Nothing screams summer more than a refreshing strawberry agua fresca! My recipe for Mexican strawberry water needs only a handful of ingredients, is packed with great strawberry flavor, and a little sugar. This is such a fun drink for the summer!
Looking for more strawberry drinks? Try my favorite strawberry lemonade, a truly southern strawberry iced sweet tea, a creamy strawberry matcha latte, or my sparkling pink lemonade perfect for summer picnics.
Mexican Strawberry Agua Fresca
I have been taking surveys from y'all about what you want to see from me this summer. And 3 things rang so loud amongst everything: more non-alcoholic beverages, more seafood, and more strawberry recipes.
So Darla, since you asked for more strawberry everything, this one's for you!
If there was a 'if you could only drink one thing besides water for the rest of your life' type of drink, it would be agua frescas of basically any flavor for me.
This strawberry agua fresca recipe is something that the entire family can get into. Full of vitamin C, sweet and fruity, it's going to be your new favorite drink on a hot summer day. Bring it along in a sealed pitcher as a refreshing drink for a picnic or your kid's baseball practice in the hot weather.
I also have some really yummy variations for taking this simple, refreshing fruit drink and turning it into some amazing ideas.
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History Behind Agua Frescas
According to historians, the Aztecs were the ones to create aguas frescas, translated as 'fresh water', long before the arrival of colonizers.
They would keep themselves cool and hydrated on a hot day by mashing up fruits purchased from the markets in Tenochtitlán, the name for the center of what is now the Mexico City region, and they would also gather ice from the peaks of dormant volcanoes or from the rivers near the city.
Since then, aguas frescas have remained popular, made using a variety of popular fruit flavors such as pineapples, cucumbers, cantaloupe, tamarind, strawberries, and more.
In the 1940s, when the borders between the U.S. and Mexico were open, Mexican street vendors would cross over with their carts selling aguas frescas and paletas, which are perfect for cooling off on hot summer days.
Agua de Fresa Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh Strawberries - you can use frozen, just thaw them before blending them up.
- Cool Water - cold water is a must, especially if you're serving right after.
- Sugar - you can use another sweetener like stevia, monkfruit, agave nectar, or whatever you like to add. You are in control of the level of sweetness.
- Limes - to serve with, though a squeeze of lime juice for acidity can help if you made it too sweet.
- Ice...that doesn't count as an ingredient! It's just for serving.
- Mint - a really nice garnish that makes this drink a little more mocktail-y.
How to Make Agua Frescas
It's literally the easiest drink to make ever with less than a handful of ingredients in the blender.
Step 1 | Add the strawberries, cane sugar, and water to your blender. Blend the strawberries with the sugar water until smooth.
Step 2 | If you don't have a high powered blender, you'll probably have lots of fleshy bits and seeds left. Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the mixture into a large pitcher. Chill your strawberry water until you're ready to serve!
Step 3 | Stir with a big spoon (it will separate) then pour over ice and garnish with a lime wheel or add a little extra lime juice to bring some acidity, slices of strawberries, and mint for a fun and gorgeous drink.
Substitutions
- Use whatever sweetener you prefer, as much as you prefer. Just note that brown sugar, coconut sugar, and other strong If you like it tangy, use only the sweetness of the fruit. Otherwise, I suggest starting at 1 cup of sugar.
- Make a fusion agua fresca with other seasonal ingredients. Add the strawberry mixture to a tea of hibiscus flowers for a twist on agua de jamaica, mix in fresh mango or add it to agua de tamarindo, which is really tangy and I think goes great with juicier fruits like strawberries.
Serving Tips
- Sweeten the drink with sweetened condensed milk instead to make a creamy strawberry agua fresca, called agua de fresa con leche!
- Freeze the agua fresca in ice cube trays and use as sweet and fruit ice cubes in mocktails, cocktails, or your littles' fruit water!
- Speaking of freezing, these make absolutely delicious ice pops! Freeze them in ice pop molds with their sticks and watch how easy it is to cool off and hydrate the whole family with frozen agua de fresa.
Storage Instructions
Store the agua fresca in an airtight container like a pitcher with a lid for up to 2-3 days. It will separate as it sits in the pitcher, just stir and serve.
Once it smells or tastes off, throw it out!
Equipment I Used
- Blender - I don't feel like a food processor blends well enough to get that great strawberry flavor. Use your blender!
- Fine Mesh Sieve - a fine mesh strainer will catch any pulp or seeds that didn't blend up.
FAQs
You can use frozen strawberries, it'd be best to thaw them out so the strawberry flavor can really shine.
More Mexican-Inspired Drinks
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Strawberry Agua Fresca
Equipment
- 1 High Powered Blender or whatever blender you have
Ingredients
- 8 ounces strawberries, washed and hulled
- 4 cups cold water
- 1 cup granulated sugar, or more to taste
- ice, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
- lime wheels, for garnish
Instructions
- Put the strawberries, water, and sugar into a blender and blend on high until everything is combined. It will end up a little frothy from the air whipping into the drink.8 ounces strawberries, 4 cups cold water, 1 cup granulated sugar
- If you don't have a high powered blender, you'll want to strain the agua fresca to get any pulp or seeds left in there.
- Serve over ice and garnish with lime and mint.ice, fresh mint sprigs, lime wheels
Recipe Notes
Substitutions
-
- Use whatever sweetener you prefer, as much as you prefer. Just note that brown sugar, coconut sugar, and other strong If you like it tangy, use only the sweetness of the fruit. Otherwise, I suggest starting at 1 cup of sugar.
-
- Make a fusion agua fresca with other seasonal ingredients. Add the strawberry mixture to a tea of hibiscus flowers for a twist on agua de jamaica, mix in fresh mango or add it to agua de tamarindo, which is really tangy and I think goes great with juicier fruits like strawberries.
Serving Tips
-
- Sweeten the drink with sweetened condensed milk instead to make a creamy strawberry agua fresca, called agua de fresa con leche!
-
- Freeze the agua fresca in ice cube trays and use as sweet and fruit ice cubes in mocktails, cocktails, or your littles' fruit water!
-
- Speaking of freezing, these make absolutely delicious ice pops! Freeze them in ice pop molds with their sticks and watch how easy it is to cool off and hydrate the whole family with frozen agua de fresa.
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