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Flavored waters can be a healthy addition to your fridge or cooler.

Many people drink them instead of soft drinks and other sugary beverages, which often contain excess calories and offer little to no nutritional value (1).

Depending on the type, flavored waters can be refreshing and hydrating without contributing to unwanted weight gain. Some varieties even boast beneficial antioxidants from plant extracts and fruit juices (2).

We considered the following factors when selecting the best flavored water brands:

  • Price: We chose flavored water brands that offer products at a range of price points.
  • Number of flavors: We selected brands that provide a variety of flavor options to please any palate.
  • Quality: Most of the brands on our list are free of artificial sweeteners, dyes, flavoring agents, and preservatives.
  • Ease of preparation: Most brands offer flavored waters that are ready to enjoy, while others offer products that are easy to prepare.
  • Certifications: We looked for brands that are certified organic, non-GMO verified, or free of bisphenol A (BPA).

A note on price

General price ranges with dollar signs ($ to $$$) are indicated below. One dollar sign means the product is rather affordable, whereas three dollar signs indicate a higher price range.

Pricing guide:

  • $ = under $100
  • $$ = $100–$200
  • $$$ = over $200
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Best make-it-yourself

Frozen Garden fusions

  • Price: $
  • Who it’s best for: people who want more control over the process of making flavored water

Frozen Garden fusions are blends of 100% fruit and herbs that have been frozen into small pieces to allow you to flavor your water at home.

You simply drop one piece into a glass of water and stir occasionally until it melts in 3–5 minutes.

Each piece makes 12 ounces (oz.) (355 mL) of flavored water that contains only 5 calories, 1 gram of carbs, and no added sugars or artificial ingredients — plus 6% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C (3).

Since the fusions are made from real fruit, they also supply antioxidants, which help prevent inflammation and may reduce your risk of chronic disease (4, 5).

Pros

  • no added sugar or artificial sweeteners
  • takes up less storage space than premade flavored waters

Cons

  • requires manual stirring to make each beverage
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Best with real fruit

Spindrift

  • Price: $
  • Who it’s best for: people who want flavored water made with real fruit

Spindrift makes sparkling water from real fruit juices and purees. Depending on which flavor you choose, these waters contain small amounts of one or more types of fruit juice.

These ingredients differentiate Spindrift from many other brands, which may use natural flavors but may not identify the specific sources.

Furthermore, Spindrift products are free of added sugars, dyes, and artificial ingredients.

Spindrift is available in several flavors, such as Raspberry Lime, Mango Orange, Pineapple, Grapefruit, and Cucumber.

Depending on the flavor, each 12-oz. (355-mL) can contains 2–17 calories, 0–4 grams of carbs, and up to 10% fruit juice (6).

Pros

  • made with real fruit juices and purees
  • free of added sugar, dyes, and artificial ingredients

Cons

  • offers fewer flavor options than other brands
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Best eco-friendly

JUST Water

  • Price: $$
  • Who it’s best for: people looking for a brand that is environmentally friendly

JUST Water is non-carbonated spring water infused with organic fruit essences.

Fruit essences, also called aromas, are one of many natural flavor substances approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They’re derived by heating fruit, collecting the resulting vapor, and condensing it for use in foods and beverages (7).

Each 16.9-oz. (500-mL) carton is free of calories, added sugars, and artificial sweeteners.

Notably, the cartons are made mostly from paper, and the caps are made from sugarcane (8).

Plus, the cartons are refillable, which may make this brand appealing if you’re looking to avoid single-use plastic water bottles that aren’t designed to be reused (9).

Pros

  • made with eco-friendly packaging
  • no added sugars or artificial sweeteners

Cons

  • some complaints that the flavor is undetectable unless you shake the carton first
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Most unique formula

Drink Simple sparkling maple water

  • Price: $$$
  • Who it’s best for: people looking for a nontraditional, innovative flavored water brand

Drink Simple sparkling waters contain carbonated maple water and juice concentrates.

Maple water is the clear, slightly sweet sap found in maple trees. It’s collected by tapping a spout into a maple tree, which allows the sap to flow out.

Though it can be boiled down into maple syrup, maple water itself isn’t sticky — in fact, it looks and feels just like regular water.

It’s a natural source of antioxidants and essential minerals, such as manganese, which plays a role in digestion, metabolism, and immune response (10, 11).

Since maple water and juice concentrates contribute some naturally occurring sugars, these flavored waters are not calorie-free. However, they have roughly 70% fewer calories than the same serving of a soft drink (12).

Each 12-oz. (355-mL) can contains 40 calories, 10 grams of carbs, 40% of the DV for manganese, 4% of the DV for calcium, and 1% of the DV for potassium (13).

Pros

  • natural source of antioxidants and essential minerals
  • contains fewer calories than soft drinks

Cons

  • not calorie-free
  • higher price point
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Best tea-infused

Sound sparkling water

  • Price: $$$
  • Who it’s best for: people who want unique flavors made with teas, herbs, and extracts

The company Sound infuses sparkling water with a variety of organic teas, herbs, and fruit extracts to create unique flavor combinations.

These drinks are free of calories, sweeteners, and artificial ingredients. The green and black tea varieties contain 45 mg of caffeine per 12-oz. (355-mL) can, while the ginger and hibiscus tea flavors are caffeine-free (14).

Though no research has looked at Sound’s products specifically, studies have linked green and black teas to a host of health benefits due to their high concentration of plant compounds called flavonoids (15).

For example, multiple human studies associate green tea with a reduced risk of heart disease (16, 17).

Pros

  • unique flavor combinations using tea, herbs, and fruit extracts
  • rich in flavonoids

Cons

  • higher price point
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Best simple formula

Polar Seltzer

  • Price: $$
  • Who it’s best for: people who are looking for an affordable, simple seltzer water

Polar Beverages offers 18 flavors of seltzer water, as well as several seasonal varieties.

