Spice Free Cucumber-Basil Watermelon Agua Fresca
Few drinks are as instantly refreshing as a cold glass of agua fresca on a warm day, and this version layers sweet watermelon with cool cucumber and fragrant basil for something that feels genuinely special. Every ingredient here is clean and straightforward — ripe fruit, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lime, and a touch of honey — so there's nothing to second-guess if you're keeping things completely spice-free. The blender does most of the heavy lifting, and straining the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve gives you a silky, jewel-toned drink that looks as good as it tastes. A little honey and lime juice let you dial in the sweet-tart balance exactly to your liking before it goes into the fridge to chill. Serve it over plenty of ice with a sprig of basil or a thin cucumber slice floating on top, and it's the kind of thing guests will ask you to make again before they've even finished their first glass.
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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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