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Cucumber water is a wonderfully refreshing drink made with two simple ingredients. Find out the best way to infuse water with cucumber flavor using this easy recipe.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. What about when life gives you cucumbers?
You make cucumber water, naturally!
If you’ve ever been somewhere that serves water infused with cucumbers, you know how refreshing and indulgent this simple upgrade to plain water seems.
Making cucumber water can be as simple as tossing some slices of cuke in a glass or pitcher of water, but there are some helpful things to know to make your basic water with cucumber more successful.
For instance, what type of cucumbers to use? How long should they infuse? When do you need to remove them?
Got more cukes than you can use in cucumber water? Check out our bumper crop of ideas for what to do with extra cucumbers.
Why Make Cucumber Water
Like mint water, infusing water with cucumber is incredibly easy. Plus the added flavor makes it so much easier to drink enough to stay hydrated.
I don’t know about you, but plain water can be challenging to keep to drinking when it’s hot out and you really want some flavor in your water to encourage you to drink more.
Keeping a pitcher filled with cucumber water in the fridge makes that so much easier.
Other delicious cooling drinks to keep in the fridge include borage tea, hibiscus tea, and rose hip tea.
If you’re making cucumber water because of something you’ve heard about its benefits for health, know that the main reason it’s good for you is because you might drink more water if it has flavor. Any nutrients in cucumbers thought to be beneficial would appear in truly tiny amounts in a glass of water that you steeped a few slices of cucumber in. Here’s cucumber nutrition info if you want to know more.
If you’re trying to eat more healthfully, eating a cucumber in place of highly processed snacks might be a smarter move, reducing the amount of unhealthy foods you consume while also helping you get a wider diversity of plant foods. Find out why experts recommending aiming for at least 30 plants per week. (It’s a lot easier than you might think!)
What Kind of Cucumber to Use to Make Cucumber Water
You can use any kind of cucumber, but the flavors will vary. English and mini cucumbers may have a stronger flavor than standard grocery store cucumbers, but that can really depend a lot on the time of year, growing conditions, and how long they’ve been stored.
Whenever possible, I recommend getting your cukes directly from a local farmer or garden. Farmers’ markets will have different varieties you can try infusing into water, or you can try growing different cucumber varieties in your garden.
Choose organic when you can, and if you can’t get organic cucumbers, scrub the cukes well and consider removing the peel.
Since I hate to waste food, for making water with cucumber I prefer to use cucumbers that aren’t terrific for eating fresh, or at the very least eating the cucumber slices after infusing water with them. I was surprised to find that even after several days in the fridge, cucumber slices kept their crispness and were still great for eating. They may have gotten a little crunchier, if that’s possible. So give your cucumber slices a nibble before tossing them in the compost and see what you think.
The other surprise from my many cucumber water experiments was that the overgrown cucumbers that had evaded detection on the vine till too late — which were bitter and overly seedy when I tasted them — made excellent cucumber water, without any bitterness at all. The batch made with overgrown cukes might have been the best one I tried. They don’t look as pretty as other cucumbers, though, so maybe don’t put a pitcher out with them if you’re trying to impress guests.
Another thing to consider: If you want your cucumber water to be as healthy as possible, I highly recommend filtering your water. Municipal water supplies are contaminated with so many unregulated chemicals you really don’t want in your healthy drinks! Find out what to know about choosing an effective water filter.
To Peel or Not to Peel?
We’re all about easy around here, so I’m generally in favor of anything that involves less work. And the cucumber slices look so pretty with the contrast of the dark green peel. It helps them keep their shape and crunch longer as well.
If you’ve got conventionally-grown cucumbers, though, removing the peel could reduce the amounts of pesticide that wind up in your drink.
When to Remove Cucumbers from Water
I actually found that you didn’t have to take out the cucumber slices. I left the cucumbers infusing in water for several days, and they held up beautifully. The flavor never got too intense.
I also found that you can pour off and rebrew the water. Eventually, the flavor won’t be detectable anymore, but you can definitely get a couple of additional servings out of your cukes.
Presentation
A glass pitcher and some sprigs of fresh mint from your herbal tea garden can make a simple water infused with cucumber seem fancy.
How to Make Cucumber Water
How to Make Cucumber Water
This easy recipe makes refreshing cucumber water in just 20 minutes. Get the simple recipe plus tips for making the most flavorful cucumber water and reducing food waste.
Ingredients
- 12 cucumber slices
- 1 quart filtered water
Instructions
- Slice cucumbers thinly, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Place the sliced cucumber in a pitcher or jar and add water.
- Stir gently and place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 days.
Notes
The flavor of the cucumber will be more prominent the longer you allow it to sit. You can pour off the infused water and refill it if you like.
Some sprigs of mint or slices of lemon can make the flavor more exciting and add visual appeal
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 5Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g
Nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall this website or author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate and complete.
The flavor of the cucumber will be more prominent the longer you allow it to sit. You can pour off the infused water and refill it a few times.
Flavor Variations
You can vary the flavor of your cucumber water by adding a few slices of lemon or some sprigs of mint, which can add some extra interest to the flavor as well as visual appeal. Other herbal flavors you could add include lemon balm or borage. Try different combinations and find out what you like.
Mixing up the flavors of your drinks can make staying hydrated a lot easier. Check out some of the other healthy drinks we love below. They’re delicious hot or iced.
Save this cucumber water recipe for later!
Susannah is a health and environmental writer focusing on gardening, foraging, medicinal plants, and sustainability. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and was a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.
Hi, I'm Susannah, a garden geek, energy nerd, and fan of healthy food and natural remedies. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? You've come to the right place! More about me and my green projects
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