This cherry agua fresca is the perfect summer drink. Made with fresh sweet cherries, tart lime juice, and water, and served over ice. It’s just as refreshing as a glass of water but with all-natural flavors from the best seasonal produce. Just chop, mix, and blend for a hydrating refresher that’s ready in 15 minutes. 

Summer seems to get hotter and hotter every year. As moms, we know our kids need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated during outdoor activities. But getting them to actually do it… that’s another story. 

At The Produce Moms, we love serving our family an agua fresca, a traditional Mexican drink that translates to “fresh water.” To encourage our kids to drink more water, we added fresh cherries and lime juice with a dash of sugar and served it over ice. 

Cherry lime agua fresca is sponsored by Northwest Cherries. 

It’s similar to our Homemade Cherry Limeade, but this cherry lime agua fresca has more emphasis on the natural flavor and sweetness of the cherries than on tart limes. The straining process gives this cherry refresher a thin consistency that is still as refreshing as a glass of water. 

Be sure to check out some of our other cherry recipes at the end for more inspiration.

Fresh Agua Fresca Ingredients

One of our favorite things about this cherry agua fresca recipe is that you probably only need to buy two ingredients. While cherries are in season, we always reach for fresh over frozen. But if you make this during the winter months, frozen can work as well. 

Related: How To Freeze Cherries

Cherries

The darker the cherry, the sweeter the flavor. Northwest Cherries grows over 11 varieties of cherries that range in color from yellow with a red blush to a gorgeous, deep red (almost black) color. We used the darkest ones that we could find for a deeper red in our agua fresca and a naturally sweeter cherry refresher. 

Related: How to Select Cherries

Limes

We love the cherry lime flavor combo, so we had to add it to this cherry agua fresca. The acidity from the citrus cuts through the rich, syrupy sweetness of the cherries for a balanced, bright, tart, zesty sip of summer. If you don’t have limes, bottled lime juice will work as well, but you may need to add a little extra.

Related: How to Select Limes

How to Make Cherry Lime Agua Fresca

Now it’s a simple and quick process of prepping, blending, stirring, and serving. Your cherry agua fresca will be ready to serve in 15 minutes! But be prepared to make another batch, this goes fast. 

Step 1: Prep.

Cherries

Use your fingers to remove the stems. Poke a thin metal or glass straw through the middle of each cherry to pop out the seeds, then put them in the blender. 

Related: How to Pit Cherries

Limes

We used a juicer to extract ¼ cup of juice from the limes. If you don’t have a juicer, roll your limes on the countertop. Then use a knife to cut each lime in half, across the middle (not stem to tip). Pierce the flesh with a fork a few times. Then insert the fork into the center with one hand and squeeze the lime with the other hand, twisting back and forth.

This method extracts up to 30% more juice from each lime. It’s perfect if you like it extra limey. Add your lime juice to the blender with the cherries.

Step 2: Blend.

Add the sugar and water to the blender and blend until smooth, with as few chunks as possible. 

Step 3: Strain.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over the pitcher and pour the cherry lime agua fresca into the pitcher, through the sieve. This will remove any cherry chunks for a super-refreshing and light, easy-to-swallow drink.

Step 4: Serve.

Serve over ice with a lime wedge, mint, and a fresh cherry for garnish.

Why We Love Northwest Cherries

Cherries are a naturally sweet, hydrating treat without adding more sugar. That’s why we love using them during the warmer months. At Northwest Cherries, their growers are committed to harvesting high-quality cherries that are sweet or tart, depending on the variety. With cherries in the name, you can trust that they are the expert in all things cherry. 

More Cherry Recipe Inspiration You’ll Love

• Cherry Lime Slushie – skip the high fructose corn syrup and red dye #40
• Cherry Bomb – cherry with vanilla and citrus (mocktail version too!)
• Cherry Glazed Salmon – no fuss, gourmet flavor at home
• Cherry Bruschetta – easy, fun, and unique appetizer
• Sweet Cherry Vinaigrette – the perfect drizzle on any salad
• Cherry Bonbon Cookies – chocolate-covered cherries in cookie form
• Iced Vanilla Cherry Matcha Latte – sweet, tangy, earthy, creamy, and energizing