Carrageenan Free Cucumber-Basil Watermelon Agua Fresca
Summer drinks can be a minefield when you're avoiding thickeners and stabilizers — many store-bought juices, flavored waters, and bottled aguas frescas sneak in carrageenan to improve texture or shelf life. This homemade version skips all of that entirely, relying on nothing but ripe watermelon, fresh cucumber, basil, lime juice, honey, and a pinch of sea salt to create something genuinely refreshing. The blender does the heavy lifting, and straining through a fine-mesh sieve gives you a silky, clean liquid without any additives whatsoever. What you're left with is a drink that tastes like the best parts of a summer afternoon — sweet, a little herby, and bright with citrus. The honey lets you dial in the sweetness to your own taste, and the cucumber keeps the whole thing feeling cool and light rather than cloying. Served over ice with a sprig of basil or a thin cucumber slice, it looks as good as it tastes. It's the kind of thing you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all season long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 6 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes (about ½ small watermelon)
- 1 medium english cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1–2 tbsp honey, or to taste
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup cold water
For serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh basil sprigs or thin cucumber slices, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the watermelon cubes, chopped cucumber, basil leaves, lime juice, honey, salt, and cold water to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 45–60 seconds.
- 2
Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large pitcher. Pour the blended mixture through the strainer in batches, pressing gently on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
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