Water is boring. Or it can seem boring when you stand it up next to all the competitors: hyped-up energy drinks, sweet soda, flavored iced coffee concoctions, vitamin-enriched waters, rainbow-colored sports drinks, fancy bottled iced teas, etc. But it’s still the best thirst quencher out there, and the lack of calories is pretty appealing nutritionally. I know flavored waters are popular, especially the carbonated ones made with artificial sweeteners. But I find my preference is for naturally-flavored water that I make myself at home.
If I spend a few minutes in the evening pulling things together, I am rewarded with refreshing, refrigerated, virtually calorie-free goodness the next day. And when I use the tall, skinny 24-ounce pint-and-a-half Ball jars, they fit in the cup holder in my car! If I cap them off with my Cuppow lid, I’m ready to take my refreshment on the road. (Although, my friends tell me it looks like I’m drinking from an adult sippy cup.)
A couple of years ago I wrote a post about my original favorite flavor: cucumber, lemon and orange water. But this summer I’ve got three new regulars in my rotation.
1. Peach Mint
Peach Mint Flavored Water
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Quite a pretty combination that’s sweet and refreshing.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Beverage
Ingredients
- 4 slices fresh, ripe peach (about 1/4 of a small peach)
- 2 medium mint leaves
- 3 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Put peach slices and mint leaves in a pint-and-a-half mason jar or pitcher. Cover with water.
- Cover tightly, shake a few times, and refrigerate overnight.
- Shake once more right before sipping. Enjoy!
Notes
To release more flavor from the mint leaves and peaches you can muddle or bruise them as the last step before storing in the refrigerator.
2. Lemon, Basil, Cucumber
Lemon Basil Cucumber Flavored Water
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You need three ingredients to flavor this one, but cucumbers, basil and lemons are generally hanging around my refrigerator in the summer anyway.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Beverage
Ingredients
- 3 slices cucumber
- 3–4 basil leaves
- 1 slice lemon
- 3 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Put cucumber, basil, and lemon in a pint-and-a-half mason jar or pitcher. Cover with water.
- Cover tightly, shake a few times, and refrigerate overnight.
- Shake once more right before sipping. Enjoy!
Notes
To release more flavor from the basil leaves, cucumber and lemon you can muddle or bruise them as the last step before storing in the refrigerator.
3. Apple Cinnamon
Apple Cinnamon Flavored Water
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A traditional flavor combination that’s always a good match.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Category: Beverage
Ingredients
- 3 slices apple (about 1/8 of an apple)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Put apple slices and cinnamon stick in a pint-and-a-half mason jar or pitcher. Cover with water.
- Cover tightly, shake a few times, and refrigerate overnight.
- Shake once more right before sipping. Enjoy!
I don’t suppose that throwing a few leaves and fruit slices into water really constitutes a recipe, so consider these more like ideas for a place to start. I’m sure you’ve got some tasty fixins in your kitchen that would make a plain glass of water more exciting.
One quick note: I didn’t include nutrition information since I couldn’t be sure how much of the add-ins actually became part of the final product. But I am confident in saying that it’s very, very close to zero for calories and everything else. Unless of course if you fish out the peach slices and nibble on them. And if you’re chewing your beverage…that doesn’t seem boring at all.
Do you have a favorite way of flavoring water that wets your whistle?
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Kristine Duncan, Registered Dietitian
I’m a Registered Dietitian, the author of Veg Girl RD, and a vegetarian who loves to eat. I’m a nutrition nerd who teaches at the University of Washington and Skagit Valley College. I also write about nutrition professionally for magazines and books. If you want to know more, check out my About page.
4 thoughts on “3 Low-Calorie Homemade Flavored Waters”
Peaches, cucumber, and apples are all on the “Dirty Dozen” list of produce with the highest residues of pesticides/herbicides. You may want to mention that people should buy these things Organic if at all possible. Here in WA, a lot of people can even get them home-grown =)
Thanks, Gretchen. Always a good reminder. Here’s a link to the 2014 list: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php
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