This Lemon Infused Water gives plain water the kick it needs to make you want to drink a LOT! If you struggle to stay hydrated in summer, try infusing your water with lemons. You’ll be grabbing that water bottle all the time!
I came up with 4 ways (so stay tuned) to make water super interesting and today I present the first: Lemon Infused Water!
So, if you add a ton of lemon juice to water it becomes super sour and kind of needs a ton of sweetener to taste great (a.k.a. lemonade). The idea here is to stay hydrated in a healthy way of course and without the added calories. So “infusing” water with lemons is SO much better! It’s not sour at all and it’s super refreshing.
What are the benefits of drinking lemon infused water?
- It hydrates.
- It’s a great source of vitamin C.
- It helps with digestion.
- It freshens your breath.
- And if you’re one of those people not used to drinking plain water then it might even help you lose weight!
How long can you keep the lemon slices in the water?
Up to 4 hours. I recommend a minimum of 1 hour to really infuse the water and a maximum of 4 hours to avoid bitterness from the peel to transfer into the water.
You can also add cucumber and/or mint but again, make sure you remove it after a maximum of 4 hours so the water stays fresh and enjoyable.
How to make lemon infused water not bitter
Make sure you do NOT leave the lemon slices in the water for too long AND make sure to remove all the seeds before adding to the water
The bitterness comes from the lemon peel and especially from the seeds in the lemon. So naturally one would think why not remove the peel altogether and the seeds and make lemon juice instead?
Well, it’s the peel that makes the water absolutely delicious! I do not recommend peeling your lemons and adding without the peel. You would miss out on the best tasting lemon infused water. And lemon “juice” is pretty sour, so no, not a good idea unless you plan on sweetening the whole thing. The seeds, yes, most definitely take a knife and poke them out of the slices.
Set a timer and remove the lemons from the water after 4 hours max. You can always add more fresh lemon slices to the individual glasses when serving. OR, what I like to do is, freeze slices into ice cubes and use those when serving.
A great large ice cube tray to do that is this ice cube tray (this is an affiliate link and I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through the link). Add a thin slice of lemon to each cavity, fill with water, and freeze.
How to make your summer drink even healthier
A great way to make your water even healthier is by adding chia seeds!
Chia seeds have a ton of fiber and help further with digestion. Having a heavy barbecue with friends this weekend? Serve Lemon Infused Water with chia seeds with it so your tummy has an easier time digesting it all :)
Just make sure you add the chia seeds to the individual glass, right before drinking and not too much or it’ll become a gooey mess instead of a refreshing hydrating summer drink.
Lemon Infused Water
Ingredients
- 4 lemons
- 4 cups cold water - (1 litre)
- 4 cups cold sparkling water (or regular water) - (1 litre)
Instructions
- Wash your lemons thoroughly and then slice them into thin slices discarding the ends. Remove all the seeds (be thorough removing the seeds to avoid bitter water).
- Add lemon slices to a pitcher and top with 4 cups of water.
- Refrigerate and infuse for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
- Right before serving add 4 cups of cold sparkling water (or plain water) to the pitcher and serve over ice cubes with lemon slices frozen in them and a sprig of mint.
- Make sure to remove the lemon slices from the pitcher after a maximum of 4 hours to avoid the lemon infused water from becoming bitter.
D Smith says
You can also drink most of the water before the 4 hours and then top up with fresh water to make the flavor last longer without becoming bitter and repeat. Sooner or later though, the water will start to lose flavor and that’s when you can refresh with more lemon. It’s kind of a balancing act because if you forget about it or let it sit too long it will get bitter like you said, but it still makes for an easy way to have flavored water on hand and once you get used to it, there’s no problem drinking it and staying hydrated. Also the more times you top it up, the slightly longer it takes to get the bitter aftertaste.
Kari Neilson says
Im going to try try the lemon water with mint
Thanks
kiki says
I hope you are telling folks to make sure the lemons are organic. pesticides can be retained on the skin.
Lorena Grater says
No. I tend to tell people to use whatever they can afford, well washed conventional lemons for lemon-infused water are still way better than drinking soda. I am very fortunate and can afford organic lemons but not everybody can so I don’t make it a point to include the word in my recipes.
Janene Juan says
Thank you for your post. Seeking accurate information is
among the biggest issues for the younger generation.
Judy says
It is true for every generation, that’s how some of us live so long.
Sasha @ Eat Love Eat says
Beautiful! Those are the prettiest ice cubes I’ve ever seen :) love passionfruit!
Lorena says
Thank you Sasha, I’ve been wanting to make the ice cubes forever and once I finally remembered to make them I couldn’t come up with a recipe to use them for, hahaha. Finally I came up with an idea :D
AZ@...And a Dash of Cinnamon says
Lemon water has been my drink of choice for practically my entire life! I’ve never tried passion fruit in water before but perhaps I’ll give it a shot if I ever stumble upon a passion fruit
Lorena says
Right now is the time! I find them in any supermarket right now :)