Water flavoring drops are becoming an increasingly popular way to add taste to plain water without extra calories or sugar. These liquid concentrates come in an array of flavors from citrus to berry and can transform boring tap water into a tasty, refreshing beverage. According to Google Trends data, searches for “water flavoring drops” have grown steadily over the past five years as more health-conscious consumers look for flavourful hydration.
The main appeal of water enhancers is that they allow people to enjoy flavored drinks without added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Brands like Stur and True Lemon use stevia and fruit juices to naturally sweeten their drops. Other options like Mio contain non-nutritive sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium. When used sparingly, these low-calorie sweeteners can reduce overall sugar and calorie intake. However, recent research suggests that frequent consumption may disrupt healthy gut bacteria.
In addition to encouraging better hydration, the portability and convenience of flavor drops makes them ideal for packing in lunches, taking to the gym, or keeping on your desk. The ability to customize the taste and strength is another major plus – add a few drops to a glass for a hint of flavor or shake things up with a new combo every day. Just be sure to check the ingredient label for unwanted additives. When used in moderation, flavoring water can make healthy hydration more appealing. But plain water should remain the primary focus for meeting daily fluid needs.
Our Top Picks For 2025
MiO Sugar-Free Berry Variety Pack Liquid Water Enhancers
The MiO Sugar-Free Berry Variety Pack includes 4 different 1.62 oz bottles of naturally flavored, calorie-free liquid water enhancers from Kraft Heinz.
MiO Sugar-Free Liquid Water Enhancers deliver bold fruit flavor with zero calories to water and other beverages. Available in a variety of delicious flavors, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles that are perfect for on-the-go
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Natural flavors like berry, citrus, and tropical options
- Vegetarian and gluten-free
Give your water a fruity splash of flavor with MiO Sugar-Free Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers encourage you to drink more water throughout the day. With zero calories and sugars, MiO allows you to enjoy flavored beverages without the guilt.
Stur Liquid Water Enhancers
Stur sugar-free liquid water enhancers add delicious fruit flavor and antioxidants to water with zero calories. Just squeeze in a little or a lot to transform plain water into a tasty, healthy beverage.
Stur Liquid Water Enhancers deliver big, bold fruit flavor using stevia, not sugar. Available in a variety of luscious flavors, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles fit easily into purse or bag
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Real fruit flavors like berry, citrus, and tropical
- Excellent source of antioxidant Vitamin C
- Keto, Kosher, and vegan
Give your water a fruity splash of flavor with Stur Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers encourage you to drink more water throughout the day. With zero calories and sugars, Stur allows you to enjoy flavored beverages without the guilt.
ICEE Zero Calorie Liquid Water Enhancers
ICEE zero-calorie liquid water enhancers bring the classic icy flavor to water with no sugar. Just add a squeeze of these convenient drops to water for a burst of delicious flavor.
ICEE Zero Calorie Liquid Water Enhancers liven up plain water with the classic icy flavors you love. Available in fan favorites like Cherry and Blue Raspberry, these tasty enhancers feature:
- Zero calories per serving for guilt-free flavor
- Small, portable bottles fit in your bag or pocket
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Sugar-free – sweetened with sucralose
- Natural and artificial flavoring
- Recyclable #1 PET plastic bottles
Give your water a boost of flavor with ICEE Zero Calorie Liquid Water Enhancers. These convenient enhancers make it easy to drink more water throughout the day. With zero sugars and calories, ICEE allows you to enjoy guilt-free refreshment anytime.
Starburst and Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers
These candy-flavored liquid water enhancers from Ballard Products add delicious Starburst and Skittles flavor to water with zero calories or sugar. Just squeeze to transform plain water into a sweet treat.
Starburst and Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers deliver big, bold fruity flavor inspired by the classic candies. Available in fan favorite flavors, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles fit in your bag or pocket
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Iconic candy flavors like Cherry, Strawberry, and Tropical
- 24 servings per bottle
- Includes recipe card for making hard candy
Give your water a sweet candy-flavored splash with Starburst and Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers encourage you to drink more water throughout the day. With zero calories and sugars, they allow you to enjoy sweet flavored beverages without the guilt.
Crystal Light Liquid Water Enhancers
Crystal Light sugar-free liquid water enhancers infuse water with delicious fruit flavors and zero calories. Just add a squeeze to transform plain water into a refreshing, guilt-free beverage.
