Cucumber Jalapeño Mint Water
Infused waters don’t have to involve fruit! This vegetable and herb infused water is as flavorful as it is healthy. Cucumbers help to reduce bloating, jalapeños increase your internal temperature and metabolism, and mint can help with digestion and relieve headaches. You can practically taste the health properties of this green-powered water as you sip it!
Recipe for a 32 oz Ball jar:
- 3″ of cucumber (English or regular), sliced
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, de-seeded
- 1 sprig of organic mint leaves
To de-seed a jalapeño, cut off the pepper’s top, then cut the pepper in half. Wear a latex glove or cover your thumb with plastic wrap, and run your thumb down the length of the pepper, removing all seeds and the pith. Combine the ingredients in a container and cover with cold water. Infused for 4-24 hours in the refrigerator. Longer infusion times will result in stronger flavors.
If you are worried about this infused water recipe being too spicy, you can reduce the amount of pepper you add. However, mint and cucumber have amazing cooling properties in the mouth (and body), and they work well to balance the spiciness.
This infused water tastes delicious with East Asian food, which uses similar ingredients. I took the picture for this post at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. When I looked down at my spoon of pho, there was a sweet little surprise for me!
Clara April 6, 2014 at 9:33 pm
I imagine this would taste great with Pad Thai. I think the herbs and cucumber would balance the Thai spices — give my tongue a bit of relief actually. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy Pogue April 21, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Hi, Clara. Thanks for your comment! This water does taste fabulous with Pad Thai. Also, plain cucumber infused water tastes great with Thai food and does not compete against the flavors of the dish. Whenever I serve east Asian foods at home, I always serve cucumber water and people are pleasantly surprised 🙂
Daiquirri April 23, 2014 at 8:17 am
I love infused water! I don’t think I drink a single glass with our some fruit or veggie in it. But Jalapeno!!!! Never thought of that, and can’t wait to try it.
I was initially looking for any benefits of drinking infused water? Like cucumber reducing bloating and Jalapeno boosting metabolism but what about vitamins and nutrients? Just wondering if there is a way to determine how much nutrition actually comes from infused water?
Amy Pogue May 19, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Hello and welcome! The biggest benefit to drinking infused water is hydration, followed by actually the enjoyment of drinking healthy water/drinks. Infused waters do retain some of their original nutritional content, but there are not the same as squeezed fruit juices, so they are not as high in vitamins and nutrients. The amount of vitamins that remain in infused waters is also determined by how long you infuse the fruits for. So, instead of worrying about nutrition too much, I try to eat healthy every day and I am satisfied in knowing that I am drinking a lot of water (the best thing you can do for your body) and getting a little nutrition from it along the way. 🙂
Mary Tucker May 16, 2015 at 5:36 pm
All your recipes look awesome can’t wait to try them all.just got my glass infuser well on my way to drinking healthy and ditching the soda..thank you for posting this great blog..can’t wait to see if you come up with anything else
Jenny J Smith June 3, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Wow! glad I found your website. I’m going to try this infused waters. Thank you
james June 15, 2015 at 8:04 am
I’m going to begin infusing water today, this highly interests me!
JR Larson August 9, 2015 at 8:34 am
This trend recently caught on at work with various water jugs popping up all over the place. I’ve not seen this variation yet, but I was able to walk outside and grab what I needed off of the patio, and will be drinking a batch by this afternoon!
Kris P May 17, 2016 at 9:13 am
I had this at a bar in Montreal mixed with lemonade and vodka. It was AMAZING! So freshing!
Abby Benjamin December 1, 2016 at 8:13 am
I love cucumber water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I can’t wait to try this with jalapeno – what a great idea! Thanks for the recipe.
Kandice December 2, 2016 at 8:47 am
That’s the way I do it and love it!!
Michael Tanchin July 15, 2017 at 11:23 pm
Just wanted to mention jalapenos, or any spicy foods lowers your internal temps. Hence why spicier foods arent eating more near the equator. It thins the blood and dilates blood vessels allowing the body to cool more efficiently. Bad for people that have clotting issues or are on thinners.
Also, in industrialized nations, dehydration is a rather rare incidence, esp with seditary lifestyles.
Michael Tanchin July 15, 2017 at 11:25 pm
Edit**^ its why spicier foods ARE eaten more near the equator.
Chef WILL October 11, 2017 at 5:49 pm
Thankyou I’ve been looking for this recipe for several years..
A chef that I used to work with, swore by this..
I’m looking forward to try and guess detox..