If you’ve resolved to make healthy changes this year, drinking more water may be a part of those goals. However, water’s tastelessness can be off-putting to many people. Infused water can make drinking water more enjoyable, and help you meet your hydration goals in 2024.
How to Make the Best Infused Water
Our bodies are about 70% water by weight, and that means water plays an essential role in our health. Water helps with temperature regulation, flushing waste from our bodies, cushioning our joints, brain and spinal cord, and delivering oxygen throughout our bodies. Infused water can help you drink more water, while also getting more vitamins and nutrients.
The simplest way to make infused water is to simply throw a few citrus slices into your water bottle. However, you might notice that your water quickly loses flavor, that some ingredients dissolve too quickly, or that the ingredients float at the top, making the water harder to drink. Here are a few tips to make the best infused water:
- Infused water bottle: Some water bottles are specially made to contain your ingredients and hold them in the middle of the bottle. This will help the flavors disperse evenly and stop them from floating at the top.
- Infused water carafe: If you prefer to keep a larger vessel in your refrigerator and fill up a glass or bottle throughout the day, infused water carafes can help you keep fresh, flavorful water on-hand.
- Crush herbs: Tougher herbs and roots, like mint, ginger, or basil, will release more flavor if they’re crushed a bit before you add them to your water.
- Hard fruits vs soft fruits: Soft fruits, like most berries or citrus, can be sliced thick, but tougher fruits, like apples, should be sliced thinner to release more flavor.
- Clean water first: It will be difficult to get the best infused water if you don’t start with great-tasting plain water. The right water filter can help remove metals, minerals, and other additives.
- Clean bottles often: Your infusion ingredients can cause mold to grow faster in your water bottle. Clean your bottle or other vessel more often if you’re making infused water.
- Empty bottles daily: To make the best infused water, don’t re-use your infusion ingredients. Dump them out in the trash or, if this seems wasteful, put them in the freezer to add them to your compost later.
12 Infused Water Recipes to Help Meet Your Hydration Goals in 2023
The best infused water recipes are refreshing and enjoyable to drink. Of course, this varies from person to person. We’ve chosen these infused water recipes because they’re unique from some of the old favorites, like cucumber mint, and because they balance sweet, tangy, and herbal flavors. However, you can adapt these recipes to your preferences, or adapt them according to what you have on-hand.
When it comes to making your own infused water recipes to meet your hydration goals, it’s a good idea to balance two or more of the following:
- Citrus: Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits are great to add a tart jolt to your water.
- Sweet: Most berries, stone fruits (like nectarines, plums, mangoes), pineapple, and others will add a pleasant sweetness.
- Refreshing: Many melons, cucumbers, apples, pears, and coconut (or coconut water) will add a light and subtle sweetness and a mellow flavor.
- Herbal: Herbs like mint, rosemary, and basil can add freshness, while ginger adds a bright zing, and flowers like lavender, rose, violets, hibiscus can add complexity and earthiness to the drink.
Whether you get joy out of specially choosing ingredients just for your water, using leftover peels and rinds to reduce waste, or some combination of the two, there’s no wrong way to do it! These recipes are made to be visually appealing as well as tasty, and to remind you of sunny, relaxing days all year round.
1. Tropical Fresca: Pineapple, coconut, lime
Add in all the flavors of a beachside pina colada, with none of the calories. Use coconut water instead of coconut chunks to amp up the flavor.
2. Garden Party: Cucumber, mint, lemon
Before, after, or during your gardening session, this slightly sour, refreshing drink will gently restore your electrolytes and hydrate you.
3. Lush Summer: Blackberry, rosemary, orange
This infused water recipe will bring you to a warm summer afternoon at any time of the year. Use mint to amp up the freshness, or lime to add more sourness.
4. Flowery Fresh: Hibiscus, blueberry, lavender,
The combination of flowers and berries will give this water infusion a lovely bluish-purple color. Add some honey for a bit of sweetness.
5. Sunny Day: Orange, pineapple, cantaloupe
These yellow-orange fruits will provide an appealing sunny color, as well as plenty of vitamins and minerals. The sweet, summery taste is an extra bonus.
6. Orchard Afternoon: Apple, lemon, ginger
The apple in this infused water recipe will help to balance the stronger lemon and ginger flavors in this water infusion.
7. Starry Evening: Plum, blackberry, violet
Violets appear in early spring, and might appear in your backyard. These edible flowers have a very subtle flavor, but will look exceptionally elegant with these bluish-purple fruits.
8. Beach Vacation: Mango, orange, coconut, lime
Smooth as well as sweet, this infused water recipe will transport you to a tropical escape.
9. Spring Zing: Grapefruit, pineapple, cinnamon, ginger
Pineapple adds sweetness to this tart and zesty combination of citrus, cinnamon, and ginger.
10. Spicy Wake-Up: Lemon, apple, cayenne pepper, ginger
After (or even instead of) coffee, wake up with this spicy, sour, and refreshing infused water recipe.
11. Red Light: Strawberry, blood orange, rose
Trade rose for hibiscus in this infused water and enjoy a pleasant reddish-pink color as well as a slightly sweet flavor.
12. Green Light: Honeydew, kiwi, mint
These flavors are subtle but refreshing, perfect for a post-workout water infusion.
Meet your hydration goals in 2024 the fun way with a variety of infused water recipes. Try these, make your own twists, or experiment with completely new recipes. Don’t be afraid to jazz up the appearance or flavor with special additions, like a spring of fresh herbs or flowers, a citrus wedge or peel twist, or some decorative ice. This is an easy way to make your water more fun!