Crystal Light Liquid Water Enhancers deliver big, bold fruit taste without the calories or sugar. Available in crowd-pleasing flavors, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Portable bottles fit in your bag or purse
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Natural flavors like berry, citrus, and tropical
- Vegetarian and gluten-free
Give your water a burst of fruit flavor with Crystal Light Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers make it easy to drink more water every day. With zero sugars and calories, Crystal Light allows you to enjoy flavored beverages without the guilt.
Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers
Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers bring the classic fruity candy flavor to your water with zero sugar and zero calories. Just add a squeeze of these colorful drops to water, juice, or soda for a burst of candy-flavored fun.
Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers deliver the bright, joyful flavors of the iconic candy to drinks with zero sugar or calories. Available in fan favorite fruity flavors, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles perfect for enjoying anywhere
- 72 total servings across 3 bottles
- Candy flavors like Wild Berry, Tropical, and Original
- Encourages more water consumption throughout the day
Give your water a playful splash of candy flavor with Skittles Liquid Water Enhancers. These whimsical enhancers make hydration more delightful. With zero sugars and calories, Skittles allows you to enjoy candy-flavored beverages without the guilt.
MiO Strawberry Watermelon Liquid Water Enhancer
MiO Strawberry Watermelon sugar-free liquid water enhancer packs a big, bold punch of fruit flavor into a convenient squeeze bottle to make water more delicious.
MiO Strawberry Watermelon Liquid Water Enhancer delivers a tantalizing fusion of strawberry and watermelon flavors to transform plain water into a mouthwatering beverage. This fruity water enhancer features:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Compact 3.24 oz bottle fits perfectly in your bag or pocket
- Just one squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Natural flavors create refreshing taste sensation
- Vegetarian and gluten-free
Give your water a burst of sweet strawberry and cool watermelon with MiO Strawberry Watermelon Liquid Water Enhancer. This thirst-quenching enhancer makes drinking water more exciting. With zero sugars or calories, MiO allows you to enjoy deliciously flavored beverages without the guilt.
MiO Vitamins Liquid Water Enhancer
MiO Vitamins naturally flavored liquid water enhancers infuse water with a burst of fruit flavor and essential B vitamins with zero calories. Just one squeeze transforms plain water into a tasty, nutritious beverage.
MiO Vitamins Liquid Water Enhancers deliver delicious fruit flavor plus vitamins B3, B6, and B12 in each serving. Available in refreshing flavors like orange and berry, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles fit in your bag or pocket
- One squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Natural fruit flavors like citrus, berry, and tropical
- Excellent source of B vitamins
- Vegetarian and kosher
Give your water a healthy splash of flavor with MiO Vitamins Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers encourage you to drink more water while supporting energy levels with essential B vitamins. With zero sugars or calories, MiO Vitamins allows you to enjoy flavored beverages without the guilt.
Jelly Belly Liquid Water Enhancers
Jelly Belly sugar-free liquid water enhancers infuse water with delicious candy flavors and zero calories. Just add a fun squirt to transform plain water into a tasty, guilt-free beverage.
Jelly Belly Liquid Water Enhancers deliver the classic flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans in liquid form to flavor water and other beverages. Available in fan favorites like Very Cherry and Tutti-Fruitti, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles fit in bag or lunchbox
- Just one squirt flavors 8 oz of water
- Recognizable Jelly Belly candy flavors
- Makes water more fun and delicious
Give your water a flavorful splash of fun with Jelly Belly Liquid Water Enhancers. These whimsical enhancers encourage kids and adults alike to drink more water. With zero sugars and calories, Jelly Belly allows you to enjoy candy-flavored beverages without overindulging.
Crush Crush Liquid Water Enhancers
Crush Crush sugar-free liquid water enhancers infuse water with the classic flavors of Crush soda, minus the calories. Just add a squeeze when you want to jazz up plain water with zesty fruit taste.
Crush Crush Liquid Water Enhancers deliver the bright, bold fruit flavors of classic Crush soda in zero-calorie liquid form. Available in fan favorites like grape, strawberry, pineapple, and orange, these convenient enhancers feature:
- Sugar-free formula with zero calories per serving
- Small, portable bottles fit in bag or purse
- One squeeze flavors 16 oz of water
- Nostalgic Crush soda flavors like grape, strawberry, pineapple
- Encourages more water consumption with flavor
Give your water a splash of fruit flavor with Crush Crush Liquid Water Enhancers. These tasty enhancers allow you to enjoy the flavors of sweet soda without any sugar or calories. Stay refreshed and hydrated in a fun, flavorful way with Crush Crush.
