitcher.

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.

Cucumber agua fresca in a pitcher with ice-filled glasses.

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.

Cucumber agua fresca in a glass.

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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A picture of Cucumber Agua Fresca

Cucumber Agua Fresca


  • Author: Lindsay
  • 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

Scale
  • 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

  1. Blend the cucumbers, basil, limes, lemongrass, sugar, honey, and 2 cups water together until smooth-ish.
  2. Using a fine mesh strainer to catch all the pulp, pour the agua fresca into a pitcher. Discard pulp.
  3. Mix an additional 2 cups water into the pitcher. Store in the fridge and serve over ice! SO GOOD.

Equipment

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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75 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This looks delicious, and as I’m very pregnant right now and not drinking alcoholic beverages, I think this would be just the thing to battle the Texas heat! Do you think a regular old blender will handle the limes? One of these days I’ll own a Vitamix!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I just made it in a regular blender and it worked great! So delicious. Might suggest reducing the sugar a tad if you’re not a fan of super sweet things.

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This is so refreshing and easy! Added ice directly in Vitamix and didn’t need to strain. I’m also a fan of bitter. Thanks for this summer recipe.

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Delicious! Great drink to have by the pool! I made the recipe with mint and put some sliced cucumbers in the glass with plenty of ice! It tastes the best when the ice melts some. Super refreshing!

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    How do you think this would work with a lemon??? I have lemons and I have bottled lime juice…which would you go with?

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I just made this with mint and lemon instead of the basil, lime, and lemongrass paste. I used fresh lemon and think it is great!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Making these this weekend…. with a bit of rum or tequila as my baby makin days are over. 😉☀️🍹

    Congrats on your pregnancy!!

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I have been looking for a summer drink. It’s been so hot this month and I don’t feel like eating as much, so this is perfect! Its so refreshing and hydrating and delicious. Thank you for sharing.

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I was skeptical, but Oh. My! It is so good! I could absolutely drink a pitcher myself, just as it is!
    (Also taste tested with spirits for those not pregnant and this drink favors vodka over tequila)

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This is the best drink I’ve had all summer! Love it. I’d add even a little more basil.

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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.

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This was SO good. Really loved the slight bitterness from the lime peel. It was a little too sweet for my tastes – I’ll prob cut the white sugar in half next time. I also love adding a teaspoon of chia seeds to a glass of agua fresca right before serving.

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Gulp of Yum! Can’t imagine a more refreshing summer beverage! We did peel our cukes and limes. Enjoy!

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I just made this using some extra large cucumbers from my garden that I didn’t know what to do with. I used a combination of mint and basil and I substituted a lemon for one of the limes because that’s what I had. It turned out FANTASTIC! The perfect summer “sip all day” drink. Can’t wait to try some different flavor combinations.

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I love how low calorie this drink is. I know my crew would love one of these after a hot shift in the sun. It just looks so refreshing! Thanks for sharing and I’ll definitely be giving it a try 🙂
    -Tim

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    So I hear drinking Cucumber juice before going to bed helps people lose weight and flatten their stomach. I do drink Vinegar water from time to time and that did work. Biut it gets costly. How long do you think drinking Cucumber juice might take for it to be effective?

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Drinking this right now and it’s soooo good! Perfect for blazing hot Georgia summers. I didn’t have lime so I used lemon. Works great. I’ll also note that it blended up totally fine in my very old magic bullet, so you can use any blender and make it happen!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      If a person can’t have refined sugar can you substitute with some stevia or more honey?

  16. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This recipe is great! I have been looking for mocktail ideas to have during the week and this hits the spot. I like the recipe as is, but I may try reducing the sugar next time. I also love it topped with sparkling water for even more of a mocktail feel!