Carrageenan Free Classic Cucumber Lime Agua Fresca
This refreshing drink is everything you want on a hot day — cool, lightly sweet, and bright with citrus in every sip. Store-bought flavored waters and bottled juice drinks are notorious for sneaking in additives and thickeners like carrageenan, which makes a homemade version like this one genuinely worth the extra few minutes. Here, the base is nothing but fresh English cucumber, real lime juice, water, and a simple homemade syrup you whip up in under five minutes — completely clean and totally transparent. Blending the cucumber and pressing it through a fine-mesh strainer gives you a silky, smooth liquid without any gums or stabilizers doing the work. The salt is a small but smart touch that rounds out the sweetness and makes the lime pop in a way that feels almost restaurant-quality. Poured over ice with a few mint sprigs and lime slices, it looks as good as it tastes and comes together with almost no effort.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the simple syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
For the agua fresca
- 2 large english cucumbers (about 2 lb total), peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
- 2 cups cold water
- ¼ tsp salt
For serving
- ice, for serving
- lime slices, for serving (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool for 15 minutes.
- 2
Add the chopped cucumber and 1 cup of the cold water to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 45–60 seconds.
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