Ginger Water Recipe

4 from 1 vote

A clean, sharp cold-steeped ginger water that takes 5 minutes of prep and a few hours of patience. No boiling needed -- just fresh ginger, cold water, and time in the fridge. Mild, refreshing, and easy to adjust to your taste.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword cold steep ginger water, ginger infused water, ginger water, ginger water recipe, homemade ginger water

Prep Time 5

Steeping Time 2

Total Time 2 5

Servings 4 glasses

Calories 5kcal

Author Zoe Tanaka

Cost $1

Equipment

1 Glass jar or pitcher (1 liter)
1 Fine mesh strainer
1 Sharp knife
1 Cutting board

Ingredients

For the Drink

30 g fresh ginger root unpeeled
1 liter cold filtered water
1/2 lemon optional
ice for serving

Instructions

Prepare the Ginger

Peel the ginger using the edge of a spoon -- this wastes less than a peeler on knobby roots and takes about 30 seconds.
Slice the ginger into thin rounds, about 2-3mm thick. Thinner slices extract faster and give a sharper, cleaner flavor.

Steep the Water

Place the ginger slices in a clean glass jar or pitcher.
Pour 1 liter of cold filtered water over the ginger.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Two hours gives a mild, background warmth. Four hours is sharper and more pronounced.

Finish and Serve

Strain the water through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pitcher, discarding the ginger slices.
If adding lemon, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon now, after straining. Stir to combine.
Taste and adjust -- if too strong, dilute with additional cold water. If too mild, steep a new batch for longer next time.
Serve over ice. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before pouring.

Notes

Use fresh ginger only -- ginger powder muddies the water and tastes stale.
For sparkling ginger water, dilute the finished infusion 1:3 with sparkling water.
For a mint variation, add a small handful of fresh mint leaves alongside the ginger during steeping.
Store in an airtight jar or pitcher in the fridge for up to 3 days.