(DIY) Infused Lemon Water

Based on our easy lemon water recipe, if you want to add to your warm lemon water, you can enjoy it cold. This is where infused lemon water comes in. Many people find this to be a new concept, but you might have already made infused lemon water and not realized it. If you have ever filled a pitcher with water and added lemon slices to it overnight, then you have made infused water. (Need a quicker version? – Check out our Simple Lemon Water Recipe here.)

The trick here is to slice the lemons just right. You don’t want to use lemon wedges, because so much of it is covered in the rind, where not much of the actual lemon juice is released into the pitcher of water. This won’t taste as concentrated as when you use lemon slices. These thin slices allow more of the lemon juice to hit the water, giving you all its key nutrients.

How to Make Infused Water

Before getting into some recipe combinations, let’s discuss the basic steps to making infused water. It is really easy to make, and when you start finding your own flavor combinations, it can be a lot of fun too! Here are the basic steps to making infused water:

Use a Glass Cup or Pitcher – While you can put your infused water in a plastic container, glass is highly recommended. This makes it taste fresher for longer, and plastic has some health disadvantages. However, it is more important to make sure whatever container you use, is food-safe. Mason jars are great for smaller amounts of water, as well as tall glass pitchers.

Gather Your Ingredients – When choosing the ingredients for the infused lemon water, try to use fresh produce that isn’t visibly bruised. Also, avoid produce that is a little older. You should try to get produce close to being ripe, then make the water quickly. Fresh fruits and vegetables, organic if possible, are good for infused water. The same goes for herbs; try to find them fresh.

Prepare the Produce and Herbs – For infused water, you want to get as much of the nutrients from your fruits and veggies as you can, which usually means the juice and zest. As you know with lemons, you want to slice them but also use as much juice as you can. For these, the recommendation is to first cut the lemon in half, then add as much lemon juice to the container as possible. Then slice each half thinly, and add those to the pitcher. Don’t forget the zest!

With other produce, you just want to remove the skin and slice it up so you get as much of the juice or inside of the produce as possible. Muddling herbs can be good in order to release vitamins and minerals. Add all the prepared ingredients to the pitcher or cup, then cover with water.

Leave the Water Overnight – After everything is added to the pitcher, you want to leave it overnight. The infusing process doesn’t happen quickly. If you can, leave it out on the counter for an hour or so, then place it in the refrigerator overnight. Remember also that you can use the same pitcher or cup multiple times. Keep the fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the container, and when the water is empty, refill it a few times to keep getting those nutrients and the yummy flavor.

Lemon Infused Water Recipes

These are all some fun combinations that allow you to make infused lemon water with ingredients that complement it well. But don’t be afraid to try your own concoctions as well!

• Strawberry, Lemon, Mint – This is a really fun and sweet lemon water to try. You will make the lemon-infused water as you normally would, also adding in some fresh mint (no muddling needed), and some sliced strawberries. Slicing them helps to release the nutrients into the cup or pitcher.
• Lemon and Lime – This pretty and citrus-infused water combines lemons and limes, both sliced thinly with the juice and zest added to the water. You can also add in any other citrus fruits you think would work well with it. This is a really refreshing infused water.
• Lemon and Blackberries – A lemon and blackberry-infused water combine the health benefits of these fruits, with the beauty of combining lemon with a dark blue-purple color.
• Lemon, Cucumber, Cilantro – Don’t forget veggies can also be used in infused water! When using lemons, you can’t go wrong with cucumber. It really is the perfect combination, plus slicing cucumbers are easy to do and provide all the flavor you need from the green vegetable. A little cilantro also works great in this water.
• Lemon, ThymeThis spice loves to partner with others like rosemary and parsley, to name a few, but can stand firm on its own comes Thyme. With its warming and drying nature,, RosemaryOur next spice, drinking Rosemary as tea, is an excellent substitute for morning coffee drinkers, whereas Peppermint tea is a great substitute for an afternoon cup of coffee. Rosemary has – If you want to try more herbs, give this combination a try. It uses lemons, along with both rosemary and thyme. It is pretty to look at, so pour it into a clear container like a mason jar!

Got more ideas of how to spruce up your infused lemon water? Feel free to share in the comments below. <#dphealer>