The only ingredients are carbonated water and natural flavors, which are derived from fruit essences (18).

They’re unsweetened and calorie-free and contain no artificial ingredients.

Pros

  • no added sugar or artificial ingredients
  • lower price point
  • available in 18+ flavor varieties

Cons

  • not organic
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Best with fruit essences

Waterloo

  • Price: $$
  • Who it’s best for: people looking for a flavored water with simple ingredients

Waterloo sparkling waters are free of sugar, sweeteners, and other additives. The only ingredients are carbonated water and natural flavors derived from fruit essences (19).

Additionally, the cans are free of BPA, a harmful chemical found in the packaging of many foods and beverages (20).

Waterloo goes one step further and carries a Non-GMO Project Verified seal. These flavored waters are also Whole30-approved.

Pros

  • lower price point
  • widely available

Cons

  • has a milder flavor than some similar waters, according to some reviews
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Best flavor options

LaCroix

  • Price: $
  • Who it’s best for: people looking for water that comes in numerous flavors and at a low price point

This popular sparkling water comes in more than 20 flavors.

LaCroix products have no calories, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or other synthetic ingredients. They’re flavored with natural fruit essences (21).

Additionally, LaCroix regularly releases new flavors that can be fun to try.

Pros

  • variety of flavors available
  • no added sugar or artificial sweeteners

Cons

  • cans not BPA-free
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Best small company

Nixie

  • Price: $$
  • Who it’s best for: people looking to support a small business with a big mission

Nixie sparkling waters were created by the founder of Late July snacks, one of the first brands to carry organic certification.

These waters are a continuation of the founder’s desire to add more delicious and organic options to the food system.

Nixie waters are made with carbonated water and organic flavors. They come in eight flavors: Watermelon Mint, Lime Ginger, Strawberry Hibiscus, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Peach Black Tea, and Pomegranate Green Tea (22).

They contain no sugar, calories, or sodium. The varieties infused with organic teas have 15 mg of caffeine per serving.

Nixie waters are non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, certified organic, and packaged in BPA-free cans.

Pros

  • USDA organic certified
  • small business

Cons

  • may be less widely available than bigger brands
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Perrier

  • Price: $$
  • Who it’s best for: people looking for a well-established brand of flavored water without a high price point

Perrier sparkling water originated in France in the 19th century and is widely available throughout North America and Europe today.

Although best known for its plain mineral water, Perrier also sells several flavored waters: Lemon, Lime, Pineapple, Peach, Watermelon, Strawberry, L’orange, and Pink Grapefruit.

All are calorie-free and contain 4% of the DV for calcium per 8.5-oz. (250-mL) can (23).

Like other brands, Perrier contains just carbonated water and natural flavors (24).

Pros

  • well-known brand that has been around for a long time
  • mid-range price

Cons

  • smaller can sizes than many alternatives
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If you’d rather save money and generate less waste, it’s easy to make flavored water at home.

Simply add your favorite sliced fruits and herbs to cold water — the longer you let it sit, the stronger the flavor will be.

Here are some popular flavor combinations:

  • lemon and lime
  • strawberry and cucumber
  • watermelon and mint
  • blackberry and sage
  • raspberry and orange

The nutritional content of homemade flavored waters varies depending on the recipe. However, homemade flavored waters are typically very low in calories and may supply vitamin C and other water-soluble vitamins from the fresh fruit (25).

What’s more, they may help reduce your carbon footprint.

An estimated 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year in the United States alone. Drinking homemade flavored water from a glass or reusable bottle may help reduce this waste (26).

When choosing flavored waters, there are plenty of options to compare. It’s always a good practice to read the ingredient list and nutrition panel on any packaged product, including flavored waters.

Here are some of the things you may want to consider when deciding which one is right for you:

  • Added sugar content: It’s best to limit your intake of added sugar from sources such as cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. These offer no nutritional or health benefits and may lead to weight gain and other health issues (27, 28).
  • Artificial ingredients: Preservatives, flavorings, dyes, and sweeteners offer no health benefits, and some studies have linked consumption of these substances to obesity and related health conditions. On the other hand, some research suggests that artificial sweeteners may aid weight loss when consumed in place of sugar (29, 30).
  • Natural flavors: While these may sound intriguing, most are derived from animal or plant sources, some are highly processed, and companies aren’t required to disclose their sources (31, 32).

If the inclusion of any of these ingredients in commercial flavored waters is a concern for you, you may prefer to make flavored water at home using fresh sliced fruit and water.

Are flavored waters as good for you as regular water?

The best beverage for hydration and overall health benefit is always regular water. Other beverages, including flavored water, should not replace all your regular water intake.

However, flavored waters that don’t contain unwanted additives or other ingredients can be a good option if you want something a little different.

What is the healthiest non-carbonated flavored water?

The healthiest non-carbonated flavored water is one you make yourself at home.

While plenty of brands make flavored waters that can fit into a healthy lifestyle, you can choose all the ingredients when you make flavored water yourself.

All you need to do this is plain water and a natural flavoring agent to infuse it with, such as cucumber, citrus, berries, or fresh herbs.

What is the most popular water flavor?

Most of the companies listed above offer lemon and lime among their basic flavors, making these flavors popular and easy to find.

However, brands introduce new water flavors all the time, such as berry, tropical, citrus, and even tea-infused flavors.

A variety of great flavored waters is available on the market.

The options listed in this article are low in calories or calorie-free and contain no added sugars or artificial ingredients.

The next time you’re hankering for a bit of sweetness or fizz, grab one of these drinks instead of a soda.