Cranberry Orange Mint Water: Easy Infused Water Recipe

Cranberry orange mint water is a chilled fruit-and-herb infusion that takes 2 hours 10 minutes to prepare, including steeping, and yields about 4 cups.

What is cranberry orange mint water?

Cranberry orange mint water is plain water flavored with fresh cranberries, orange slices and mint leaves. The cranberries contribute tartness, the orange adds citrus aroma, and the mint gives the drink a fresh finish.

This recipe uses whole ingredients rather than juice, so the flavor is subtle. For more combinations using berries, see these berry infused water recipes.

What ingredients and ratios do you need?

Use the following amounts for one pitcher, yielding approximately four 1-cup servings. The 10-minute preparation time is followed by at least 2 hours of refrigerated steeping.

Ingredient	Amount
Cold drinking water	1 liter (about 4¼ cups)
Fresh cranberries	100 g (about 1 cup)
Orange, thinly sliced	100 g (about ¾ cup slices, or roughly 1 small orange)
Fresh mint leaves	5 g (about ¼ cup loosely packed, or 8–12 leaves)

Choose a pitcher large enough to hold the water and ingredients, with a lid or cover for refrigeration. The quantities are flexible: use the stated ratio as a starting point, then adjust the fruit or herbs in your next batch to suit your taste.

How do you make cranberry orange mint water?

Rinse the cranberries, orange and mint under running water. Gently rub the orange peel as you rinse it.
Slice the orange thinly. Lightly crush the cranberries with a clean spoon to break their skins, and gently tear the mint leaves.
Add the cranberries, orange and mint to a clean pitcher, then pour in the water.
Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for 2–4 hours. Taste after 2 hours; for a stronger infusion, leave it longer but strain out the orange by 4 hours to limit bitterness from the peel and pith.
Strain the ingredients if desired, then pour the cranberry orange mint water into glasses. Serve cold.

For another custom combination, try the AI infused water generator.

Why do cranberry, orange and mint pair well?

Cranberries bring a sharp, lightly fruity note without the sweetness of cranberry juice. Breaking their skins helps expose more of the fruit to the water. If you prefer that tart flavor on its own, try cranberry infused water.

Orange softens the tart profile with a brighter, rounder citrus flavor. Its peel adds aroma, but the white pith can become bitter during a longer steep. For a simpler citrus pitcher, see orange infused water.

Mint adds a cooling aroma that keeps the fruit combination from tasting heavy. Tearing the leaves gently releases their scent; crushing them aggressively can make the drink taste more herbal. Find more ways to use the leaves in mint water.

The main practical benefit of cranberry orange mint water is that it can make plain water more appealing to drink. It is not a detox treatment: the liver and kidneys do most of the body's detoxification, while the lungs and gut also help eliminate waste. The amount of nutrients transferred from the ingredients into the water is uncertain, so whole-fruit nutrition values should not be treated as the drink's nutrition values.

How should you store cranberry orange mint water?

Keep the pitcher covered and refrigerated, and drink it within 24 hours for the best flavor. Strain out the orange by 4 hours if you leave the peel on; you can strain the remaining ingredients at the same time.

Discard the water after 2 days, or sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than a few hours.

How can you vary cranberry orange mint water?

Make it more tart

Lightly crush the cranberries before adding them, rather than leaving them whole. Taste after 2 hours before deciding whether to steep longer; the flavor will still be gentler than juice.

Make it less bitter

Remove the orange peel and white pith before adding the slices. Alternatively, use peel-on slices for aroma and strain them out by the end of the recommended steep.

Adjust the mint

Use fewer mint leaves for a fruit-forward pitcher, or add a little more for a more noticeable herbal aroma. Tear the leaves just before adding them to the water.