Aguas Frescas, Naturally Sweetened

Ingredients

• 1 large English cucumber, roughly chopped

• ¾ cup fresh lime juice, about 6–8 limes

• 5 cups cold water, divided

• 1–2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, to taste

• 1 cup ice, plus more for serving

• ½ cucumber, thinly sliced for serving

• Lime slices for serving

• Fresh mint, optional

How to Make It

1. Blend the cucumber
Add the chopped cucumber and 2 cups of cold water to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.

2. Strain, if desired
For a traditional smooth agua fresca, pour the cucumber mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher or dispenser. You can also leave it unstrained for more cucumber pulp and fiber.

3. Add the lime
Stir in the fresh lime juice and remaining 3 cups of cold water.

4. Sweeten lightly
Start with 1 tablespoon of honey or agave and stir well. Taste before adding more. The goal is refreshing and lightly sweet—not sugary.

5. Chill
Add ice, cucumber slices and lime rounds. Refrigerate until cold or serve immediately over ice.

6. Make it your own
Add a handful of fresh mint for an extra-cooling version, or replace some of the still water with sparkling water just before serving.

Healthy Swap. Same Sabor. 💚

Fruit-forward instead of sugar-forward
Many aguas frescas can contain a significant amount of added sugar. Here, cucumber and fresh lime provide the flavor, so we only need a small amount of sweetener.

Fresh ingredients, simple recipe
There are no bottled lemonade mixes or syrups—just cucumber, lime, water and a touch of sweetness.

Adjust the sweetness for your family
Start with less sweetener and let everyone taste it. You can always add more, but you may be surprised by how little you need when the drink is served really cold.

Estimated Nutrition

With 1 tablespoon of honey for the whole pitcher, one of 6 servings is roughly 20–25 calories with about 3 g of added sugar. Exact nutrition will vary with the amount and type of sweetener used.