Nitrate & Nitrite Free Watermelon Cucumber Mint Agua Fresca
This blended drink is the definition of warm-weather refreshment — cool, lightly sweet, and bright with lime and fresh mint in every sip. Watermelon and cucumber are both naturally high in water content, which means the flavor comes entirely from whole, clean ingredients with nothing processed or cured hiding in the mix. That matters more than you might think, since many flavored beverages and store-bought fruit drinks sneak in preservatives that people trying to avoid nitrates and nitrites have to watch out for. Here, you control every ingredient from start to finish. The honey adds just enough sweetness to round out the tartness of the lime, and the fine-mesh straining step gives the final drink a silky, almost elegant texture that feels far more special than the effort involved. It's the kind of thing you can make ahead, keep cold in the fridge, and pour over ice whenever the afternoon heat hits. Serve it at a backyard gathering or just keep a pitcher to yourself — no judgment either way.
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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 mint leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1–2 tbsp honey, or to taste
- 1 cup cold water
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
- lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the watermelon cubes, chopped cucumber, mint leaves, lime juice, honey, cold water, and sea salt in 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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