Brewing Health in Every Drop: The Essence of DIY Water Flavorings
Exploring the World of Homemade Water Flavor Enhancers
Homemade water flavorings open up an exciting culinary world of experimenting with fruits, herbs, edible flowers, and other natural ingredients to create refreshing and nourishing hydration. Rather than relying on mass-produced, artificial flavor drops, crafting your own infused water allows you to personalize flavors to suit your tastes. The options are endless when you begin selecting from seasonal produce, garden herbs, spices, and beyond to mix and match into the perfect infusion. Not only does the process whet creativity, but it results in flavorful water that boosts vitamin intake from whole foods.
The delightful alchemy of steeping pineapple, cucumber, strawberries, basil, mint, and other produce transforms ordinary water into a vibrant elixir brimming with nutrients. As opposed to grabbing a bottle off the shelf, the hands-on experience empowers you to control exactly what goes into your drinks. You can cater flavors to your cravings and avoid unwanted artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and other additives found in commercial options. With a little know-how, fruit and herb infusions can be whipped up easily at home with minimal time and effort.
Benefits of DIY Water Flavorings
Homemade water infusions provide a bounty of benefits beyond tantalizing tastebuds with lush flavors. By using natural whole foods as flavor enhancers, the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals permeate into the water. This gives your drink an added nutrition boost compared to plain water or store-bought versions, which may contain more artificial ingredients and less real fruit. For example, infusing a pitcher with strawberries, kiwi, cucumber, and mint delivers a delicious dose of vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants, and fragrant aroma to refresh you from the inside out.
Another advantage of crafting your own infused waters is that you control the sugar content. Whereas some commercially prepared vitamin waters and enhanced beverages harbor hidden sugars, your homemade blends can be sugar-free. By avoiding added sweeteners, it helps limit excess calorie consumption from drinks which can lead to weight gain over time. For those looking to reduce their sugar intake or follow a diabetic diet, homemade unsweetened infusions provide flavor without affecting blood sugar levels.
The Health Advantage of DIY
Nutritional Value of Natural Ingredients
When harnessing real fruits, vegetables, and herbs as flavor agents, you extract an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants into your water. For example, strawberries infuse a sweet tartness along with packing in vitamin C, manganese, folate, potassium and polyphenols. Mint contains vitamin A, iron, magnesium, and phytochemicals that impart anti-inflammatory effects. Compared to artificial flavor drops which offer little to no nutrition, whole food infusions deliver a spectrum of healthy compounds.
Preparing your own infused water lets you control the ingredients so that you avoid unhealthy additives. Many commercial flavor enhancers sneak in artificial colors, chemical preservatives, emulsifiers, and stabilizers to extend shelf life. For those avoiding additives for health reasons, DIY combinations using real produce steer clear of these concerning compounds. You can customize blends catered to your dietary needs rather than relying on generic manufactured options.
Sugar Reduction Potential
A major perk of homemade infusions is that they provide flavor without added sugars that you find in many ready-to-drink options. Even seemingly healthy vitamin waters can harbor unnecessary sweeteners that enhance taste at the cost of higher glycemic loads. By foregoing sugar additions, you slash calories that liquid sweets contribute leading to increased risks of obesity, diabetes, and related health issues.
For those actively working to cut back on sugary drinks, infused waters offer thirst-quenching redemption. Combining favorite fruits, aromatic herbs, wholesome spices, and other natural ingredients lets you craft sweetness free of empty calories and compromised blood sugar control. Staying hydrated has never been so refreshing and guilt-free!
Avoiding Preservatives and Artificial Additives
Major concerns surrounding commercially produced beverages involve not only sugar content but chemical additives thrown in. To extend shelf life and enhance flavor/color, many companies add controversial ingredients like potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, brominated vegetable oil, artificial sweeteners, and other concerning compounds linked to health issues.
Making your own infused water sidesteps these additives by relying solely on natural ingredients free of dyes, preservatives, stabilizers, and mysterious chemicals. You control exactly what soaks into your water from vitamin-rich lemons, antioxidant-loaded berries, fragrant basil, and other whole foods. For clean drinking without scary additives, home infusions let you sip easy.
Cost-Effectiveness and Eco-Friendly Approach
Economical Benefits of Simple, Seasonal Ingredients
Creating your own infused water at home costs mere pennies compared to pricier prepared beverages. By using simple fruits and herbs, often seasonally available at peak affordability, you save significantly over commercial options. For instance, filling a pitcher with discounted summer berries, citrus fruits, cucumber, and aromatic herbs utilizes inexpensive ingredients yielding numerous servings of delicious hydration.
