How To Infuse Water In 8 Simple Steps
Originally published 1/10/16 and revised 6/14/17
Increasing the daily amount of water you drink can be challenging. However, you can get yourself to drink more water by integrating new habits and tricks into your lifestyle.
One effective way to do this is to make plain water more palatable with infused water. This article teaches you how to enhance water’s flavor with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs so that you can stay hydrated this season.
Amp water’s flavor with infused water
A healthy way to enrich the flavor of water is to infuse it with fresh herbs, spices, fruit, and/or vegetables. The end result is a delicious, refreshing any healthy beverage that you’ll enjoy drinking. All you have to do is select your favorite flavors and combine them with ice and water. If you follow the 8 simple steps listed below, you can start drinking more flavorful water today.
How to infuse water in 8 simple steps
- Gather your favorite ingredients from the list below.
- Thoroughly wash ingredients.
- Fill a glass mason jar, jug with handle, beverage dispenser or travel fruit infuser water bottle with ice.
- Place ingredients into your container.
- Fill the container with high quality water.
- Seal container with a lid.
- Place container in the refrigerator.
- Let the flavors infuse for at least 2 hours before drinking.
Notes:
- Loose herbs and flowers like lavender and dried hibiscus – can be placed in a tea infuser or cheesecloth during infusion.
- Softer fruits like citrus and strawberries can be sliced thick, thin, halved or quartered. Harder fruits like apples should be thinly sliced because they take longer to release flavors.
- Crush fibrous ginger root, rosemary and lemongrass with a muddler or wooden spoon.
- Tear or crush leafy herbs like basil, mint and cilantro to release their oils.
- If you plan to infuse for longer than 1-2 hours, remove the rinds, piths, and peels from all citrus fruits before adding to the water. This will prevent bitter flavors from seeping into the infusion.
- To drink throughout the day, refill your infused water container when it’s half full. It will be weaker than your first drink, but still flavorful.
Infused water ingredients
-
Herbs and spices
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Cinnamon
- Chamomile
- Dill
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
-
Fruit
- Apple
- Blackberry
- Blueberry
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Lime
- Lemon
- Mango
- Orange
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Pomegranate
- Raspberry
- Starfruit
- Strawberry
- Watermelon
-
Vegetables
- Cucumber
- Ginger
- Fennel
- Jalapeño
-
Other
- Black tea
- Green tea
- Dried hibiscus flower
Examples of ideal flavor combinations
Take a look at the following tasty flavor combinations and select the ones that appeal to you:
- Apple, cinnamon
- Blackberry, lime, orange
- Blackberry, mint
- Blackberry, mint, rosemary
- Black tea, raspberry
- Cucumber, lemon, mint
- Cucumber, jalapeno, mint
- Cucumber, lime, strawberry, mint
- Cucumber, rosemary, fennel
- Grapefruit, rosemary
- Lemon, ginger
- Lemon, pomegranate
- Lemon, raspberry, rosemary
- Lemongrass, mint
- Lime, ginger root, basil
- Mango, mint
- Orange, blueberry
- Orange, blueberry, basil
- Orange, pineapple
- Pear, fennel
- Pineapple, thyme
- Raspberry, lime
- Strawberry, basil
- Strawberry, jalapeno
- Strawberry, lemon
- Strawberry, orange, blueberry
- Strawberry, cucumber, lime, mint, lemongrass (pictured above)
- Watermelon, basil
5 bpa-free water bottles ideal for infused water
If you’re like me, you carry a water bottle wherever you go. Having a bottle near you will help you drink more throughout the day.
What to buy
Always buy high-quality bottles that are good for the environment, free of toxins and don’t leave a nasty aftertaste. Look for bottles that are non-leaching and BPA/BPS-free. They should not contain phthalates, PVC or polycarbonates. Glass and food-grade stainless steel are great options.
Here are 5 of my favorite water bottles:
Note: To purchase or to learn more about these bottles, please click the corresponding links or photos to be redirected Amazon.
1. Lifefactory 22-Ounce Glass Water Bottle With Flip Cap And Silicone Sleeve
2. Klean Kanteen 27-Ounce Classic Stainless Steel Bottle With Sport Cap
3. S’well Vacuum 25-Ounce Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, Double Wall
4. Infusion Pro Water Infuser 24-Ounce Fruit Infused Water Bottle
5. Hydro Flask 40-Ounce Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Leak Proof Sports Water Bottle
Infuse your water, increase hydration
Infusing your favorite flavor combinations will help increase the amount of water you drink each day. Follow the eight steps listed above and before you know it, you will be drinking the recommended amount of water recommended for your body.
Thoughts? What are your favorite flavor combinations?
- Do you drink naturally flavored water?
- Please comment below and share with me your favorite blend of ingredients for infused water.
I hope to gain recipe inspiration from your ideas.
Happy hydrating!
When she is not slaying fat and building muscle, Jennifer can be found trekking barefoot, traveling, cooking and refining her photography skills. She also enjoys reading and writing about food culture, history and the science of human movement.
When she is not slaying fat and building muscle, Jennifer can be found trekking barefoot, traveling, cooking and refining her photography skills. She also enjoys reading and writing about food culture, history and the science of human movement.
why no plastic containers? i was going to reuse container that came with green tea inside
Hi Maxine,
Thanks for your message. One reason why you should avoid plastic containers is that many contain harmful chemicals such as BPA that may leach into the beverages that you are drinking, especially if your drink is acidic. Also, when plastic bottles come in contact with direct sunlight they tend to break down which makes them more vulnerable to leaching. If you’d like to learn more about BPA, please check out this article I wrote on the subject. BPA in Canned Foods: What You Need to Know 🙂
can the fruit that you used to infuse the water be used again? I just started and was wondering why it is always bitter. I never took off the rids of the citrus fruit and I always infuse my overnight.
Thank YOU
Hi Karen,
I choose not to reuse the fruit, as I have found that this can dilute the flavor, create a bitter taste, and make the water look cloudy and less appealing. When I drink half of the water from the container I replenish it with fresh water, but after a day or so I make sure to switch out the old fruits and veggies with fresh.
I am guessing that reusing the fruit and the rinds/peels on the citrus fruits is making your water taste bitter. The longer you leave fruit to infuse, the more bitter it will taste because the acidic flavors from the rinds will infuse into the water. If you use fruits with rinds, do not infuse these fruits for over 4 hours.
I suggest that you make a batch of infused water with rindless fruit. Use a knife to cut the rinds/peels off of the citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange, etc.). Also, cut as much of the pith (white part) away as possible. The pith of the citrus fruits can also taste bitter. Do not reuse the fruit.
See if this helps and please let me know if you have any questions! Thanks!
I’ve been an herbalist for 20 years thanks for the info.
You are welcome; I am glad you enjoyed this article! 🙂