Skip to Content

Refreshing, Nourishing Homemade Vitamin Water

Are you’re tired of staring down that plain ole glass of water? Fruit-infused water to the rescue! Add loads of flavor and healthy nutrients by adding fresh fruits and herbs to your pitcher. Unlike commercially bottled products, homemade vitamin water contains no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, and no added weirdness.

A close-up of the fruit and veggies in a pitcher of vitamin water.

With summer winding down (far too quickly to suit me), I find myself feeling a little desperate about the approaching disappearance of summer fruits and vegetables. I’ve been sneaking them into everything, from snacks to desserts to drinks. On a whim, I began adding fruit and cucumbers to my daily ice water.

Nothing particularly new, but so delightful that one day I was inspired to prepare an entire pitcher filled with nutritious, nourishing citrus, Cucurbitaceae (the botanical family that includes watermelon and cucumbers), and herbs, and, voilà, homemade vitamin water!

A top down view of a pitcher of vitamin water and two glasses of same, ready to sip.

Regular readers know that I am deeply smitten with green juice, but I enjoy other liquid refreshments, too, including iced green tea, and coldcoldcold fruit infused water with a splash of fizzy water.

So, this pretty vitamin water is a natural extension that can easily morph to accommodate the fruits, vegetables, and herbs of the seasons: melons, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, melons, apples, pears, cranberries, oranges, basil, thyme, verbena.

Close-up view of the top of a pitcher filled with fruit-infused water.

The fruits and vegetables in this homemade vitamin water are themselves highly nourishing:

  • Watermelon: rich in vitamins A and C, plus phytonutrients including anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories, and cucurbitacins.
  • Cucumber: good source of vitamins B5, C and K, plus phytonutrients including anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories, and cucurbitacins.
  • Grapefruit: high in vitamins A and C, lycopene, plus phytonutrients including limonoids.
  • Lemon: high in vitamin C, plus phytonutrients including anti-oxidants, and cancer-fighting limonoids. Also provides antibiotic effects.
  • Lime: high in vitamin C, plus phytonutrients including anti-oxidants, flavonoids, and cancer-fighting limonoids. Also provides antibiotic effects.
  • Mint: has anti-microbial properties and can ease digestive upset.

For a full day’s worth of nutrients and fiber, be sure to accompany lots of whole fruits and vegetables with your daily dose of vitamin water.

As a side note, the pitcher in these photos is packed with fruit — it almost looks like a fruit salad, right? lol — for fast infusion. You can fill your pitcher with cold water, add lots of fruit, and serve immediately, knowing that the goodness will quickly seep into the water through sheer volume alone.

To store the leftovers, simply strain out the fruit and top off with more cold water, leaving a lime slice and mint leaf or two, if that’s your flavor preference (it is mine!).

Refreshing Homemade Vitamin Water | SoupAddict.com

Enjoy infused water at your next outdoor gathering!

Labor Day is the last big outdoor party weekend of the summer, and as August’s intense heat has made a lingering return this week (it’s been unusually cool this summer — we’ve been spoiled), I know this homemade vitamin water will get hit hard. I’ll be making plenty to have on hand to serve when the late day’s heat really kicks in.

Oh, the cocktails will be flowing freely, too, but tall, refreshing glasses of homemade vitamin water over ice are a must to keep the body properly hydrated. Keep an elegant, oversized pitcher filled with ice, fruit, and filtered water, to encourage guests to enjoy the healthy infused water alternative.

And for your own daily enjoyment of homemade vitamin water, I highly recommend an infused water pitcher that stores neatly in the fridge with a removable insert that lets you effortlessly switch out the fruit from one day to the next. Slim and easy to clean, you’ll want to keep icy-cold, super-flavorful water on hand at all times! It’s the model that I have, and I use it all year round.

Side view of a glass pitcher filled with fruit, herbs and ice water.

To serve, fill your glass halfway with ice (ice chips are nice, for crunching), and pour in the fruit infused water, stopping 2″ from the top. Spoon out a few pieces of fruit — make sure it includes a cube of the season’s sweet, sweet watermelon — and add to the glass. If desired, top off with a splash of seltzer.

Kick back — a hammock would awesome — and enjoy the sunshine.

Enjoy this beautiful alternative to plain bottled water all summer long and beyond — it’s great for work out recovery, too!

Karen xo

Homemade vitamin water, fruit infused water in a pitcher | Recipe at SoupAddict.com
Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

Refreshing, Nourishing Vitamin Water

Healthy and hydrating, this fruit-infused water is best prepared the day before.
Share via Text
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 22kcal
Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

  • 2 cups watermelon , sliced into 1" cubes
  • 1 lime , sliced
  • 1 lemon , sliced
  • 1/2 red grapefruit , sliced and quartered
  • 1 medium cucumber , sliced
  • 12 mint leaves
  • 2 quarts water
  • ice
  • sparkling water (optional)

Instructions

  • Combine the fruit, cucumber, mint leaves and water in a large pitcher.
  • Place in the fridge and let infuse overnight.
  • To serve, pour infused water into glasses filled halfway with ice. Spoon in a piece or two of fruit for show, and top with a splash of sparkling water (optional).
  • The vitamin water will stay fresh for a day or three.

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal
Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.

Pin Fruit-Infused Homemade Vitamin Water recipe for later:


Recipe Rating




Priyanka

Sunday 20th of September 2020

Hi, can you please tell me what pitcher is it? I noticed the mouth would prevent fruits from rushing into the glass. Also, what do you do with the leftover fruits/veggies? Thank you.

Ashley B.

Thursday 3rd of May 2018

Found this via Pinterest, and gave it try. So yummy! I wouldn't have thought that a little fruit would make such a difference, but, I found myself refilling my glass all day!

Courtenay

Wednesday 25th of April 2018

I've had such trouble getting my day's share of water in me, until I started adding stuff to it. Love the pitcher idea! I have friends over a lot, and this will be great to have on hand.

Sarah

Wednesday 28th of March 2018

I love fruit-infused water - thanks for reminding me that this is a great option to serve at parties, too!

Izzy

Thursday 10th of August 2017

I've had water infused with lemon and lime. The fruit sat in the water all day and the water was unpalatable, more so the lime. Do you do anything special to the citrus? Thanks for your time.

SoupAddict

Friday 11th of August 2017

By unpalatable, do you mean too lemony or lime-y? I don't do anything special to the citrus. You could try using very thin wedges instead of, say, a big slice (big slice means more surface area exposed to the water). For example, for my everyday big mug of ice water that I always have on my desk while I'm working, I take a lime and slice it in half across the equator. Then, I take one half, and slice it into eight small wedges (like the spokes of a wheel). One wedge of lime spends all day in my mug, and it's perfect. Perhaps you could experiment, and see what works for you?