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Strawberry agua fresca (strawberry water) is ridiculously tasty and refreshing. This fast, easy, fabulous recipe amplifies the strawberry flavor with hints of vanilla and lemon.
Why we love this recipe
Agua fresca is a refreshing nonalcoholic drink that’s popular in Mexico and the United States. Simply blending some fruit with water, stirring in a bit of sugar and a bit of acid, and passing it through a strainer, keeps you hydrated in the most happy-making of ways.
This recipe is:
- SO quick and easy
- Super-refreshing
- Perfectly balanced
- Classic and modern at the same time
Ingredients
Here’s all you need to make this recipe:
- Strawberries — if you can find beautiful local strawberries, great. If not, this recipe works fine with decent supermarket strawberries, too.
- Vanilla heightens the flavor of the strawberries. You can use seeds scraped from the pod or a splash of extract.
- I always like to have a jar of simple syrup in the fridge (it lasts forever). But you can use superfine sugar if you’d rather.
How to make it
Strawberry water is quick and easy to make. Here’s all you need to do!
- If you’re starting with a whole vanilla bean, slice it open and scrape out the seeds. Save half for another recipe. Or use extract.
- Hull the strawberries and pop them into the blender with half the water and the other ingredients. I love love love my Vitamix for all sorts of reasons, but a regular blender works great here too.
- Blend until perfectly smooth.
- Strain, add the other half of the water, chill, and serve over ice.
Expert tips and FAQs
Literally “fresh water” or cool water, this is a whole category of light, nonalcoholic beverages popular in Mexico, Central America, and the U.S.
Aguas frescas can be made from fruits, cereals, flowers, and seeds blended with water and a little bit of sugar.
Yes! Try watermelon or pineapple, for starters.
Sure, if you like. Sugar is traditional (and we use simple syrup to make sure it dissolves perfectly), but you can experiment with your favorite sweeteners instead.
How to serve this refreshing drink
Traditionally, aguas frescas are served straight up over ice, garnished with the fruit they contain. You can also cut it with additional cold water or sparkling water if you like. Or hey, add a splash of rum, tequila, or vodka.
Make it a whole Mexican-inspired meal
Want to chase your strawberry water with an entire fabulous meal? (I almost always do.) How about:
- Guacamole
- Black bean tacos // or ground pork tacos // or carne asada tacos
- Equites or elotes
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Strawberry Agua Fresca (Strawberry Water)
Ingredients
- 1 pound strawberries, hulled
- 4 cups ice-cold water, divided
- Enough vanilla seeds to fill the point of a sharp knife, or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup
- Ice, for serving
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the strawberries with 2 cups of the water, the vanilla seeds or extract, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Puree until completely liquid. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or through cheesecloth into a pitcher.
- Stir in the remaining 2 cups water.
- Chill completely. Pour into ice-filled glasses and serve.
Notes
- I love to have a jar of simple syrup in the fridge all the time. It’s great in cocktails and other beverages. If you don’t want to make it, you can substitute superfine sugar or experiment with other sweeteners.
- I adore my Vitamix, but a regular blender works fine for this recipe.
- You can play with other fruits, too. Some great options to start with are watermelon and pineapple.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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