Watermelon Lime Agua Fresca Recipe

As the hot, sweaty summer months come around, we're all craving a crisp, cool, and refreshing drink to keep us from overheating. Enter agua fresca. Agua fresca, which translates to "fresh water," is a popular Mexican beverage made from fruits, flowers, or seeds. It's sometimes sweetened with sugar or flavored with herbs, such as mint or rosemary. A common agua fresca found in the summer months is watermelon agua fresca. 

"I drink watermelon agua fresca all summer long in Southern California. You can get it at almost any taco stand or shop, but I usually just make it at home," says Tasting Table recipe developer Taylor Murray. "It's a great way to use up watermelon that has a bad texture or is on its way out." Follow along as she breaks down her method for whipping up this simple, refreshing drink so that it has the perfect taste and texture. 

The ingredients for this recipe are simple and straightforward. The main ingredient is watermelon, which should be juicy and ripe. We're adding in some tart lime juice to offset the sweetness of the juice. Optionally, a pinch of salt helps give the juice an extra boost of flavor (but won't make the drink taste salty!). Finally, a few extra slices or wedges of lime are an optional choice for a serving garnish.

Cut the rind off of the watermelon.

Cut the melon into large chunks.

Transfer the melon to a blender — in batches, if needed — and blend until smooth.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer, then repeat with remaining watermelon chunks.

Juice the limes into the blended watermelon and (optionally) add a pinch of salt.

Pour over ice and serve with additional slices of lime, if desired.

Watermelon is a common type of fruit used to make agua fresca in all seasons and areas of the country. Following this, other types of melons make excellent agua fresca, as well, including cantaloupe and honeydew. Cucumber is a close cousin of melon and can also be used to make agua fresca. A blend of a few of these could be a decent option for balancing sweetness, such as yellow watermelon and lemon cucumber or cucumber and honeydew melon. 

Beyond the melon family, there are many fruits that can make a delicious agua fresca. Think juicier fruits that produce a lot of liquid, such as pineapple, mango, papaya, or even stone fruits, such as peaches. Fruits with more intense flavor concentration, like passion fruit, can be used in combination with some of these other, lighter fruits to balance the flavor.

There are tons of excellent ways to consume watermelon, from salads to desserts. Before you can make something amazing with watermelon, whether it's a fun new recipe or this agua fresca drink, you have to choose a good watermelon. The internet is rife with tips, tricks, and techniques for choosing a perfectly ripe melon that's sweet without having a mealy texture. Do any of these methods actually work?

Here at Tasting Table, we recommend the 2-finger test. Use your fingers to check the width between stripes. If the width is far enough, you can bet the watermelon is good and ripe. Double-check this method by looking for a good ground spot, which is the yellow patch on the watermelon's underside. The presence of the spot indicates that the melon sat in the field and ripened, sweetening in the sun, for a good amount of time before being plucked and brought to the market.