These infused water recipes are for all of my peeps out there who struggle to drink enough water each and everyday. I get it. Plain water can get really boring. Especially when you’re trying to drink a gallon a day. Infused water to the rescue!

I do have to tell you something. In general, I don’t mind plain water. But I heard enough from people who just don’t love plain water, I decided to create some infused water recipes to make water more interesting. At first I created these recipes for you. Then it happened. I fell in love with infused water! Infused water is an incredible way to drink water! I’m still A-OK with plain water, but man, infused water hits. the. spot. on warm summer days. So much more interesting than plain water.

Why should you try these infused water recipes? First, they add great flaaavor to your water. You’ll feel like you’re sipping water at a spa. Just ignore the laundry and kids for a few minutes. It works, I’m telling you. 🙂 The number one reason is flavor, but vitamins from the fruits also leak into the water. Sure, it’s not the same as eating the whole fruit, but you are getting some vitamins there. Can’t complain about that.

How to Make Infused Water

Making these infused water recipes is easy. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you:

• Add your fruits and herbs to the desired about of water and let it infuse for 3-4 hours for the best flavor.
• You can also let the water infuse overnight.
• After water has infused for 12 hours or more, you should remove the fruits and herbs. The infused water can then be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• You can reuse the fruit after infusing, but the flavor will be lessened the second time.
• Citrus rinds can cause bitterness if you let them infuse too long. Remove the rinds to avoid this, or remove them after 3-4 hours of infusing.
• Wash your produce well before using in these infused water recipes. When possible, use organic produce or synthetic pesticide residue may also be infused into your water. If organic is not possible, I recommend cleaning with a vinegar wash. Although it’s debated as to whether this method is effective, I think it’s worth the extra step to help remove pesticide residue.
• Infused water should be refrigerated for storage. It will only last about 12 hours at room temperature.

Infused Water Recipes

I chose to make smaller batch recipes so I could have a variety of different infused water combinations to drink. I used seven of these wide-mouth Ball jars as together they equal roughly a gallon, which is what I’m challenging myself to drink each day this month with the Gallon A Day Water Challenge. I combined them the night before, added the lids and let them infuse overnight. Then my whole day’s worth of water was waiting for me in the morning. Perfect! Any of these recipes can be made into a larger batch by increasing the amounts of fruits and herbs you use. There is no need to be precise in measurement when infusing water.

I used four small strawberries a five small basil leaves and approximately 18 ounces of water.  You can leave the strawberries whole or slice them in half. This combination is incredible! After having a Strawberry Basil popsicle at the Everything Food Conference, I knew this would be a favorite. I’ll be making this all summer long.

You’ll need a small handful of blueberries and 2-3 lemon slices for this one. The lemon will overtake the blueberries if you let this one infuse too long. You can remove the lemon after a few hours to prevent that from happening. This is a refreshing combination!

I couldn’t decide which berry I wanted to pair with lime because I love berries+lime together, so I used a combination! I used approximately 18 ounces of water + a few blueberries + a few raspberries + a few strawberries + a few blackberries + 2 lime slices. This is a lovely infused water combination!

Fresh ginger is a part of my everyday life, so I knew I had to include a ginger-infused water! For this one I used 18 ounces of water, 5-6 peach slices, plus 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced. The result was a spicy-sweet water that I loved! If you think you’d like your water a little spicy, give this one a try!

Watermelon and mint is one of my favorite flavor combinations. For this one I used approximately 18 ounces of water, eight watermelon cubes, and about five mint leaves. Refreshing!

The classic spa water! This one uses 18 ounces of water, 5-6 slices of cucumber, and about five mint leaves. Cucumber water will transport you. If you’re up for something different, give this one a try. I’ll admit, this isn’t your everyday sweet infused water, but it’s super interesting! I used a small handful of blackberries, a few lemon slices, and one sprig of rosemary with about 18 ounces of water.

For those of you following along and participating in the Gallon a Day Water Challenge, a week has gone by and I’m happy to report I’ve been able to drink a gallon of water each day this month. I’m not giving a huge update, because so far I don’t notice a difference in my health. I’ll keep you updated to any changes I notice as the month goes on. I hope the challenge is going well for each of you, also. If you’re struggling to drink the whole gallon, definitely try these infused water recipes. Using a straw also can help you drink up!

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