Agua de melón is an incredibly tasty agua fresca found throughout Mexico. All that's needed is fresh cantaloupe and a sweetener of your choosing. And the best part? This thirst-quenching drink is ready in under 10 minutes!
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📖 About
If you're on the hunt for a quick, easy, and delicious drink filled with flavor, look no further. This melon agua fresca is here to save the day!
What is agua de melón?
Agua de melón, or melon water, is a type of agua fresca sold in Mexico. This extremely popular style of drink is sold all over the country, especially by street vendors (often on bicycles).
Aguas frescas can be made from pretty much anything like dried flowers (agua de jamaica), grains (horchata), or different fruits like pineapple (agua de piña). There are even some with seeds in them (chia fresca).
But let's talk agua de melón. It is made from ripe cantaloupe, which provides sweet, floral, and tropical flavors to this drink. It's easy to make, customizable, and so refreshing!
History
As the story goes, aguas frescas were commonly consumed long ago by travelers during their long journeys back and forth to the markets in Tenochtitlàn (now known as Mexico City).
During the Aztec era, people traveled from all across Mexico to this central location to purchase tools, food, and supplies for their own communities.
Along the way, voyagers seemingly collected and muddled fresh fruits with water, thus creating the original aguas frescas.
Serving
Serve agua de melón after chilling it, or enjoy it straight away on ice for the most hydrating and refreshing flavors. While not typical, you can try adding rum or vodka to make a spiked melon agua fresca (you won't regret it).
If it's more than just thirst you need to quench, pair your drink with a tasty snack like garnachas, tostadas, or mulitas.
Whatever the case, this melon water is completely vegan, gluten-free, and can be made without sugar!
🍲 Key ingredients
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
Cantaloupe
Taste: there are so many unique flavors that shine through in cantaloupe. We find this fruit has a very floral, tropical, and sweet taste. To get the most bang for your buck, choose a relatively heavy melon with yellow undertones. It should also smell sweet and have a little give to it.
Health: almost as water-filled as watermelon, cantaloupe is made up of over 90% water. This means it carries a lot of health benefits in a small number of calories. In just one cup of cantaloupe, you'll receive over 100% of your daily vitamin C needs!
Sweetener
Taste: if you have a super ripe cantaloupe, you don't even need any sweetener! Otherwise, cane sugar, agave, or stevia all work to sweeten this baby up (totally personal preference here!).
Health: many demonize sweeteners, but that's not really our style. If it gets you to switch to whole fruit-based drinks over soda or concentrated fruit juices, we think that's a win! Just try to use the smallest amount possible.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this agua de melón recipe, don't forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: remove the seeds and rind from the cantaloupe. Cut it into smaller chunks and add those to your blender with 2 cups of water and a little sugar if you're using any.
Step 2: blend your drink on high until smooth, then transfer it to a large mason jar or pitcher. Add the rest of the water into your pitcher, then taste and adjust the sweetness level.
Step 3: transfer the pitcher to your fridge to chill for a few hours, or serve your agua de melón immediately over ice. Happy drinking!
🌡️ Storage
Keeping a pitcher of agua de melón in the fridge is always a good idea. Follow the tips below to keep it tasting fresh for longer.
Fridge
As with most aguas frescas, storing your melon water in glass jars will preserve the flavors best. In any case, it will last up to 2-3 days in your fridge.
Freezer
If you can't get through your recipe in time, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to a year.
When you're ready for another agua de melón, thaw it overnight in your fridge and stir (or blend) it before serving again.
💭 Pro tips
We'd like to share some tips and tricks we learned while experimenting with this cantaloupe drink:
- Add a little tang. Try squeezing a lemon or lime into your drink to add some zest in your agua fresca.
- Go sugar-free. If you're trying to reduce your sugar intake, try this drink sugar-free! Cantaloupe is naturally very sweet, so it's perfect as-is.
- Mix in coconut water. For an extremely healthy and electrolyte-filled drink, swap in coconut water for of plain water.
- Make it a cremosita. If you want a super sweet and creamy agua de melón, try adding soy or coconut milk to make a dairy-free "cremosita."
🍴 Tasting notes
Cantaloupe is one of our favorite fruits to make an agua fresca out of. It's:
- Sweet
- Floral
- Healthy
- Hydrating
- Nutrient-dense
If you try this agua de melón recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Agua de Melón
Equipment
- Knife & cutting board
- Large jar or pitcher
- Blender
Instructions
- To start, remove the seeds and rind from the cantaloupe. Cut into smaller chunks to make it easier on your blender.
- Add the cantaloupe to your blender with 2 cups of water and ¼ cup cane sugar. Blend on high until smooth, then transfer to a large mason jar or pitcher.
- Add the rest of the water into your pitcher. Taste and adjust the sweetness or water to taste. If you prefer it sweeter, add more cane sugar. If you want it thinner, add more water.
- Transfer to your fridge to chill for a few hours, or serve your melon water immediately over ice. Happy drinking!
Video
Notes
- Stevia makes a great replacement if you want a healthier option. For reference, 2 tablespoons of cane sugar are equal to 1 typical packet of powdered stevia (or an 8:1 ratio).
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe-to-recipe.
- All prices are in USD.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more refreshing aguas frescas recipes, check out our:
- Chia fresca for a fresh, hydrating, and nutrient-filled agua fresca made with chia seeds and limes.
- Agua de guayaba to try a creamy and tropical drink made from guavas that will surely quench your thirst.
- Pitahaya agua fresca for a slightly sweet, extremely refreshing drink made with dragon fruit.
- Agua de piña if you love all things tropical, sweet, and floral, pineapple water is for you!
💬 FAQ
Yes, you can use any type of melon (cantaloupe, honeydew, canary, Santa Claus, etc). We just love the flavors of cantaloupe.
We prefer a touch of cane sugar or nothing at all, depending on how ripe our melon is. Fortunately, you don't need to add much sweetener at all to make this drink tasty.
Agua de melón is naturally very sweet from the ripe cantaloupe. But, it depends on what you consider "sweet."
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