Best Fruit Waters to Keep You Hydrated All Day

Add some flavor to your day with fruit water, a healthier alternative to high-sugar sodas and juices. Drinking water is a cornerstone of health and hydration, but not everyone enjoys unadulterated H20. If you’re one of those people, you can either try infusing water with fruit at home, or you can turn to one of the brands that does it for you. You can choose from water with just a hint of fruit, fruity water containing electrolytes or collagen, or coconut water. To choose fruit waters that maintain or enhance plain water’s health benefits, look for products that have little to no sugar, are low in calories, and that use natural processes to infuse the flavor listed on the label. 

To narrow down the list of best fruit waters we looked at the range of brands and their offerings. The market is split between simple flavored fruit waters and fruit waters with additions like electrolytes and collagen that are targeted towards exercise and health enthusiasts. We included both types in our final list.

We also looked closely at flavors in order to choose brands offering a broad selection of tastes and/or interesting and unique flavors. Two other features we took into account were the ingredient list—the fewer the better—and the nutrition facts on the label. We were looking for products that used the most natural, healthy ingredients possible: whether the product used real fruit juice or natural essences or oils for infusion instead of artificial flavors. We also considered the process that was used to infuse the water, and how eco-friendly the packaging is.

Why It Made The Cut: JUST Water offers pure spring water sourced in Glen Falls, NY and infused with organic lemons to create a refreshing taste.

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Local spring water sources from Glen Falls, NY provides the base for JUST Water Infused Spring Water. Naturally alkaline with a pH of 8.0, this fruit water contains minerals like magnesium and calcium. To create its flavor, the company uses a distillation process that includes boiling organic lemons to collect the vapor. A touch of essential oil and botanical extract adds to the flavor. The water contains no artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or calories. Additional flavors include blackberry and cherry. 

JUST Water is packaged in a box made from 88 percent renewable resources using paper from sustainably managed forests. This packaging results in 74 percent lower carbon emissions compared to the average plastic bottle. The carton is also BPA-free and 100 percent recyclable. 

Why It Made The Cut: This fruit water is enhanced with electrolytes plus Vitamin B, Vitamin C and E to help hydrate during the hardest of workouts. 

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Ready to break a sweat? Propel Flavored Water can help you recover. This fruit water comes in 11 flavors including lemon, kiwi strawberry, mandarin orange, and peach. What’s more, it contains electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamins B, C and E. Electrolytes, including potassium and sodium, help replenish chemicals the body loses in sweat during and after a tough workout or in very hot weather. 

In addition, this pick has no calories, so it helps to rehydrate without undoing some of the calorie-burning benefits of exercise. To achieve its sweet taste without adding sugar or calories, Propel adds two sugar substitutes: sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

Why It Made The Cut: With juice from cold-pressed lemons, the refreshing water is able to retain more of the fruit’s vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and antioxidants than other flavored waters. 

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No matter which flavor you purchase—-from blueberry acai to dragon fruit mango to just lemon—each bottle of Lemon Perfect Organic Cold Pressed Lemon Water contains half of a California-grown organic lemon. The cold-press process extracts the juice and pulp from the lemon without heat or oxygen exposure, retaining the lemons’ antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. The juice is then pasteurized using an eco-friendly process called flash pasteurization which maintains the nutritional benefits and flavor of freshly squeezed lemons without preservatives. 

This water contains only six ingredients: triple-filtered water, organic cold-pressed lemons, organic plant-based sweeteners, organic flavors, and vitamin C. Lemon Perfect gets its sweetness from erythritol and stevia leaf extract, the plant-based sweeteners. Erythritol is made from corn and is an all-natural, low-calorie sweetener found in fruits like pears and watermelons, while stevia leaf extract is a zero-calorie sweetener made from stevia leaves. Finally, each bottle of water is made from 100 percent recycled plastic and is fully recyclable. 

Why It Made The Cut: This coconut water tastes great and is a rich natural source of vitamins and minerals. 

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People who enjoy a taste of the tropics will enjoy Vita Coco, which is made with water from fresh young coconuts. The water is flash pasteurized, an eco-friendly method used to maintain the nutritional benefits without preservatives. 

Coconut water naturally contains vitamin C, and minerals like magnesium and calcium. Additionally, it is a great source of electrolytes like potassium, so it’s a great way to hydrate and replenish after an intense workout. In addition, Vita Coco sources its coconuts from all over the tropics, they add less than 1 percent natural fruit sugar to provide consistent taste. This addition, though tiny, does make the coconut water slightly sweeter than other brands. And consequently the 100 percent coconut water has more calories—45 per 8 fluid ounces—than other flavored waters. 

Why It Made The Cut: Each bottle of Vital Proteins Collagen Water contains 10g of collagen and uses real fruit juice plus natural fruit extracts and oils for flavor.

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If you’re looking for a boost of protein with your fruit water consider Vital Proteins Collagen Water. This fruit water contains 10 grams of collagen in each bottle. Collagen is a protein responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, so collagen water is said to strengthen nails, hair, skin, bones, and joints. It may also support digestive health. Drinking the odorless, flavorless collagen allows the body to absorb the protein quickly for the best benefits. 

Each of the six flavors contains no more than 3 grams of sugar and is made from real fruit juice, natural fruit extracts, and oils. All flavors are made using reverse osmosis filtered water, a process that removes large molecules and minerals by using pressure to push the water through special membranes. Since collagen is currently a trendy ingredient, Vital Proteins Collagen Water is pricier than other flavored water competitors. 

While no drink can truly replace water, you may want to choose a beverage that has similar health benefits. Consider fruit waters that have a very short ingredient list, preferably with ingredients that are easy to pronounce. Look for fruit waters that come with no added sugar, no calories, and no artificial additives. 

There are a lot of fruit waters that are specifically meant to help with hydration and replenishment after a workout. If you’re careful about your sugar intake, you’ll probably want to steer clear of drinks like Gatorade and Vitamin Water. Instead, consider fruit waters with electrolytes as they aid in keeping energy levels stable. To give water that fruity flavor, some waters use zero calorie sweeteners which may alter the flavor and are not as natural as some other options. 

It’s not a total replacement for water, as nothing really is, but coconut water is a natural and healthy option for staying hydrated. Coconut water naturally contains electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals to maintain a healthy balance throughout the day. The only potential downside is that coconut water is not calorie-free like regular water, and the calories can add up if you drink it throughout the day.

When selecting the best fruit water, consider how you want it to fit into your lifestyle. Do you want to drink fruit water throughout the day as a water replacement? Are you looking for fruit water that will help you rehydrate after an intense workout? Or perhaps you’re looking to check out the benefits of collagen. Whatever your reason for trying fruit water, take a good look at the ingredient list and nutrition facts. You want to be sure you’re ok with the ingredients used as well as the process in which the water is infused. And, of course, it may take a few tries before you find a fruit water that tastes great and has the benefits you want.