Three medium cucumbers, three limes and 80 g (2.8 oz) of sugar make 2 quarts of agua de pepino (AH-gwah deh peh-PEE-noh): cucumber blended with water, strained, and finished with lime juice. It’s one of the everyday aguas frescas sold from big glass barrels at Mexican markets and taquerías, and it tastes like the coldest, cleanest part of a cucumber with a sharp lime edge. It isn’t spa water with a few slices floating in it. The amount of cucumber is what makes it taste of something, and “2 cucumbers” can mean anything from 400 g to 1 kg. I weigh it: 300 g (10.5 oz) of peeled cucumber per liter of finished drink, so 600 g (1⅓ lb) for a 2 quart pitcher.
How do you make cucumber agua fresca?
How do you make cucumber lime agua fresca? Blend 600 g (1⅓ lb) of peeled cucumber with 2 cups (500 ml) of cold water and 80 g (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) of sugar for 1 minute, strain and press the pulp, then stir in 6 tbsp (90 ml) of lime juice and 4¼ cups (1 liter) of cold water. Taste once diluted and pour over ice. Ready in 15 minutes for 8 servings.
It’s worth making if you have a blender and a sieve: 15 minutes, all hands-on, no stove. You get 2 quarts (2 liters) of a pale green, tart drink that’s lighter than lemonade and far more cucumber-forward than infused water.
Who it’s for. Anyone who wants something cold with spicy or rich food: it sits well next to tacos al pastor or a plate of shrimp aguachile. And anyone cutting back on sugar, since an unsweetened glass comes in around 10 kcal.
Who it isn’t for. People who don’t like raw cucumber. The lime softens it, but it is the main flavor.
Difficulty. Easy. Bitterness is the only thing that goes wrong, and it has two causes you can check in a minute.
Which cucumber to buy, and whether to peel it
Any cucumber works, but they don’t behave the same. The bitterness in cucumbers comes from cucurbitacins, and extension services at Iowa State, the University of Georgia and Nebraska all describe them collecting at the stem end and just under the skin. Modern varieties have little of it, but a stressed plant can still produce a bitter fruit. Tasting a sliver from the stem end tells you before it reaches the blender.
- English (hothouse) cucumbers, the long ones sold shrink-wrapped and the standard cucumber in UK supermarkets. Thin skin, small seeds. Leaving the skin on gives a greener drink.
- Persian or mini cucumbers. Thin skin, few seeds, no need to peel.
- American slicing cucumbers, the cheap, dark, thick-skinned ones. These are often coated in food-grade wax to keep them from drying out, so peel them, and scoop out the seeds if they’re big.
Skip any cucumber that’s soft or turning yellow: it’s overripe, with hard seeds and more bitterness.
Ingredients and US and UK swaps
The ingredient list is short, so each swap changes the drink noticeably.
| Ingredient | What to use | Swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumber | 600 g (1⅓ lb) peeled | English or Persian with skin on | greener color, slightly grassier |
| Lime juice | 90 ml (6 tbsp), about 3 limes | lemon juice, same amount | softer, more perfumed, less sharp |
| Sugar | 80 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) | agave syrup or simple syrup, added to taste in the pitcher | start with half the amount and taste |
| Sugar | 80 g | light brown sugar or piloncillo | murky color, a molasses note |
| Water | 1.5 liters (6⅓ cups) total | sparkling water for the final liter | fizzy; add it right before serving |
A note on names, since it confuses people in both directions: in Mexico the small green citrus is called limón, which is a lime in English. In the UK, limes are sold under that name; use those, not yellow lemons, if you want the Mexican flavor.
How much sugar, and the calorie math
The recipe uses 80 g (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) of sugar for 2 quarts, 10 g per glass, on the low side for an agua fresca. Blend the sugar with the cucumber so it dissolves, then adjust in the pitcher.
Mistakes that make it bitter, thin or separate
- Bitter → the stem end of the cucumber, or lime peel in the blender. Taste the end, peel it thickly if needed, and use juice only.
- Tastes like water → too little cucumber, or a watery one. Weigh it: 300 g (10.5 oz) per liter of finished drink.
- Tastes like salad → too much cucumber for the lime. Add 2 tbsp (30 ml) of lime juice and 1 cup (250 ml) of water and taste again.
- Separates in the pitcher → that’s normal. The fine pulp that gets through the sieve sinks and a little foam rises. Stir before pouring; straining through a clean cotton towel or cheesecloth slows it down.
- Loses its bright green overnight → mine fades by the next day. The flavor holds; if color matters for a party, make it the same day.
Is cucumber water a detox drink?
No. Peeled cucumber is 96.7% water with 10 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz) according to USDA data, so an unsweetened glass is about 10 kcal, and swapping it for an 8.5 fl oz cola (about 106 kcal) does cut calories. That’s the verifiable part. On “detox”, the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that a 2015 review found no compelling research that detox diets eliminate toxins, and that weight lost on them tends to come back once people eat normally again. There’s no study showing that drinking it on an empty stomach does anything special either. It’s a refreshing, low-sugar drink if you make it that way, and that’s all.
Versions, chia, mint, unsweetened and more
- With chia. Stir 20 g (0.7 oz, about 2 level tbsp) of chia seeds into 1 cup (250 ml) of the finishing water as you start, stirring again after 2 and 5 minutes so they don’t clump. By minute 15 they’ve gelled; add them to the pitcher last. About 12 kcal more per glass, plus a little fiber. The seeds sink, so stir as you pour.
