Infused Water Recipes and Benefits

Flavor-infused water is making waves in a big way. In fact, water in general is a hit these days, with bottled water sales outpacing soda in the US for the past couple of years.¹ A famous Michigan-based seltzer brand has more than doubled their profits in the same timeframe.²

Choosing water may be better for our health and waistlines, but purchasing prepackaged water isn't environmentally friendly. Plastic bottles take at least 450 years to degrade, and Americans discard about 1,500 aluminum cans per second.^3,4 Additionally, some commercially sold flavored waters contain additives that may not be beneficial to your health.⁵

Here’s a better way to get your daily H₂O—make your own infusions! Whether you prefer it flat or bubbly, the possibilities are endless. You'll also get a nutritional boost from using only natural ingredients. Plus, it's more cost-effective to make infused water yourself, and it only takes a little fruit to create a big flavor!

What is Fruit-Infused Water vs. Fruit-Flavored Water?

It may seem like the same thing, but there are significant differences between fruit-infused and fruit-flavored water, particularly in terms of calorie count, flavor, and appearance.

What's Infused Water?
Infused water is created by adding chunks or slices of fruit and other natural ingredients to water, allowing it to sit for a few hours so the flavors can permeate the water.

What’s Flavored Water?
Flavored water is produced by adding juices or extracts to water.

While both options are tasty, infused water generally has fewer calories because the fruit remains intact, imparting flavor while keeping most of the juice inside. Since fruit juice contains natural sugars, thus calories, squeezing the fruit to flavor your water can increase the calorie content but potentially enhance the nutrient intake. However, infused water may taste slightly different from flavored waters, even when using the same fruits. When you infuse water with fruit, as opposed to using the juice, the rind or skin also imparts flavor, particularly with citrus fruits, lending a bright and tangy zing to the water.

Since the fruit pieces can remain in your infused water while you drink it, you get a fun splash of color along with the flavor, making your water bottle's contents visually appealing!

How to Fruit-Infuse Water

The first step to making infused water is to choose your flavors! Don’t limit yourself to just fruit; you can add herbs, spices, edible flowers, and even vegetables to your water infusions.

Fruit-Infused Water
You can use practically any fruit, such as citrus fruits, berries, apples, pears, mango, pineapple, coconut, passionfruit, and cucumber.

Vegetable-Infused Water
Celery, carrots, and fennel can all be used in water infusions.

Herb-Infused Water
Rosemary, mint, basil, parsley, cilantro, and thyme make great additions to infused water.

Water Infusions with Spices
Try adding cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, cloves, or vanilla bean.

After selecting your ingredients, rinse them thoroughly and slice them into smaller pieces to accelerate the infusion process. You can leave smaller berries whole if desired, and keep the skins on the fruits based on your preference. Spices can be used whole (like pairing cinnamon sticks with green apple slices), chopped (like adding chunks of ginger to peach infusion), or mixed in as a pinch of powdered herbs or spices (like adding a pinch of cayenne to lemon-infused water). See below for more recipe ideas using herbs and spices.

Add your chosen ingredients to a water infuser, or use large-mouthed glass bottles or jars with lids. Pour in some filtered water, cover, and refrigerate. Some ingredients need a couple of hours to impart their flavors, though citrus will be detectable almost instantly, whereas berries and herbs take longer.

Once you’ve finished your infused water, you can refill the container with more filtered water and reuse the ingredients, though the flavor may not be as strong the second time around.

Water Infusers

While not absolutely necessary, infuser bottles or water infusion pitchers are beneficial, especially if you plan to use herbs that could be swallowed accidentally—like basil leaves or small berries. There’s nothing wrong with ingesting the ingredients, but loose ingredients can pose a choking hazard if unexpected.

Water infusers function similarly to teapots or tea infusers. A basket-like container within the bottle keeps the flavor-contributing ingredients separated from the water while allowing them to mingle.

You can also use a smaller infuser, such as a mesh tea infuser, to infuse a smaller amount of water, like 32 ounces (4 cups), with fresh herbs like ginger or basil.

Healthy Water Flavoring

The best infused-water recipes use natural ingredients in flavor combinations you’ll love, helping you drink more water! Most homemade infusions with natural fruits, vegetables, and herbs are significantly healthier than store-bought flavored water, both for you and the environment. Many commercially available flavored-water drinks contain artificial sweeteners and other ingredients that aren’t 100% natural or nutritious.⁵ There are options without artificial additives or added sugar, but making your own healthy water flavors at home by infusing your water with fruit, herbs and spices, or adding your own natural fruit juices and extracts is the best choice. Here are some recipes to try at home.

Fresh Fruit Infused Water Recipes

Citrus Fruit Blends
Add slices of citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and oranges, for a boost of antioxidant vitamin C. You can even layer them in colored stacks to create a citrus rainbow in your glass!

Cucumber Water
Choose cucumber to add a refreshing flavor to your water and help keep you hydrated.

Berry Infused Water
Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that combat oxidative stress.

Blueberry Citrus Infusion
Combine blueberries and orange slices for a unique, zingy flavor.

Cherry Peach Perfection
This cheerful blend of peach slices and cherries is the perfect sip for spring.

Mango Water Infusions
Mango pairs well with many flavors, such as strawberries or oranges.

More Infused Water Recipes

Combine organic herbs, healthy spices, and fruits for unique flavor infusions, like watermelon and basil, peppermint and blackberry, pear and cinnamon, ginger and peach—here are even more water infusion recipes that include herbs and spices below!

Cayenne & Apple Cider Vinegar
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and a splash of organic apple cider with mother from BubbForest Health, which contains beneficial enzymes, minerals, and acetic acid. Read 30 Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for more ACV recipes.

Lavender & Lemon
Give your lemon water a new twist with a sprig of fresh lavender!

Mint & Berries
Toss some mint leaves and sliced strawberries or blackberries into your bottle for a refreshing infusion.

Basil & Watermelon
These two flavors complement each other perfectly—it’s the ideal water infusion for a warm summer day.

Jalapeño & Strawberries
Try combining a few jalapeño slices with strawberries for a spicy and sweet infusion.

Cinnamon Apple Water
Slice some apples and add a cinnamon stick to evoke the comfort of apple pie in your water.

You’ll never get bored with your daily H₂O when you have so many flavors to explore. You can even involve your children in creating their own fun flavor combinations. This will inspire them to drink more water and provide a mini culinary lesson.

Share your favorite water infusion recipes below! Also, boost your H₂O IQ with Water for the Win: Benefits of Water, Plus 5 Water Infusions to Try, and check out the rest of BubbForest Health’s A-Z Guide to Modern Wellness.

About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian, BubbForest Health

Lindsey is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for ice cream. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food.

Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition and, ultimately, led her to BubbForest Health.

Sources

¹ Americans Are Now Drinking More Bottled Water Than Soda. Fortune. http://fortune.com/2017/03/10/soda-tax-bottled-water-americans/

² Bears Are Betting LaCroix Is Too Bubbly. The Wall Street Journal. https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2017/04/05/bears-are-betting-lacroix-is-too-bubbly/

³ How Long Does It Take a Plastic Bottle to Biodegrade? Postconsumers. https://www.postconsumers.com/2011/10/31/how-long-does-it-take-a-plastic-bottle-to-biodegrade/

⁴ Americans Throw Away 1,500 Aluminum Cans Per Second. The Good Human. https://thegoodhuman.com/americans-throw-away-1500-aluminum-cans-per-second/

⁵ 5 Hidden Dangers of Flavored Water. WellnessNova. http://www.wellnessnova.com/2016/04/5-hidden-dangers-of-flavored-water/

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.