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Mexican

Agua de tamarindo

Vegetarian

Tamarind pods simmered and soaked until the sticky pulp slips off the seeds, then sweetened into a tangy, brown, deeply refreshing agua fresca.

Agua de tamarindo is a Mexican cold drink from Mexico, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with tamarind and sugar. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Two glasses of tamarind drink garnished with lime on a wooden plate, surrounded by tamarind pods and mint leaves.
Photo: Abner Velázquez / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
125

Ingredients

6 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the shelled tamarind (opens in a new tab) in 500 ml of the water for 10 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to soak until cool enough to handle.

  2. Step 2

    With clean hands, squeeze and rub the softened pulp off the seeds in the liquid until only bare seeds and fibres remain.

  3. Step 3

    Pour through a sieve into a jug, pressing hard on the pulp. Discard the seeds. Stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved and add the remaining 1 litre water.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Chill until cold and serve over ice; stir before pouring, as the pulp settles.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Mexico · Commonly attributedTamarind drinks are also traditional across the Caribbean, North Africa (tamr hindi) and South-East Asia.Also popular in Guatemala, El Salvador, Cuba, EgyptMore food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sour, sweet, fruity, refreshing
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Tamarind · Sugar
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

125 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 340 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 2%
  • Carbohydrate 98%
  • Fat 1%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy125 kcal37 kcal
Protein0.6 g0.2 g
Carbohydrate32.5 g9.6 g
Net carbohydrate31.5 g9.3 g
Sugars27.7 g8.2 g
Added sugars20 g5.9 g
Fibre1 g0.3 g
Fat0.1 g0 g
Saturated fat0.1 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium12 mg3 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
126 mg
Calcium
45 mg
Iron
0.6 mg
Magnesium
24 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
3 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Ice: Frozen water; same composition as water.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Taste before adding all the sugar — tamarind varies a lot in sourness.

Common mistakes

  • Not removing the stringy fibres that run along the pod before simmering.

Storage

  • Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Tamarind, shelled pods (brittle shell and strings removed)200 g
Used in steps 1, 2

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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