How to Make the Perfect Agua de Tamarindo
Mexican · Easy · 25 min · 6 servings
Agua de tamarindo is a tangy and bold Mexican tamarind agua fresca made from tamarind pods or paste dissolved in water and sweetened with sugar to balance the intensely sour fruit. This classic Mexican drink is one of the most distinctive and polarizing agua fresca flavors with its deep brown color and complex sweet-sour-earthy taste profile.
Why this recipe works
This Agua de Tamarindo recipe has been crafted to deliver restaurant-quality results in your home kitchen. At just 25 minutes from start to finish, it fits perfectly into a busy schedule without sacrificing flavor. Each serving comes in at 90 calories with 1g of protein, making it a balanced choice for any meal.
What you will need
This recipe uses 5 simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store:
- 0.5 cup tamarind paste or 6 whole tamarind pods
- 2 cups warm water for dissolving tamarind
- 3 cups cold water
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar adjusted to taste
- 1 pinch salt
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Dissolve the Tamarind
If using pods, peel and remove the shells and fibrous strings. Place the tamarind flesh or paste into a bowl with 2 cups of warm water and soak for 10 minutes, then use your hands to break up and dissolve the tamarind into the water.
Step 2: Strain the Tamarind Water
Press the tamarind mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pushing firmly to extract all the tamarind liquid while leaving behind seeds and fibrous material. Discard the solids.
Step 3: Sweeten and Serve
Add 3 cups of cold water, sugar, and a pinch of salt to the tamarind liquid. Stir vigorously until all sugar dissolves completely. Taste and add more sugar as needed since tamarind is very tart. Serve over ice.
Easy substitutions
Missing an ingredient? Here are some swaps that work perfectly:
- tamarind pods → tamarind concentrate paste which requires less preparation time and is widely available in international grocery stores
- granulated sugar → piloncillo brown sugar dissolved in warm water for a more traditional Mexican sweet flavor
Common mistakes to avoid
Watch out for these pitfalls that can affect your results:
- Not adding enough sugar to balance the intensely sour tamarind results in an unpleasantly mouth-puckering drink so taste and sweeten generously
- Not straining the tamarind water thoroughly leaves seeds and stringy fibers in the drink making it unpleasant to consume
Nutrition facts
Per serving: 90 calories, 1g protein, 23g carbs, 0g fat, 1g fiber.
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