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by Sonja Overhiser
Published January 5, 2026
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Here are the top healthy drinks that taste great while keeping you hydrated. From infused waters to herbal teas and fresh juices, they’re delicious alternatives to sugary sodas.
While I love a good cocktail, on a regular basis you’ll find me drinking lighter options like sparkling water or tea. After helping my husband Alex kick his soda habit years ago, we began to discover drinks that actually make you feel energized and balanced, from cucumber-infused waters to homemade herbal teas.
What’s great about switching to healthier beverages is you don’t have to sacrifice flavor. I’ve tested dozens of combinations in my kitchen, and these 10 healthy drinks have become my daily go-tos. Whether you’re looking to cut calories or sugar or just want to try something new, these are my top ideas for healthy hydration.
One of my favorite easy solutions for a healthy drink are infused waters. This cucumber water recipe is so refreshing, with 0 calories and no sugar. You may have seen it at spas or beauty salons, and the botanical flavor tastes like poolside relaxion in a sip.
More infused waters: Try Lemon Water, Lime Water, Mint Water, or Fruit Infused Water.
Unsweetened iced tea is a delicious healthy alternative to soda! This easy homemade method results in a brew with the very best crisp, refreshing flavor! It’s the best way to make drinking water tasty, and a nice alternative to iced coffee.
More iced tea: Try Cold Brew Tea
Here's another of my favorite healthy drinks: Strawberry Water! This delicious flavored water has a hydrating berry essence. Make a big pitcher and you can sip off of it for days: or it’s perfect for entertaining. If you like, add a splash of sparkling water and drink it as a low calorie alternative to soda.
Ever made your own herbal teas? This mint tea is restorative, delicious, and takes just 5 minutes to steep into a flavorful herbal tea. It tastes fresh and bright. It’s a great way to wake up in the morning as an alternative to coffee. All you need is water and fresh herbs.
More herbal teas: Thyme Tea, Oregano Tea, Lavender Tea, Sage Tea, or Rosemary Tea
Kombucha is a healthy, satisfying drink that's a great alternative to soda! This fermented tea drink tastes like a combination of tea and hard cider. It's become very popular in the US so you can find it bottled, but you can also make it homemade! (It's a little like a science experiment.)
Green juice is a blend of green veggies that come together into a healthy drink! Juice recipes have become quite the wellness trend. Though this juice can’t cure diseases or make you skinnier, it's a great alternative to sugary soda that packs in all the nutrients of these tasty veggies.
More juice recipes: Carrot Juice, Celery Juice, Cucumber Juice or Watermelon Juice
There’s always room for more healthy drinks in our repertoire, and here’s one that’s quick and refreshing: Iced Green Tea! This tasty drink has virtually no calories but is ultra satisfying, pairing the herbaceous, grassy flavor of green tea with a hint of lemon and jingling ice cubes. It’s hydrating in any season: ideal for summer and in the colder months where you want to mix up your hot tea routine.
Another healthy drink? Pomegranate juice! Pomegranate juice has loads of nutrients and vitamins, and though it has a relatively high sugar content, it does have higher antioxidants than most fruit juices. Much of the vitamin C is lost in manufactured juice, so the best way to drink it is with fresh squeezed juice!
Make this lime rickey as a non-alcoholic, unsweetened beverage and it's a healthy mocktail! This refreshing drink is a cousin of the classic Gin Rickey, with no alcohol. Take one sip and it’s fizzy, bubbly, and ultra tangy. All you need is lime juice and sparkling water!
Ginger tea is a simple herbal tea you can make at home! It has possible health benefits like aiding in digestion and reducing inflammation (head to the recipe for more). Even better, it's cozy and warming: full of spicy ginger flavor, with a hint of tangy lemon and sweet honey.
Last up in my healthy drinks: this Celery Smoothie! It's low-calorie as far as smoothies go, and the flavor is refreshingly delicious! It’s packed with sweet flavor from green apple and banana, and the way the celery melds with fresh ginger gives it an intriguing brightness.
Here are a few overall tips for making healthy drinks fit into your lifestyle:
Most infused waters and herbal teas keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, though flavor is best within the first 24 hours.
For smoothies and fresh juices, I recommend making them fresh since they can separate or oxidize quickly. But you can actually make smoothies 1 to 2 days in advance and stir before enjoying.
Green juice and other vegetable juices are best to drink immediately after making them to preserve maximum nutrients and prevent separation.
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Hi there! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of two cookbooks, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share simple, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking. We now offer thousands of original recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning ideas—all written and photographed by the two of us (and tested on our kids!).
I really admire you both I really check my diet very well thanks anyway for all your efforts please keep it up
I’ve had the majority of these recipes and they’re all great! Way better than something sugary like pop (no thanks lol). For all the infusion drinks, I use spring water. We’re based in Toronto and we get spring water from this amazing place called bear springs. Their water tastes so fresh, so drinking those fruit drinks tastes even better, believe it or not.
Yes I’m trying to lose weight so I’m trying to find out some recipes that I can make like healthy drink
YUMMY!!!!!
Please send me healthy drinks
Hi there! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of two cookbooks, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share simple, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking. We now offer thousands of original recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning ideas—all written and photographed by the two of us (and tested on our kids!).
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