If you’re looking for an easy way to drink more water, Fruit Infused Water is a game-changer. It’s simple to make, naturally flavorful, and feels like a treat without any added sugar or artificial ingredients. Just add fresh fruits, herbs, or even veggies to cold water and let them steep. The result is crisp, refreshing, and far from plain.

You can also infuse vodka instead of buying expensive flavored vodka.

Three glasses and a pitcher of fruit infused water with various fruits and herbs, including berries, lemon, cucumber, orange, and mint, are displayed on a wooden surface.

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Refresh Your Routine with Fruit Infused Water

Why We Love It

Fruit Infused water is a fun way to make hydration more exciting. It adds subtle flavor without overwhelming your taste buds. It’s also a great way to use up leftover fruit or herbs before they go bad. Once you start experimenting, you’ll discover endless flavor combinations. Try cucumber-mint, strawberry-basil, or pineapple-mint. It’s also naturally low-calorie, so you can sip all day long without guilt.

I love fruit and these recipes have been reader favorites as well: Yogurt Fruit Salad and FAVORITE FRUIT SALAD.

Two glass bottles filled with water, lemon slices, and fresh mint leaves—perfect for Fruit-Infused Water Recipes—are each topped with a metal lid and placed on a wooden surface.

Tips for Making the Best Fruit Infused Water

Of course, you don’t really need a formal recipe for fruit-infused water. It’s as simple as adding fruit and herbs to water and letting them steep. But the general rule is one cup of fruit to three cups of water. These simple tips will help you have the best infused water.

First, cleanse your fruit and herbs thoroughly. A lot of people handle fruit from the tree to your kitchen as well as there are pesticides and insects on them. Wash with vegetable wash or soak in water and hydrogen peroxide solution. Add 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide to 1 gallon of water and soak the fruit, vegetables, and herbs for 10 minutes in the solution. Rinse with water, and you’re ready to use.
If you plan in advance, freeze the fruit and it’ll keep your water cold.
Use cold or room temperature water for the freshest flavor.
Don’t toss those fruit slices after one batch! You can usually refill the pitcher three or four times before the flavor fades. After that, compost the fruit.
Thinly slice or muddle fruits and herbs to help release their natural oils and juices.
You’ll taste a light flavor within 30 minutes, but if you let it sit longer, the flavors deepen beautifully. Let it infuse for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Drink within 12 hours to keep the ingredients fresh. Citrus can turn bitter because of the rind if it sits too long. To prevent it turning bitter, simply peel your citrus before adding it to your water.
While a little vitamin C might sneak in, the biggest benefit is that you’ll naturally drink more water.
Try sparkling water if you want a fizzy twist. Or, try coconut water for another flavor blast.

A glass pitcher filled with ice water, lemon slices, cucumber, mint leaves, and berries sits with condensation on the outside. Two striped straws and a lemon rest nearby—a refreshing idea for fruit-infused water recipes.

Favorite Combinations to Try

You could toss in any fruit and call it a day, but I like to take it up a notch with combinations of fruits and herbs. They look gorgeous in a glass and taste even better. Today, I’m sharing ten of my go-to flavor pairings.

Lemon + cucumber + mint
Lemon + Lime + mint
Lemon + cucumber + strawberry + blueberry + mint
Strawberry + basil
Strawberry + mint
Orange + blueberry + thyme
Orange + mint
Blueberry + lime + thyme
Watermelon + lime + mint
Pineapple + ginger

Three glasses of sparkling water infused with blueberries and thyme, strawberries and basil, and orange slices with mint showcase creative Fruit-Infused Water Recipes, with fresh fruits scattered on the table in front.

FAQ about Fruit Infused Water

How long should it infuse? You can sip immediately, but waiting 30–60 minutes really boosts the flavor.
How long will it last? Non-citrus blends taste great all day. For citrus, enjoy within twelve hours before bitterness sets in.
Can I use sparkling water? Absolutely! It’s a fun twist and feels celebratory.
Can you eat the fruit afterward? You can, but the flavor will mostly be gone. I usually reuse it until it’s tasteless (after 3 or 4 batches), then compost it.
How much does one batch make? Each recipe makes about a quart. I love using liter glass carafes or pitcher for parties and highball glasses or mason jars for everyday sipping.
Can I use any fruit? You can use almost any fruit to infuse water. I do not recommend using bananas. They get brown, mushy, and pretty much just gross.

A glass pitcher of cucumber lemon water with mint leaves and a wooden stirrer sits on a wooden surface next to a whole lemon.

Final Thoughts

Fruit Infused water is a simple upgrade that can make drinking water something you look forward to. It’s refreshing, customizable, and perfect for staying hydrated all year long. Keep a pitcher in the fridge, and you’ll always have a flavorful option ready to pour. Once you get started, you might even find plain water a little boring!

Also, check out Recipes Spotlighting Caramelized Onions and Classic Cherry Pie with Coconut Oil Pie Crust.