Agua de fresa & chia (strawberry fresca)
Agua de Fresa is a sweet, refreshing, and easy Mexican drink perfect to enjoy with your favorite meals. Is made with only 4 ingredients and in just 10 minutes!
A fantastic way to replace sodas or bottled fruit juices to stay hydrated and cool during those warm days of the year.
Aguas frescas (fresca drinks)
Agua de fresa is a fresh beverage made with blended strawberries with water and sugar. It’s part of the large repertoire of aguas frescas offered in Mexico.
Aguas frescas are made with fruits, seeds, cereals, and sometimes even flowers. They are hydrating and delicious soft beverages very typical in Mexico.
All around the country you will find stands displaying large jugs with various flavors of agua fresca and people will stop on their ways to enjoy a large glass of this refreshing drink.
Despite having sugar, those drinks are still a healthier choice than canned fruit juices or sodas and are perfect to serve to your family to accompany lunch or dinner meals, or just as a refreshing treat in the warm seasons.
The ingredients needed
Our super easy recipe uses only four ingredients (yes, 4!) to make this refreshing drink, let me tell you which ones:
- Strawberries: You can make this recipe using fresh or frozen strawberries. This fruit adds a natural sweet taste too, so you won’t need to add too much sugar.
- Chia seeds: For some chewy texture, those seeds are also healthy and adds lots of nutrients to this drink. Don’t forget to read the recipe notes to get a tip for adding them.
- Sweetener: I used white sugar in this recipe but any sweetener works just fine, for a healthier option try Stevia, Monk fruit or your favorite type of honey.
- Water: Add as much as the recipe ask for it, aguas frescas are light, if you add less water you’ll end with some sort of fruit juice instead.
Benefits
Strawberries are a magnificent source of vitamin C and manganese, they also contain a good amount of potassium and vitamin B9 (folate).
They are rich in antioxidants, low in carbohydrates, and contain about 91% of water.
On the other hand, chia seeds are rich in antioxidants (quercetin, caffeic acid, kaempferol, chlorogenic acid), vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
So, as you can see, if you pay attention to the amount of sugar you add, this agua fresca de fresa is not only delicious but also good for your health.
Now that you know something about the ingredients, let me tell you how to make this delicious Mexican strawberry fresca. Believe me, is very easy and once you try it once, you won’t go back to bottled drinks!
How To Make Agua de Fresa Recipe
Start by washing thoroughly your berries (read notes). If you using frozen strawberries you can skip this step.
Next, place strawberries in a blender. Add 2 cups of water and blend for one minute or until perfectly pureed.
Now, you can strain the mixture into a pitcher but I recommend adding it just as it is, to fully take advantage of the fruit fiber.
Pour in the remaining water and then add sugar mixing until is dissolved. You can adjust with more sugar later, even though the less sugar, the better. Or you can also use stevia or honey instead of regular sugar for a healthier version.
Now, slowly and while mixing, add the chia seeds. If you add them in one go and without mixing, you’ll end with lumps.
Place the pitcher in the fridge for 2 hours. Or, if you want to serve it right away, just allow resting for about 15 minutes so the chia seeds can hydrate and achieve the perfect texture.
Serve your freshly agua fresca de fresa drink in glasses with crushed ice and enjoy!
Recipe notes and tips
How To Store
I recommend making only the quantity you will need and drinking it the same day. Fresh fruit goes bad easily and is not a good idea to store this agua de fresa for more than two days.
But, if you got some leftovers just keep them in the fridge and cover to prevent them from absorbing bad smells. You can either transfer the leftovers to a large mason jar or leave them in the pitcher if it has a tight lid.
More frescas recipes
Besides this agua de fresa recipe we sharing today, those below are also some recipes to try!
- Agua de piña. Made with pineapple, this tropical drink is one favorite.
- Agua de sandía. Sweet and summery, made with fresh watermelon.
- Limón y chía. Prepared with tangy lime juice and chia seeds, a healthy drink you must try.
Agua de fresa (strawberry water)
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh strawberries (hulled and quartered)
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- ½ cup sugar (read notes)
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Place strawberries in a blender. Add 2 cups of water and blend for one minute.
- Pour the mixture into a pitcher (you can also strain it)
- Pour in the remaining water and then add sugar mixing until is disolved.
- Now, slowly and while mixing, add the chia seeds.
- Place the pitcher in fridge for 2 hours. Or, if you want to serve it right away, just allow to rest for about 15 minutes so the chia seeds can hydrate.
- Serve in glasses with crushed ice.
Notes
- Don’t add ice to the pitcher because it will dilute Agua de fresa and make it lose a bit of its flavor.
- Replace sugar with Stevia, honey, or monk fruit for a healthier version.
- Try using the ripest strawberries you can find as they are sweeter and you won’t need so much sugar.
- You can also make this recipe using frozen strawberries, don’t need to thaw them, just blend them a little bit longer with the water.
Nutrition Information
We love this refreshing drink because is sweet, refreshing, budget-friendly (bottled beverages are expensive!), naturally vegan and gluten-free, perfect for cooling down during summer, and mostly: Because is delicious!
If you liked this Strawberry water fresca recipe. Please, don’t forget to rate it and leave us a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! Also, remember to share it using the buttons below and follow this blog on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and YOUTUBE.
This recipe is a winner. So easy to make and best alternative than store-bought juices. You can really taste the strawberries and the chia seeds add a nice touch too. Love it!