- With mint. Blend 10-15 leaves with the cucumber. Cooler-tasting, same calories.
- With ginger. Blend in 10 g (⅓ oz) of peeled fresh ginger per pitcher. It’s hot, so start with less.
- With celery. I add one medium stalk, about 40 g (1½ oz) by USDA’s weight, blended with the cucumber. More savory, slightly salty.
- Unstrained. Thicker, with the cucumber fiber. Always peel and seed for this, blend 2 minutes, and expect it to separate faster.
- No blender. Grate the cucumber finely and squeeze it in a towel; or make the infused version, 1 sliced cucumber and 1 sliced lime in 2 quarts (2 liters) of water, chilled 2 hours. It’s much milder.
Make it ahead and scale it for a party
The whole pitcher keeps overnight without ice. For a crowd, I make a double-strength base the day before: cucumber blended with half the water, strained, with the lime and sugar stirred in. At serving time it gets diluted 1 to 1 with cold water, so it takes half the fridge space.
Plan on 2 glasses of 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) per person, or 3 when it’s hot.
| Guests | Finished drink | Peeled cucumber | Lime juice | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-6 | 2 liters (2 quarts) | 600 g (1⅓ lb) | 90 ml (6 tbsp) | 80 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) |
| 10-12 | 5 liters (5¼ quarts) | 1.5 kg (3⅓ lb) | 225 ml (scant 1 cup) | 200 g (1 cup) |
| 20 | 10 liters (2½ gallons) | 3 kg (6⅔ lb) | 450 ml (scant 2 cups) | 400 g (2 cups) |
A home blender handles about 600 g (1⅓ lb) of cucumber and 2 cups of water per batch, and each batch takes 3-4 minutes to blend and strain. Keep ice in a separate bucket so it doesn’t water the drink down.
What it costs
Sugar and citrus are cheap; the cucumber is the cost. Using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average prices for August 2026, 80 g of sugar ($1.024/lb) comes to $0.18, and 200 g of citrus for the juice comes to about $0.93 at the lemon price ($2.114/lb; BLS doesn’t track limes). The BLS stopped publishing its cucumber price series in 2000, so I can’t give you an official current figure: you’ll need about 650 g (1.4 lb) of whole cucumbers per pitcher at whatever your store charges. For comparison, in Colombia’s wholesale markets the cucumber was three-quarters of the cost of a pitcher in September 2026, according to the government’s SIPSA bulletin.
Yield. 2 liters (2 quarts), 8 glasses without ice, about 10 with ice.
How long it keeps and how to serve it
Fridge. There’s no official shelf life for this drink. Oregon State University Extension’s Food Hero recipe for a cucumber and citrus water says to drink it within 2 days, keep it cold, and never top up an old batch with a new one. I finish it in 2 days, 3 at most, covered at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and pour it out if it smells sour or fizzes.
Freezer. Freeze it in ice cube trays. A few cubes chill and flavor a glass of plain water without diluting it. I use them within 1-2 months.
Serving. A tall glass, lots of ice, with food. On a drinks table it pairs well with the tart red agua de jamaica and a creamy Mexican horchata, and a brown, sweet-sour agua de tamarindo made from tamarind pods rounds out the three colors. If your crowd likes sweeter drinks, a Colombian coconut lemonade or condensed milk lemonade covers that side, and Venezuelan papelón con limón is the closest cousin from my own country.
Frequently asked questions
Do you peel cucumbers for agua fresca? Peel waxed or thick-skinned slicing cucumbers. English and Persian cucumbers can go in with the skin for a greener drink. If the stem end tastes bitter, peel regardless.
Why is my cucumber agua fresca bitter? Cucurbitacins in the stem end and skin of the cucumber, or lime peel and pith in the blender. Taste the end first and use juice only.
Do you have to strain agua de pepino? No, but strained is lighter and separates more slowly. Unstrained is thicker and closer to a smoothie.
How many cucumbers per pitcher? 600 g (1⅓ lb) peeled for 2 quarts. USDA puts a medium peeled cucumber at about 200 g (7 oz), so that’s 3 medium ones; weigh long English cucumbers, since their size varies a lot.
How long does cucumber agua fresca last in the fridge? 2 days, 3 at most, covered and at 40°F (4°C) or colder. Stir before serving.
Can I make it without sugar? Yes. Unsweetened it’s about 10 kcal a glass; add 2 tbsp (30 ml) more lime juice so it doesn’t taste flat.
Can I make it without a blender? Grate the cucumber and squeeze it through a towel, or slice it into water with lime and chill for 2 hours for a milder infused version.
Is cucumber agua fresca good for weight loss? There are no studies on this drink. Unsweetened, it’s about 10 kcal a glass, so replacing soda with it saves calories; it doesn’t burn fat or detox anything.
Nutrition per glass
Per 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) glass, with 80 g of sugar and 90 ml of lime juice for 2 liters, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): peeled cucumber 10 kcal per 100 g, lime juice 25 kcal, sugar 387 kcal.
- Calories: 49 kcal
- Protein: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Sugars: 11 g
- Fat: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g (strained)
- Sodium: 2 mg
That counts all of the cucumber, so it’s a ceiling: some stays in the sieve. With chia, a glass comes to about 61 kcal.
My son Dylan judges every agua fresca by one test: does it taste like something, or like cold water? This one passed only after I started weighing the cucumber. The bitterness lesson came earlier and cost me a full pitcher, the day I dropped a whole lime, peel and all, into the blender. A cucumber with a sweet stem end and a lime squeezed by hand is all it takes. Josnaisis.