Getting the most value for your money, homemade infusions utilize common household staples. You likely already have lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and other produce handy along with versatile fresh herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, etc. Repurposing ingredients creatively into flavorful water stretches your food dollars further. The economical approach saves you cash over routinely buying cases of manufactured water enhancers.
Environmental Impact of Homemade Flavorings
In addition to cost savings, preparing your own infused water benefits the environment by reducing plastic waste from individual bottles/cartons and associated packaging materials. Relying on whole ingredients eliminates the need for these wasteful containers that overwhelm landfills and waterways. You also conserve resources used in manufacturing and transporting commercial beverages shipped on trucks powered by fossil fuels.
Additionally, utilizing fresh seasonal produce in your area and homegrown herbs when possible supports local agriculture and cuts back on emissions from excessive food miles. Drinking infused water sustains the whole planet while delighting your tastebuds!
Creating Your Personalized Water Recipes
Tips for Selecting and Combining Ingredients
When developing your own signature infused water blends, let your imagination run wild with ingredient ideas! Nearly all fruits, many vegetables, and a variety of fresh herbs harmonize beautifully with water. Dabble with various produce and botanicals to discover irresistible fusion flavors catered to your preferences.
Select peak-season fruits bursting with sunshine sweetness like juicy pineapple, peaches, plums, mangos, berries, melons, etc. Or opt for refreshing cucumber, zesty citrus fruits, tart pomegranates, or other veggies. Don’t forget fragrant fresh herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, lavender, etc. You can even incorporate edible flowers like violets or rose petals!
When combining ingredients, start with a base fruit that permeates water well such as strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, grapefruit, or cucumber then complement it with secondary fruits, herbs, and spices. Allow time for flavors to meld by steeping
your infusion for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Many fruits and herbs infuse wonderfully within 2-4 hours. You can sample and tweak flavors to your liking too. Adjust sweetness by adding lemon/lime juice or dilute intensity with extra water if too strong.
Easy-to-Follow Recipes for Beginners
For those new to DIY infused waters, don’t let the endless flavor possibilities overwhelm you! Start simple with basic fruit combos then expand ingredients once you get the hang of it. Helpful equipment includes glass pitchers, infusion water bottles, or mason jars along with reusable strainers if desired. Then just wash and slice fruits/herbs, combine with water, let steep, and enjoy!
Here is an easy beginner recipe for refreshing Strawberry Basil Infused Water:
Ingredients:
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1⁄2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
Lemon slices (optional)
4 cups cold water
Instructions: Add strawberry slices, basil leaves, optional lemon slices, and cold water to a large glass pitcher. Stir gently with a long handled spoon. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Prior to serving, gently mash berries to release more flavor. Pour through a strainer into glasses filled with ice. Drink chilled or store covered in refrigerator up to 2 days.
This fruity, herbaceous infusion offers sweet strawberry essence with an aromatic basil background. Adjust amounts of each to suit your preferences! Once you master basic recipes, expand into more complex blends like Cucumber Melon Mint, Blackberry Sage Lemonade, Mango Ginger Zinger, or invent your own mixtures.
Encouraging Experimentation
Embracing Creativity in Flavor Combinations
One of the joys of homemade infused water involves tapping into your creativity to produce unique flavor fusions. While classic combos like lemon cucumber or strawberry mint offer refreshment, don’t limit yourself! Drift into uncharted taste territory by blending various fruits, herbs, spices, and botanicals until you strike hydration gold.
Unexpected ingredients like jalapeño, rose petals, cardamom, lavender, ginger, or lemongrass intermingle marvelously with fruit essences. Fusion flavors like Pineapple Chili Lime, Blueberry Rose Water, Peach Raspberry Basil, and Watermelon Mint Jalapeño quench thirst while tantalizing your palate. Infuse a single flavor like sweet cantaloupe or experiment by layering multiple elements for thirst-quenching excitement.
Involving Kids in the Flavor Creation Process
Making infused water offers a fun family activity letting kids master culinary skills and appreciate natural flavors. Have children select favorite produce at the market then guide them washing, slicing, and steeping ingredients. Allow them invent their personalized “magic elixir” concoctions! Kids enjoy concocting zany flavor combos like Tutti Frutti Fizzy or Silly Strawberry Spinach (maybe nix that last one!). Their creative juices flow freely.
By actively engaging children in preparing homemade infusions, it builds confidence in the kitchen while making positive associations with wholesome beverages over sugary drinks. Kids reap rewards by expanding their palates and honing awareness of nutrition from real foods. Plus they love showing off their cool infused water recipes to friends! With supervision for safety, get the whole family onboard flavoring up water while making memories together.
